The structure of the British political system
BEFORE YOU READ📕 №1. You are going to read the text. Before you read, check out the first sentences, which usually contain the main idea, revealed then in a paragraph. Judging by the topic sentences extracted from the text, what do you think will be discussed in each paragraph? The reigning monarch is not only head of state but symbol of the unity of the nation. Britain is a democracy, yet its people are not, as one might expect in a democracy, constitutionally in control of the state. The upper chamber of Parliament is not democratic in any sense at all. Her Majesty’s Government governs in the name of the Queen, and its hub, Downing Street, lies in Whitehall, a short walk from Parliament. Her Majesty’s Government, in spite of its name, derives its authority and power from its party representation in Parliament. The dynamic power of Parliament lies in its lower chamber. Each parliamentary session begins with the “State Opening of Parliament”, a ceremonial occasion in which the Queen p...