The effects of the first past the post electoral system
Britain’s electoral system gives small political parties very few MPs in the House of Commons, even though they may get many votes.
1. Answer these questions after your reading the text.
How many chambers are there in Russian Parliament and what are they called?
How old do you have to be to vote in this country?
How many political parties are there in Russia and what are they called?
What is the title of the most powerful person in Parliament of our country?
Answer the same questions for Britain.
2. a. Compare the percentage of Liberal Democrat MPs with the percentage of people that voted for them.
(See the diagram)
How many Liberal Democrat MPs would there be in the House of Commons, if Britain had a system of
proportional representation? (See the diagram).
b. What electoral system does Russia have?
Chapter 4 the monarchy
What does the Queen do?
Britain is a constitutional monarchy. This means that the monarch, at the moment Queen Elizabeth II, is the Head of State. The Queen is also head of the judiciary (all the judges) and of the Church of England, as well as the Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces. Her face is on all British bank notes, coins and postage stamps.
The Queen’s constitutional role, however, is mainly symbolic. True power lies in the hands of Prime Minister and his or her Cabinet. It is the Queen who formally opens Parliament every autumn, but the speech she makes from the throne, giving details of the government future plans, is written for her by politicians. Nothing becomes British law without the monarch’s signature, but the Queen would never refuse to sign a bill which has been passed by Parliament. When a bill has been passed by Parliament it goes to her for Royal Assent before it becomes law. She could refuse to sign it, but she never does. The Royal Assent has not been refused since 1707.
It is the Queen who officially appoints the Prime Minister, but traditionally she always asks the leader of the party with a majority in the House of Commons.
The
Queen: representing Britain
The most
important function of the Queen is ceremonial. On great occasions,
such as the State Opening of Parliament, she is driven through the
streets in a golden carriage, guarded by soldiers. She gives a state
banquet, usually in her home Buckingham Palace, when foreign
monarchs or heads of States visit Britain and soldiers dressed in
eighteenth-century uniforms help her welcome them. The Queen is head
of the Commonwealth (a group of former and present-day British
colonies). As head of the Commonwealth, she meets and entertains
prime ministers of the member states.
Since Elizabeth II came to the throne in 1952, she has represented Britain in visits to most parts of the world. Prime Ministers come and go, but she carries on above politics, a symbol of British traditions.
This is the Queen’s crown. She only wears it for State occasions,
like the State Opening of Parliament. The diamond in the front
of the crown is the biggest diamond in the world and is from India.
The royal family: an ideal British family?
The surname of the royal family is Windsor. This might sound very British, but the royal family’s ancestors were German. The present Queen’s great-great-grandmother, Queen Victoria (1819-1910), was born in Britain, but her mother and her husband were both German. When Queen Victoria got married, she became a Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. The British royal family continued this surname until the First World War (1914-1918) when King George V (1865-1936) decided to adopt the more English-sounding name of Windsor. In fact Windsor is the name of one of their castles.
King George VI and Queen Elizabeth (now known as the Queen Mother) became very popular with the British people during the Second World War (1939-1945). They refused to leave London, even though their home Buckingham Palace was bombed. In 1953, millions of people watched Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation on television and thought of her, her husband and their two little children as the ideal British family. This image of the royal family did not last.
Royal scandals
Royal scandals are not an invention of the twentieth century. The former King George IV (1762-1830) was criticised for his overeating and drinking, his gambling and for the way he treated his wife. King Edward VII (1841-1910) openly kept a number of mistresses and was involved in a gambling scandal.
Recent problems affecting members of the royal family have had a greater effect on their popularity. In 1992, all of the Queen’s married children either separated or divorced. The Press is constantly publishing details and photographs of the private lives of the royal family. British people are also showing less respect towards the royal family: most still want a monarchy, but expect the royal family to earn their money and set an example.