Unit 6 British Constitution
Before you read
Discuss these questions.
1Are constitutions usually invented by people or are they based upon some existing
enactments?
2Do you know any statutes which are considered to be the sources of the British
Constitution?
3 Can you dwell upon the peculiarities of the British Constitution?
The Nature of the Constitution
In England there is no one document or fundamental body of law that can be described as a “constitution”. The absence of any such document or of any distinction between public and private law has led to the suggestion that there is no constitution in England. Certainly the English constitution has no existence apart from the ordinary law; it is indeed part of that very law. The Magna Carta, the Petition of Right, the Habeas Corpus Act, the Bill of Rights, and the Act of Settlement are the leading enactments; but they are in no sense a constitutional code; and, without a host of judicial decisions, other statutes of much less importance, and a mass of custom and convention, these statutes would be unworkable.
The sources of English constitutional law are statutes, judicial precedent, textbooks, law books, the writings of historians and political theorists, the biographies and autobiographies of statesmen, the columns of every serious newspaper, the minutiae of every type of government record and publication. This is what is meant by saying the English Constitution is “unwritten”: it is not formally enacted; its rules have to be sought out in a dozen fields, not in any one code.
Similarly, it is flexible, and here the contrast is with a rigid constitution. There are no special safeguards for constitutional rules; constitutional law can be changed, amended, or abolished just like any rule of private law; there is no field in which Parliament is forbidden to legislate; there are no fundamental or unalterable ideologies and no procedures to prescribe delay or extra processes for constitutional change.
Vocabulary
Act of SettlementАкт о престолонаследии (1701г.; облек Ганноверскую династию правом престолонаследия, закрепив английский престол за протестантами)
apart (from)adv помимо, отлично от, раздельно, обособленно
Bill of RightsБилль о правах (1689г.; был направлен против восстановления
абсолютизма; значительно ограничив власть короны и гарантировав права
парламента, заложил основы английской конституционной монархии; наряду с другими актами составляет статутарную основу английской конституционной практики)
codenкодекс, свод законов;constitutional codeсовокупность норм конституционного права
delayn задержка, замедление, приостановка
distinctionn различение, разграничение, отличие, различие
existencen существование, жизнь
extraadjдобавочный, дополнительный; особый, специальный
forbid (forbade, forbad; forbidden)v запрещать, не давать разрешения, не позволять, не давать возможности, препятствовать
Habeas Corpus ActЗакон о неприкосновенности личности (предписывает представление арестованного в суд в течение установленного срока для надлежащего судебного разбирательства и установления законности ареста; принят в 1679г.)
historiann историк
hostn множество
judicialadjсудебный;judicial precedentсудебный прецедент;judicial decisionсудебное решение
lawn право, закон, юстиция; abolish lawотменять закон; amend lawвносить изменения в закон;body of lawсовокупность правовых норм; constitutional lawконституционное право, государственное право, конституционный закон, основной закон; private lawчастное право, частный закон; закон, действующий в отношении конкретных лиц; public lawпубличное право, публичный закон (закон, касающийся всего населения)
law-bookn кодекс, свод законов
legislatev издавать законы, осуществлять законодательную власть
minutiaen.pl. лат. мелочи, детали
Magna C(h)artaВеликая хартия вольностей (грамота, подписанная в 1215г. королем Иоанном Безземельным под давлением восставших баронов; ограничивала королевскую власть и предоставляла более широкие права крупным феодалам; основной массе английского народа – крепостному крестьянству – не дала никаких прав; наряду с другими актами составляет статутарную основу английской конституционной практики)
mass of custom and conventionмасса/множество/большое количество обычаев и условностей
Petition of RightПетиция о праве (была представлена палатой общин королю Карлу I и утверждена им в 1628г.; требовала значительного ограничения королевской власти; закрепляла роль и права парламента и судов; программный документ буржуазии в канун Английской буржуазной революции 17в.; ограждала собственность буржуазии от посягательств абсолютизма)
prescribev предписывать
recordn запись, письменное упоминание
safeguardn гарантия
seek out (sought)v разыскать, отыскать
similarlyadv подобным образом, так же
statesmann государственный/политический деятель, политик
suggestionn вероятное или возможное обстоятельство, предположение, намек, указание
theoristn теоретик
unalterableadj неизменный, непреложный, не допускающий перемен, устойчивый
unworkableadj непригодный для работы
writingn произведение (литературное), сочинение, документ
Reading tasks
AAnswer these questions.
