Text c. The political system of Great Britain.
The United Kingdom is a constitutional monarchy. Officially the head of the state is the Queen. But her power is not absolute; it is limited by the Parliament. The Queen reigns but she does not rule. The British Parliament is the oldest parliament in the world. It consists of 2 chambers: the House of Lords and the House of Commons. Parliament and the monarch have different roles in the government of the country, and they only meet together on symbolic occasions such as the coronation of a new monarch or the opening of Parliament. In reality, the House of Commons is the only one of the three which has true power. It is here that new bills are introduced and debated. If the majority of the members are in favour of a bill it goes to the House of Lords to be debated and finally to the monarch to be signed. Only then does it become law. Although a bill must be supported by all three bodies, the House of Lords only has limited powers, and the monarch has not refused to sign one since the modern political system began over 200 years ago.
The British Government is headed by the Prime Minister - the leader of the party having the majority of seats. The Prime Minister appoints the ministers to compose the government. The largest minority party becomes the Opposition. There are several political parties in the UK. The largest and most influential are the Conservative, the Liberal and the Labour parties.
Great Britain is a member of the Commonwealth which is a voluntary association of independent states that originated as a result of dismantling of the British Empire after 1945. The British monarch is the Head of the Commonwealth and also the Head of State of 16 member countries such as Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the Bahamas and some others.
Text d. The symbols of the uk.
The
British flag, known as the Union Jack, is a combination of three
flags: the Saint Andrew's cross (the white diagonal cross), the Saint
Patrick's cross (the red diagonal cross) and the Saint George's cross
(the upright red cross).
The Saint
Andrew’s cross is the Scottish flag. Saint Andrew, a fisherman, was
one of the 12 apostles who followed Jesus Christ. Paintings of Saint
Andrew often show him being killed on an X-shaped cross. Saint
Andrew's Day is celebrated on 30 November. He is the patron saint of
Scotland. Thistle is the symbol of Scotland.
The Saint
Patrick's cross is the former flag of Ireland. Saint Patrick is the
patron saint of Ireland. He was born about AD 390. He converted the
Irish to Christianity and is supposed to get rid of all the snakes in
Ireland. Saint Patrick's Day is celebrated on 17 March.
Shamrock
is the symbol of Ireland.
The Saint
George's cross is the English flag. Saint George is the patron saint
of England. He was a soldier famous for saving the Princess Cleolinda
from being eaten by a dragon. He wounded the dragon and took it back
to the city of Silene on a lead like a dog. Saint George's Day is
celebrated on 23 April. Rose is the symbol of England.
The
Welsh flag shows a dragon. Saint David, the patron saint of Wales,
started a number of monasteries in the country. Paintings of Saint
David normally show him with a dove on his shoulder. His relics are
now in Saint David's Cathedral in Wales. Saint David's Day is
celebrated on 1 March. Daffodil is the symbol of Wales.
