THE PALACE OF WESTMINSTER
Date: 2015-10-07; view: 431.
DOWNING STREET
IT IS INTERESTING TO KNOW
The street was so named after Sir George Downing (1623-1684), a noted parliamentarian and ambassador. It is a synonym for British Government.
No. 10 Downing Street was given in 1 725 by King George II to Sir Robert Walpole as the official residence of the Prime Minister, it is there that Cabinet meetings are usually held.
No. 11 Downing Street is the official residence of the Chancellor of the Exchequer.
No. 12 Downing Street is the Government Whip's office. This is an unwritten law that during elections the Prime Minister leaves his residence and only returns after the elections to No. 10 Downing Street, the same happens when there is a vote of no-confidence at Parliament and re-elections are demanded.
The Palace of Westminster is also known as the Houses of Parliament. There has been a royal palace on this site for almost 1000 years. For a long time it was the home of kings and queens.
The Palace is built on an 8-acre site and there are over 1,000 rooms and more than 2 miles of corridors.
Visitors to the Palace enter by the Norman Porch entrance. This is the entrance used by the Queen when she comes to open Parliament each year, usually in November.
If you go up the staircase and then look at the ceiling just outside the Robing Room you will see the three colours of Parliament the Sovereign (gold), the Lords (red) and the Commons (green). The building is divided up in this way too, and on your tour you will first pass through the royal part of the Palace, then the part which belongs to the House of Lords and, finally, the part which belongs to the House of Commons.
The Robing Room. As you enter the Robing Room your eyes are drawn to the Chair of State. In this room the Queen receives the Imperial State Crown which is placed on her head just before she walks in procession through the Chamber of Lords. The Imperial State Crown is specially brought for her from the Tower of London where it is kept for the rest of the year. The Queen also puts on her State robes.
The Prince's Chamber. This room seems rather small but it is an important room for it is here that Members of the House of Lords meet each other before entering their Chamber. You can see the pictures of Tudor kings, queens, princes and princesses on the wall and also the large marble statue of Queen Victoria. She was queen when the present Palace was built.
The Chamber of the House of Lords.The Chamber of the House of Lords is also called the Parliament Chamber, as it is the place where all three parts of Parliament come together at a State Opening - the Sovereign, the Members of the House of Lords and the Members of the House of Commons. When the Queen arrives in the Chamber of the House of Lords and is seated on the throne she then bids everyone to be seated. Then the Lord Great Chamberlain raises his wand. This is a signal for Black Rod, the Queen's Messenger, to summon the Members of the House of Commons to the House of Lords. As Black Rod approaches the House of Commons the doors are shut in his face. He has to knock three times on the door before he is allowed in. Possible this arose because, centuries ago, the Commons quite often wanted to discuss matters (for instance, a royal demand for money) in private without the king's messenger coming in unannounced. So the doors would be shut and discussions would cease before he was let in. When Black Rod has delivered his message, the MPs, walk through into the Chamber of the House of Lords to hear the Queen's Speech which opens Parliament. In fact, there are 659 MPs. The Queen's Speech is handed to her by the Lord Chancellor. It is written for her by the Government of the day and not by the Queen herself In the speech she tells Parliament – Lords and Commons what the Government hopes to do during the next session (usually the next year). For the rest of the year, the House of Lords uses the Chamber for its debates and discussions of laws in the making.
The Chamber of the House of Commons. The Chamber of the House of Commons is really quite small. MPs hold their debates and their discussions on changes in the law, in the House of Commons. The Chairman, who keeps the House in order, is called the Speaker. He or she can see from the chair all the MPs who signal that they wish to speak. In front sit three Clerks. These people can advise the Speaker and they also take notes on the proceedings. They are not Members of Parliament. You will see from the picture that there are red lines running along either side of the Chamber. The distance between them is a sword's length and one foot. This is because many years ago Members of Parliament were allowed to wear swords into the Chamber and 'sword lines' were marked on the floor to remind them that however cross they got with each other they should never get close enough to attack each other! You will see also the Table of the House and the Dispatch Boxes (leading politicians stand at these boxes when they make speeches in the House of Commons) and the rest where the Mace is put while the House is debating. The Mace is the symbol of royal authority and is carried every day in the Speaker's procession.
Clock Tower. As you leave through the north door look up and see the face of Big Ben. Big Ben is actually the name of the bell, not the tower. It strikes every quarter of an hour and is the most famous public clock in the world.