1What is the structure of the British Constitution?
2Why is the British Constitution considered to be flexible?
3What are the sources of English constitutional law?
4What is the difference between written and unwritten constitutions?
5In your opinion, how can mass media participate in developing the British Constitution?
BMark these statements T(true) or F(false) according to the information in the text.
1The English Constitution has nothing to do with the ordinary law.
2The Magna Carta is not a constitutional code.
3The sources of English Constitution are unknown.
4The English Constitution is formally enacted.
5There is a sharp difference between the English Constitution and a rigid constitution.
6The English constitutional law can never be changed.
Language focus
APut the verb into the form of the past participle.
The British Constitution is the law of Great Britain which provides for the form and powers of government. It is 1)______(root) in historic traditions and principles of liberty which go back to the Magna Carta of 1215. Unlike most other constitutions, the English Constitution is not a systematic 2)______(write) statement of law. The laws of the Constitution comprise three kinds of rules: statute rules, case law and custom (especially Parliamentary custom). It is often 3) ______(call) a customary or unwritten constitution.
As an example, English law makes no provision for such an important feature of the British government as the Cabinet of Ministers which is now an essential part of the executive branch of the government. The cabinet originated in the 15th century as an advisory body to the king. It has 4) ______(develop) in connection with the rise of representative government to its present status in the executive branch. Unlike constitutions that make clear provision for their amendment and are often difficult to change, the English Constitution may be 5) ______(change) easily. It may be 6) ______(alter), and in the past it has been 7) ______(alter), through the slow addition to custom, by an act of Parliament, or by judicial interpretation.
Historians emphasize the flexibility of the English Constitution. Its early development may be 8) ______(trace) back to the Norman Conquest almost 1000 years ago! Throughout this period it remained adaptable and serving the needs of society.
BCombine the two parts of the sentence using the following connectors:
once, since, unless, whether.
1There exists a suggestion that there is no constitution in England _______ there is no one fundamental body of law.
2The leading enactments would be unworkable _______ they were added by a mass of judicial decisions and statutes of much less importance.
3_______ the English Constitution is unwritten you can’t find it in one code.
4The students inquired _______ textbooks and law could be the sources of the English Constitution.
Vocabulary tasks
AMatch the following English expressions containing the term “law” with the Russian equivalents.
1public law aсудебное право
2private law bконституционное право/закон
3ordinary law c специальный закон
4constitutional law dпубличное право, публичный закон
5fundamental law eосновной закон, основные принципы права
6judicial law fправо, осуществляемое в обычном порядке
7unwritten law g частное право, частный закон
8special law hнеписаное право
BChoose the correct alternative to complete the sentences.
1The sources of English constitutional law are:
aRoman law and Napoleon Code
bstatutes, judicial precedents, etc.
cthe Ten Commandments.
2The rules of the British Constitution have to be sought out
ain one code
bin a dozen of newspapers and magazines
cin many different fields.
3The British constitutional law
acan’t be changed
bcan be amended
ccan’t be described.
4In England there is no distinction between
athe Magna Carta and the Bill of Rights
ba constitutional code and the Act of Settlement
cprivate and public law.
5The British Constitution is
aflexible
b written
crigid.
CMatch the terms with their definitions.
1enactment aprevious case taken as example for subsequent cases
2code ba written law of a legislative body
3precedent cmaking ( a bill ) a law
4 statute dsystematic collection of statutes, body of laws so arranged as to
avoid inconsistency and overlapping; set of rules on any subject
Over to you
Discuss these points:
1If you were able to introduce changes into the British Constitution what would you suggest?
2Do you think it is possible to substitute the present–day British Constitution by a written one?
Unit 7 US Constitution
Before you read
Discuss these questions.
1Who were the drafters of the US Constitution?
2How many states were there in the country when the Constitution was written?
3What method did the drafters of the Constitution provide since they saw that the future might bring a need for changes?