Exercise
10
Read
and translate the text into Ukrainian and discuss the topic. THE HOUSE OF
COMMONS AND THE ELECTORAL SYSTEM
The
House of Commons is made up of 650 elected members, known as Members of
Parliament (abbreviated to MPs), each of whom represents an area (or
constituency) of the United Kingdom. They are elected either at a general
election or at a by-election following the death or retirement of an MP. The
election campaign usually lasts about three weeks. Everyone over the age of 18
can vote in an election which is decided on a simple majority — the candidate with the most votes wins. Under
this system an MP who wins by a small number of votes may have more votes
against him (that is for the other candidates) than for him. This is a very
simple system, but many people think that it is unfair because the wishes of
those who voted for the unsuccessful candidates are not represented at all.
Parliamentary elections must be held every five years at the latest, but the
Prime Minister can decide on the exact date within those five years.
Service departments are called the Ministry
of Defence, the Treasury and the Home Office respectively. They are staffed by
civil servants who are politically neutral and who therefore do not change if
the Government changes. The leader of the Opposition also chooses MPs to take
responsibility for opposing the Government in these areas. They are known as
the "Shadow Cabinet".
The Parliamentary Parties.
The
Conservative and Liberal parties are the oldest, and until the last years of
the 19th century they were the only parties elected to the House of Commons.
Once working-class men were given the vote however Socialist MPs were elected,
but it was not until 1945 that Britain had its first Labour Government. At this
election the number of Liberal MPs was greatly reduced and since then
Governments have been formed by either the Labour or the Conservative party.
Usually they have had clear majorities — that is, one party has had more MPs
than all the others combined.
The
Conservative Party can broadly be described as the party of the middle and
upper classes although it does receive some working-class support. Most of its
voters live in rural areas, small towns and the suburbs of large cities. Much
of its financial support comes from large industrial companies. The Labour
Party, on the other hand, has always had strong links with the trade unions and
receives financial support from them. While many Labour voters an middle-class
or intellectuals, the tradition; Labour Party support is still strongest in
industrial areas.
In
1981 some MPs left the Labour Party and formed a new "left-of-centre"
party — the Soc Democratic Party (SDP) — which they hoped would win enough
support to breal the two-party system of the previous forty years. They fought
the 1983 election in an alliance with the Liberals, but only a small number of
their MPs were elected. In 1988 the majority of SDP and Liberal MPs and party
members decided to form permanent single party, to be called the Social,
Democratic and Liberal Party or the Social and Liberal Democrats. However some
SDP MPs and party members disagreed with the idea, and so the SDP still exists
as a separate parry. They (and other small minority parties in the House of
Commons) would like to change the electoral system; they want MPs to be elected
by proportional representation. Under this system, the number of MPs from each
party would correspond to the total number of votes each party receives in the
election.
The Party System.
The
British democratic system depends on political parties, and there has been a
party system of some kind since the 17th century. The political
parties choose candidates in elections (there are sometimes independent
candidates, but they are rarely elected). The party which wins the majority of
seats forms the Government and its leader usually becomes Prime Minister. The
largest minority party becomes the Opposition. In doing so it accepts the right
of the majority party to run the country, while the majority party accepts the
right of the minority party to criticise it. Without this agreement between the
political parties the British parliamentary system would break down.
The
Prime Minister chooses about twenty MPs from his or her party to become Cabinet
Ministers. Each minister is responsible for a particular area of government and
for a Civil Service department. For example, the Minister of Defence is
responsible for defence policy and the armed forces, the Chancellor of the
Exchequer for financial policy, and the Home Secretary for, among other things,
law and order and immigration.
Exercise
11
Read, translate the text into Ukrainian.
The
United States began as a one-party political system, but gradually two-party
system gained strength in political life. The fact is that nowadays the
percentage of people who do not support either of the two old parties is the
largest in history. Find out whether the following text contains information
about the reason of this phenomenon.
THE MAJOR POLITICAL PARTIES
The popularity of George
Washington, who wanted the country to stay a one-party political system, and
the good effects of the Constitution on trade prevented the organization of
opposing parties until the end of Washington's second term. Then the question
of who should be the new President began to divide the people into political
organizations backing opposing candidates. Thus the one-party Revolutionary
government of the United States split up into a two-party system.