Learn these words:
Chancellor of the Exchequer - ì³í³còp ô³íaíc³â Aíã볿
the Government Whip - äîcë. "áaò³ã ópÿäó" (çaãaëüíîïpèéíÿòà íàçâà ñëyæáîâèõ oñ³á - ïaðëàìeíòñüêèõ opãaí³çaòop³â êîæío¿ ç ïàðò³éíèõ ôpaêö³é
the Palace of Westminster - Âåcòì³ícòåðcüêèé ïaëaö
the House of Parliament - áyäèíîê (ïðèì³ùeííÿ) ïàpëaìeíòy
the Norman Porch - íopìaíäñüêèé ï³ä'¿çä (çáyäoâaíèé y íopìaíäcüêoìy ñòèë³, aíãë³écüêa àðx³òeêòyða XII ñò.)
the Robing Room - óáèpaëüíÿ (ê³ìíaòa, äe êopîëeâa íaä³âaº êîpîíó òa êopîë³âcüêó ìaíò³þ)
the Imperial State Crown - ³ìïåðcüêa äåpæaâía êoðoía
the Tower of London - Tàyep (pàí³øe - òþpìa, äe yòðèìyâàëèñÿ êoðoíoâaí³ òa ³íø³ çëî÷èíö³, íèí³ aðñeíaë òa ìyçeé ñeðeäíüîâ³÷íî¿ çáo¿ ³ çíàpÿäü êaòyâaííÿ
Tudor kings - êoðoë³ äèíacò³¿ Tþäoð³â
Lord Great Chamberlain - ãîëîâíèé êeðyþ÷èé äâîðîì êîpîëÿ, êaìeðãåð
Black Rod - "÷îpíèé æeçë", ãeðîëüäìeéñòeð (ïoñò³éía cëyæáoâa oñoáa â Ïaëaò³ ëoðä³â, ï³ä ÷ac öeðeìoí³é íeñe ÷îðíèé æeçë, òèòyë ³cíyº ç 1350p.
the Queen's Messenger - êîpîë³âñüêèé ïoñìëüíèé (ïoñëàíåöü)
the Lord Chancellor - ëoðä-êaíöëeð (ãëaâa cóäîâîão â³äîìcòâa òa âåpõîâíèé cóääÿ Aíã볿, ãëaâa Ïaëàòè ëoðä³â)
Clerks - cåêðåòàð³
the Dispatch Boxes - ñyìêà äëÿ îô³ö³éíèõ ïaïeð³â
the Mace - æeçë (cèìâoë êoðoë³âcüêî¿ âëàäè)
UNIT 3 MAKING A LAW
Why do we need laws? We all depend on other people. Even those who live alone depend on others to provide them with heat, light and other services. They generally accept that these services can only be provided if they obey the rules and pay their bills. Those of us who live as part of a group, perhaps a family, find that we have to follow unwritten rules which tell us how we should behave towards the other members of our group. At the college your timetable provides one set of rules, telling you which lesson you should be in at a given time. The fire regulations are a different set of rules, which could save your life. As well as belonging to a group at home, college or work, we all belong to a national group and have to obey the national rules known as laws.
How Parliament makes Laws? Every year Parliament passes about 100 Laws directly by making Acts of Parliament. Parliament sometimes passes a very general law and leaves a minister to fill in the details. Using the powers given to them by Parliament, ministers become lawmakers themselves.
No new law can be made by Parliament unless it has completed a number of stages in both the House of Commons and the House of Lords. The Queen also has to sign a Bill to show that it has been given the Royal Assent (a formality). Only after the Royal Assent it becomes a new law or Act of Parliament. Before this it is called a Bill. Bills can begin in the House of Lords or the House of Commons so they can pass through Parliament in one of two ways:
1. Commons = 2. Lords = 3. Queen
BILL ACT
1. Lords = 2. Commons = 3. Queen
There are two main sorts of Bill: Private and Public Bill. Private Bills deal with local matters and individuals. Public Bills deal with matters of public importance. Important Bills are usually sponsored by the Government. One example of a Government Bill is the Sea Fish (Conservation) Bill of 1992-1993, which affects the amount of time that fishing boats may spend at sea. Although a rather old example, it illustrated well how a Government Bill becomes an Act of Parliament. This particular Bill was introduced into the Commons by the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.
This stage is called First Reading. It gives MPs notice that the Bill will soon be coming for discussion. The text is then printed and read by Members in time for the important Second Reading. Here the main purpose of the Bill is explained by the Minister of State responsible for fisheries, and the Bill is debated by the House.
The House then votes to decide whether the Bill should continue its passage through Parliament.
The Bill continues to its Committee Stage where eighteen Members from both Government and Opposition discuss it in detail, considering many possible changes (amendments). This is followed by Report Stage when the committee reports back to the rest of the House.
At the Third Reading stage, the House decided to pass the Bill as a whole. The Bill cannot be changed at this stage - it is either accepted or rejected. Once a Bill has passed its Third Reading in the Commons, one of the Clerks at the Table carries the Bill to the House of Lords.
The House of Lords has the job of reviewing Bills received from the Commons. A different group of people can often see something in a completely different way. The House of Lords often makes changes to Commons Bills. Once both Houses of Parliament have passed a Bill, then it has to go to the Queen for the Royal Assent. After receiving the Royal Assent the Bill becomes an Act of Parliament.
Even after an Act has received the Royal Assent, it may not come into force straight away.
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