Public administration matters
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E-book for students, people who wish to improve English used in politics, public administration
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ŠIAULIŲ UNIVERSITETAS
HUMANITARINIS FAKULTETAS
SOCIALINIŲ MOKSLŲ FAKULTETAS
PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION MATTERS
Compiled and written by Aurimas Nausėda, Vytenis Končius, Daiva Varapickaitė
VšĮ Šiaulių universiteto leidykla
2006
Viešasis administravimas (anglų kalba)
Mokomoji knyga
Laikmena CD-R
Sudarė: Vytenis Končius, Aurimas Nausėda, Daiva Varapickaitė
Recenzavo: doc. dr. J. Petruševičius, Šiaulių universiteto Humanitarinio fakulteto Užsienio kalbų katedra,
doc. dr. N. Račkauskaitė, Lietuvos žemės ūkio universiteto Kaimo kultūros instituto Kalbų katedra.
Leidybai rekomenduota ŠU Humanitarinio fakulteto tarybos 2006-10-02 nutarimu (protokolo Nr. 22), ŠU Socialinių mokslų fakulteto
tarybos 2006-10-09 nutarimu (protokolo Nr. 17).
Mokomoji specialybės (dalyko) anglų kalbos mokomoji knyga skirta Socialinių mokslų fakulteto viešojo administravimo specialybės
studentams, anglų kalbos dėstytojams bei visiems siekiantiems patobulinti bendravimo įgūdžius anglų kalba įvairiomis viešojo
administravimo ir politinėmis temomis.
Knygoje pateikiami tekstai, kuriuose aptariami įvairūs viešojo administravimo ir politinių reiškinių aspektai. Knygą sudaro: įžanga,
ištraukos iš užsienio leidinių, klausimai ir užduotys studentams, priedai ir rekomenduotinos literatūros sąrašas anglų kalba.
ISBN 9986-38-691-8
© Šiaulių universitetas, 2006
© Vytenis Končius, 2006
© Aurimas Nausėda, 2006
© Daiva Varapickaitė, 2006
© VšĮ Šiaulių universiteto leidykla, 2006
2
CONTENTS
PREFACE.................................................................................................................................................................................................. 5
CHAPTER 1: PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION ASPECTS..................................................................................................................... 6
1.1 Public administration terms.............................................................................................................................................................. 6
1.2 Responsibilities of the civil servant................................................................................................................................................. 8
1.3 The Government type......................................................................................................................................................................13
1.4 Facts about Public Administration in different countries.............................................................................................................. 16
CHAPTER 2: POLITICS AND POLITICIANS IN THE UK AND THE U S................................................................................. 21
CHAPTER 3: POLITICAL PARTIES IN BRITAIN, USA, LITHUANIA AND THE E U ........................................................... 29
3.1 Political parties in Britain..............................................................................................................................................................29
3.2 Political parties in the U S ............................................................................................................................................................... 34
3.3 Political parties in the EU Parliament............................................................................................................................................39
3.4 Political parties and non-governmental organizations in Lithuania..............................................................................................42
CHAPTER 4: POLITICAL SPEECHES............................................................................................................................................. 47
4.1 The British political speeches......................................................................................................................................................... 49
4.2 The American political speeches.................................................................................................................................................... 61
CHAPTER 5: ELECTIONS IN THE US, THE UK AND LITHUANIA......................................................................................... 85
5.1 Elections in the US.......................................................................................................................................................................... 86
5.2 Elections in the UK......................................................................................................................................................................... 91
5.3 Elections in Lithuania..................................................................................................................................................................... 96
CHAPTER 6: GOVERNMENTAL MATTERS IN THE US, THE UK AND LITHUANIA......................................................... 98
6.1 Federal government in the U S ...................................................................................................................................................... 98
3
6.2 Local government in Britain..................................................................
6.3 Local government in Lithuania..............................................................
CHAPTER 7: LITHUANIA AND THE EUROPEAN INTEGRATION..
CHAPTER 8: CORRUPTION.....................................................................
8.1 Corruption in the world..........................................................................
8.2 The British corruption............................................................................
8.3 The American corruption.......................................................................
TESTS.............................................................................................................
REVISION TEST 1 .....................................................................................
REVISION TEST 2 .....................................................................................
REVISION TEST 3 .....................................................................................
REFERENCES...............................................................................................
SUPPLEMENTS............................................................................................
SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER READING...........................................
