38   I can talk about politics

A    The British political system

In the United Kingdom (the UK), elections are held about every five years. The UK is divided into 646 political areas, called constituencies, and in each constituency people vote for one person representing the political party they want to see in power. The politician with the most votes becomes the Member of Parliament (known as an MP) for that area. Parliament, therefore, consists of 646 MPs, and the party with the majority of MPs forms the government. The leader of that party also becomes prime minister. 

 

Glossary

election  the time when people choose individuals to speak for them and act for them. elect V.

hold sth  organize an event such as an election.

constituency  one of the areas into which the country is divided for voting in political elections.

vote for sb/sth  choose sb/sth in an election. vote N.

represent sb/sth  act officially for people or an organization.

political party  a group of people with the same ideas who want to win an election (e.g. the Labour Party, the Conservative Party).

inpower  in political control of the country.

politician  a person with a job in politics.

parliament  the group of people elected to make the laws in a country.

consist of sth  be formed or made up of sth.

majority  the largest number or part of sth. OPP minority.

government  the group of people in control of a country. govern V.

prime minister (or PM)  the leader of the government in some countries. 

3     ABOUT YOUR COUNTRY Write your answers, or ask another student.

1     How often does your country usually hold elections? ________

2     Which political party is in power at the moment? ________

3     How long have they been in power? ________

4     What is the title of the leader of the party? ________

5     How many people are in parliament? ________

Answers from a Colombian person

1     My country holds elections every four years.            

2     The Uribista party is in power at the moment.           

3     They have been in power for five years.

4     The President of the Republic.

5     There are more than 500 people in parliament.    

B    Political objectives

The government has announced that its first priority will be education, and today the prime minister will focus on the need for more young people to go to university. 

A new transport policy will be announced today, which aims to persuade motorists to leave their cars at home. 

The government will face strong opposition to their new immigration policy. 

An Olympic athlete has been chosen to launch the government’s new fitness campaign.

 

Glossary

objective  a thing you are trying to do. SYNS aim, goal.

announce sth  say sth officially and in public. announcement N.

priority  a thing that is important or that you must do before anything else.

focus on sth  give all your attention to sth. focus N.

need for sth  a situation in which you must have or do sth.

policy  a plan to do sth, agreed by a government, company, etc.

persuade sb (to do sth)  give reasons to make sb agree (to do sth).

face sth  have to deal with a difficult situation.

immigration  the process of coming to live in a country that is not your own (the people are called immigrants).

launch sth  start sth new, especially a campaign or product.

campaign  (often used in politics or business) a plan to do a number of things with a specific aim.

 

spotlight  oppose, opposition

To oppose sth means to disagree with something and try to change it. opposition N. The main political party in parliament, but not forming the government, is called the Opposition (used with a singular or plural verb).