The present-day Democratic Party was founded
in 1828, representing Southern planters — slave owners and part of Northern
bourgeoisie, as well as groups of petty bourgeoisie and farmers. The Republican
Party was founded in 1854. It united industrial and trade bourgeoisie from
North-East, farmers, workers, craftsmen who were interested in destroying the
political power of the South. During Lincoln's Administration, Republicans
supported the agricultural reforms and the abolishment of slavery. Yet after
the Civil War of 1861—1865 the party lost its progressive character and the
differences between the two parties disappeared.
The parties chose their own names. Republican
and Democratic, but not their party emblems. The cartoonist Thomas Nast
Invented the Republican elephant and the Democratic donkey in the early 1870s
and they soon became fixed types. The parties are not divided by any doctrinal
gulf. It is hard to say what the "Republican Party view" or the
"Democratic Party view" of any political issue is. Outsiders often
complain that they find it difficult to distinguish between the two major
political parties of the US, which appear to support such similar policies.
The main task of the parties is to win
elections. Every four years the American parties come together as national
bodies in Presidential nominating conventions and make up the party programs.
But once a President is chosen, the parties again become amorphous bodies. This
traditional two-party system is favoured by big business, for it creates an
illusion that voters are free to choose between candidates from two parties
whereas both of them faithfully serve big business interest.
What distinguishes the two parties is not so
much opinion as position. In 1887 James Russell Lowell said, "No
thoughtful man has been able to see any other difference between the two great
parties ... than that the one was in and wished to stay there and the other was
out and didn't wish to stay there." It is also true today.
One of the reasons of the stability of the
two-party system is family tradition. Each new generation of Americans inherits
its politics and party loyalty from their fathers. National origin plays a
role, too. Descendants of northern Europeans tend to the Republican party while
those of southern and eastern Europeans prefer the Democratic party.
Exercise
12
Discussion
Look through the lists of general ideas and
supporting details. Find the details to support each of the general ideas. General
Ideas 1.
Both the Republican and the Democratic parties emerged to reflect the interests
of different social groups.
2.
The
parties are not divided by any contradictions or differences in the political
outlook.
3. The parties become most active during the
presidential elections.
4.
The
two-party system retains its stability as never before.
Supporting
Details
a)
The
Republican Party was led by the industrial bourgeoisie of the North and
supported by workers and farmers.
b)
The
area in which one lives is still an important factor determining one's vote.
c)
The
slave owners and farmers of the southern states showed a strong tendency to
vote Democratic.
d)
Both
the biggest parties of the country are financed by big business.
Exercise 13
Read, translate and retell the dialogues.
M:
This is a very important mission, 005. 005: What do I have to do?
M:
You have to go to Moscow on the next flight. 005: Moscow! I have a good friend
there ... a woman ... .
M:
Yes, we know that. But you can't visit her! 005: Where do I have to stay?
M: You have to go directly to the Airport
Hotel, stay in your room, and wait for instructions. 005: Which passport do I
have to use?
M: Your Swiss passport. And you have to speak
German all the time. They can't discover your real nationality. 005: Do I have
to take my gun?
M: No, you can't take your gun ... but take a
lot of warm clothes.
Good luck, 005!
Answer the questions.
Is it an important mission? Does he have to
go to Moscow?
Ask:
"When?" Ask: "How?"
Whom
can't he visit in Moscow? Does he have to stay in a hotel?
Ask:
"Which hotel?"
Does
he have to stay in his room?
What does he have to wait for? Which passport
does he have to use? Does he have to speak English? Ask: "What?" Ask:
"Why?" Does he have to take his gun?
X: Listen carefully, Olga. You have to check
into the Airport Hotel tonight.
Olga: Do I need to reserve a room?
X: No, you don't. We made a reservation for you ... next to the
English agent's room.
Olga: Do I have to stay in my room?
X: No, you don't, but you have to stay in the
hotel.
Olga: Do I have to ... be nice to him?
X: No, you don't. But you need to find out
why he's here.
Olga: Do I have to contact you everyday?
X: No, no, you can't! It's too dangerous for
you.
Olga: Why?
X: Because 005 is a very dangerous man.
Olga: Don't worry, X. I'm a very dangerous
woman!
Answer
the questions.
Does she have to check into the hotel
tonight?
Does she need to reserve a room?
Does she have to stay in her room?
Where does she have to stay?
Does she have to be nice to 005?
What does she need to find out?
Does she need to contact X every day?
Ask: "Why not?"
|