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PREFACE
“Public Administration Matters” is a teaching / learning aid meant for both students of the social sciences and teachers giving lectures
on English for specific Purposes (ESP). The book contains current materials (articles from the media, recorded political speeches of
different politicians etc.). The book’s aim is to teach students to analyze and comprehend texts, master the basic terminology, discuss
the urgent issues of the fields and enrich their knowledge of public administration and political matters.
The book includes extracts from modern sources on public administration, questions and tasks for the students, supplements and
suggestions for further reading.
V. Koncius, A. Nauseda, D. Varapickaite
5
CHAPTER 1: PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION ASPECTS
1.1 Public administration terms
TASK 1: Match the public administration terms with their definitions below
1. Public administration
2. Politics
3. Politician
4. Local government
5. Municipality
6. Administrator
7. Civil servant
8. Mayor
9. Political party
10. An interest group (also called an advocacy group,
lobbying group, pressure group or special interest)
6
a) the administration of the civic affairs of a city, town, or district by its inhabitants rather than by the state or country at large or the
governing body of a town or district.
b) a civilian career public sector employee working for a government department or agency.
c) An expert in politics; a person engaged in or concerned with politics, esp. as a practitioner. Also in American English, a person with
self-interested political concerns.
d) a city, town, or other district possessing corporate existence and usually its own local government or the governing body of such a
district or community.
e) an organization that seeks to attain political power within a government, usually by participating in electoral campaigns.
f) the art or science of government, dealing with the form, organization, and administration of a State or part of a State, and with the
regulation of its relations with other States.
g) a manager of business or public affairs; a person capable of organizing.
h) the implementation of public policy, largely by the executive branch or a field of study preparing persons for careers in such work.
i) a group, however loosely or tightly organized, doing advocacy: those determined to encourage or prevent.
j) in modern times the title of the highest ranking municipal officer, who discharges certain judicial and administrative functions, in
many systems an elected politician, who serves as chief executive and/or ceremonial official of many types of municipalities.
7
DID YOU KNOW?
The pre-generation of public administration thinkers includes Plato, Aristotle and Machiavelli.
Lorenz von Stein, since 1855 professor in Vienna, is considered the founder of the science of public administration. In the time of L.
von Stein the science of public administration was considered to be a form of administrative law, but L. Von Stein thought that this
opinion was too restrictive.
In the United States Woodrow Wilson was the first to consider the science of public administration important.
In Europe, notably England and Germany public administration as an academic discipline started as a separate scholarly field in the
1890s, but it was first taught in universities in the 1720s.
1.2 Responsibilities of the civil servant
TASK 2: Match the civil service terms with their definitions below.
1. Bureaucrat
2. Qango and Quango, variously spelt out as QUAsi Non Governmental Organisation, Quasi-Autonomous Non-Governmental
Organisation, and Quasi-Autonomous National Government Organisation
8
3. The British civil service
4. The American civil service
5. Work ethic
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Political culture
The executive branch
The legislative branch
The judicial branch
Law and order
a) governmental deliberative body with the power to adopt laws. Legislatures are known by many names, including: parliament,
congress, national assembly, etc.
b) one of the three co-equal branches of government which interprets and applies laws in specific cases.
c) a member of a bureaucracy, usually within an institution of the government.
d) The acronyms used, notably in the United Kingdom, but also in Australia and other countries, to describe a range of organisations
to which governments have devolved power.
e) a set of values based on the moral virtues of hard work and diligence. It is also a belief in moral benefit of work and its ability to
enhance character. It may include being reliable, having initiative or maintaining social skills.
f) the branch of government in charge of enforcing and executing the laws.
g) the permanent bureaucracy that supports the Government Ministers responsible to the Sovereign and Parliament in administering
the United Kingdom.
h) all appointive positions in the executive, judicial, and legislative branches of the Government of the United States, except positions
in the uniformed services.” (United States Code TITLE 5 § 2101).
i) set of ideas which the people of one country share widely about who should govern, for what ends, and by what means.
j) a political term, used most notably in the United States, to refer to crime and punishment as a political issue.
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TASK 3: Find on the internet the examples with these terms: bureaucrat, civil servant (public servant), work ethic, political
culture, the executive branch, the legislative branch, the judicial branch. Copy and paste the entire paragraph where the terms
were used, underline the terms.
TASK 4: Read the text and answer the questions
The term “bureaucrat” today has largely negative connotations, so those who are the members of a governmental bureaucracy usually
prefer terms such as civil servant or public servant to describe their jobs.
