Formal arrangements

In practice, it is the government which decides when to hold an election. The law

says that an election has to take place at least every five years. However, the

interval between elections is usually a bit shorter than this. A party in power does

not normally wait until the last possible moment. In 2001 and 2005, for example,

the Labour government called an election after only four years in power. When a

party has a very small majority in the House of Commons, or no majority at all, the

interval can be much shorter.

After the date of an election has been fixed, people who want to be candidates in a

constituency must get their names on the ballot paper for that constituency. To do

this, they have to deposit .500 with the Returning Officer (the person responsible

for the conduct of the election in each constituency). They get this money back if

they get five per cent of the votes or more. Candidates are allowed to indicate their

political affiliation after their names on the ballot paper. In most cases, this is the

name of the party which they represent. However, it is not necessary to belong to a

party to be a candidate. You can write 'Independent' after your name or simply

nothing at all. Moreover, it is quite easy to register as a political party and the rules

about party names are very relaxed.

To be eligible to vote, a person must be at least 18 years old and be on the electoral

register. This is compiled every year for each constituency separately. Nobody is

obliged to vote.

The campaign

British elections are comparatively quiet affairs. There is no tradition of large

rallies or parades as there is in the USA. However, because of the intense media

coverage, it would be very difficult to be in Britain at the time of a campaign and

not realize that an election was about to take place.

The amount of money that candidates are allowed to spend on their campaigns is

strictly limited and they have to submit detailed accounts for inspection. Any

attempt at improperly influencing voters is outlawed. At meetings, for example, it

is illegal for candidates to offer a voter even a cup of tea.

Nearly everybody votes for a candidate on the basis of the party which he or she

represents, not because of his or her individual qualities or political opinions. Few

people attend candidates' meetings; most people do not read local newspapers. In

any case, the size of constituencies means that candidates cannot meet most voters,

however energetically they go from door to door.

It is at a national level that the real campaign takes place. At this level too, party

spending is legally controlled. Nevertheless, the big parties spend millions of

pounds advertising on hoardings and in newspapers. By agreement, they do not

buy time on television as they do in the USA. Instead, they are each given a

number of strictly timed 'party election broadcasts'. There are also extended

editions of the television news every night and each party holds a daily news

conference. All of this puts the emphasis on national party personalities rather than

on local candidates.

Polling day and election night

Since 1931, general elections have always taken place on a Thursday. They are not

public holidays. People have to work as usual, so polling stations keep long hours

(seven in the morning until ten at night) to give everybody the opportunity to vote.

The only people who get a holiday are those lucky schoolchildren whose schools

are being used as polling stations.

MORE INFORMATION ON THE TOPIC

Canvassing

This is the activity that occupies most of the time of local party workers during an

election campaign. Canvassers go from door to door, calling on as many houses as

possible and asking people how they intend to vote. They rarely make any attempt

to change people's minds, but if a voter is identified as 'undecided', the party

candidate might later attempt to pay a visit.

The main purpose of canvassing seems to be so that, on election day, transport can

be offered to those who claim to be supporters. (This is the only form of material

help that parties are allowed to offer voters.) It also allows party workers to

estimate how well they are doing on election day. They stand outside polling

stations and record whether people who claim to be supporters have voted. If it

looks as if these people are not going to bother to vote, party workers might call on

them to remind them to do so.

By-elections

Whenever a sitting MP can no longer fulfil his or her duties, there has to be a

special election in the constituency which he or she represents. (There is no system

of ready substitutes.) These are called by-elections and can take place at any time.

They do not affect who runs the government, but they are watched closely by the

media and the parties as indicators of the present level of popularity (or

unpopularity) of the government.

POLITICAL LIFE

1.The style of democracy

2.The constitution

3.British political parties

Read the words and phrases. Consult the dictionary for their pronunciation!

To fiddle the expenses – тринькати гроші

Maxim – аксіома, правило поведінки, принцип

Discretion – обережність, обачність

laissez-faire - невтручання (держави у справи громадян, зазвичай у приватний

бізнес / торгівлю)

Sinn Fein - Шин фейн (політична організація, що була створена в 1905 р. для

боротьби за звільнення Ірландії від колоніального панування Великобританії; у

наш час це політичне крило Ірландської республіканської армії (IRA)

Read the text and find the answers to the following questions

What is the traditional assumption that describes the relationship between the people and

the state in Great Britain?

What kind of country is Great Britain in terms of its political arrangement?

Does Great Britain have a Constitution? In which form does it exist?

The style of democracy

Although they may not have much respect for the present institutions of the law,

the British have a deep respect for the principle of law. Of course, lots of crimes

are committed, as in any other country, but there is little systematic lawbreaking by

large sections of the population. For example, tax evasion is not the national

pastime that it is said to be in some countries.

However, while 'the law' as a concept is respected, the British are comparatively

unenthusiastic about making new laws. The traditional feeling is that, while you

have to have laws sometimes, wherever possible it is best to do without them. In

many aspects of life, the country has comparatively few rules and regulations. This

lack of regulation works both ways. Just as there are comparatively few rules

telling the individual what he or she must or must not do, so there are

comparatively few rules telling the government what it can or cannot do.

For example, Britain is one of the very few European countries whose citizens do

not have identity cards. Before the 1970s, when tourism to foreign countries

became popular (and so passports became more common), most people in the

country went through life without ever owning a document whose main purpose

was to identify them. British people are not obliged to carry identification with

them. You do not even have to have your driving licence with you in your car. (If

the police ask to see it, you have 24 hours to take it to them.)

To a large degree, the traditional assumption about the relationship between the