Bureaucrat jobs are usually “desk jobs”, often of a clerical or organizational nature.
Max Weber (1864-1920), a German political economist and sociologist who is considered one of the founders of the modern study of
sociology and public administration, defined a bureaucratic official as follows:
•
He is personally free and appointed to his position on the basis of conduct
•
He exercises the authority delegated to him in accordance with impersonal rules, and his loyalty is enlisted on behalf of the
faithful execution of his official duties
•
His appointment and job placement are dependent upon his technical qualifications
•
His administrative work is a full-time occupation
•
His work is rewarded by a regular salary and prospects of advancement in a lifetime career
•
He must exercise his judgment and his skills, but his duty is to place these at the service of a higher authority. Ultimately he is
responsible only for the impartial execution of assigned tasks and must sacrifice his personal judgment if it runs counter to his official
duties.
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Bureaucrats of the EU are frequently termed eurocrats in the English language in Europe - a portmanteau of European Union (or
Europe) and bureaucrat.
Adapted from the lecture “Max Weber on bureaucracy” by John Kilcullen
http://www.humanities.mq.edu.au/Ockham/y64l09.html
Questions for discussion
1.
2.
3.
4.
What can be said about the connotation and usage of the term bureaucrat?
Why was the EU mentioned in the article?
How do you explain the variety of British, Lithuanian and American central government institutions and personnel?
Is distinction between policy and administration sustainable in the Lithuanian government?
5. Discuss the required responsibilities of the civil servant.
6. Define political culture and discuss its significance for political behaviour.
7. “Civil servants owe their primary duty to the state, not the government which happens to be in office”. Discuss this statement
in the light of developments in Lithuania.
8. “Anonymous, permanent and politically neutral”. How far is this still the appropriate description of top civil servants in
Lithuania?
9. “Where power is, woman is not”. Is this an accurate reflection of women’s role in the Lithuanian politics?
11
***WEBSITE OF INTEREST***
UK Civil Service is on the UK’s largest employers - 173 departments and agencies in all, employing nearly half a million people:
http://www.un.org/esa/peacebuilding/Action/dpadm.html
USAJOBS is the official website of the United States Federal Government which ffers information on thousands of U.S. government
job opportunities worldwide:
http://www.usaiobs.gov/
12
1.3 The Government type
DID YOU KNOW?
The latest information provided by the BBC about the government type and political leaders is available on this website:
http://news.bbc.co.Uk/2/hi/europe/country profiles/1106095.stm
TASK 5: Match the governmental terms with their definitions below
1. Democracy
2. Communism
3. Democratic republic
4. Islamic republic
5. Federal republic
6. Commonwealth
7. Republic
13
8. Federal (Federative)
9. Oligarchy
10. Parliamentary democracy
11. Totalitarian
a) a state in which the supreme power rests in the body of citizens entitled to vote for officers and representatives responsible to them.
b) a form of government in which the supreme power is retained by the people, but which is usually exercised indirectly through a
system of representation and delegated authority periodically renewed.
c) a government in which control is exercised by a small group of individuals whose authority generally is based on wealth or power.
d) a state in which the powers of the central government are restricted and in which the component parts (states, colonies, or
provinces) retain a degree of self-government; ultimate sovereign power rests with the voters who chose their governmental
representatives.
e) a nation, state, or other political entity founded on law and united by a compact of the people for the common good.
f) a particular form of government adopted by some Muslim states; although such a state is, in theory, a theocracy, it remains a
republic, but its laws are required to be compatible with the laws of Islam.
g) a representative democracy in which the people’s elected deputies (representatives), not the people themselves, vote on legislation.
h) a government that seeks to subordinate the individual to the state by controlling not only all political and economic matters, but also
the attitudes, values, and beliefs of its population.
i) a form of government in which sovereign power is formally divided - usually by means of a constitution - between a central
authority and a number of constituent regions (states, colonies, or provinces) so that each region retains some management of its
internal affairs; differs from a confederacy in that the central government exerts influence directly upon both individuals as well as
upon the regional units.
14
j) a system of government in which the state plans and controls the economy and a single - often authoritarian - party holds power;
state controls are imposed with the elimination of private ownership of property or capital while claiming to make progress toward a
higher social order in which all goods are equally shared by the people (i.e., a classless society).
k) a political system in which the legislature (parliament) selects the government - a prime minister, premier, or chancellor along with
the cabinet ministers - according to party strength as expressed in elections; by this system, the government acquires a dual
responsibility: to the people as well as to the parliament.
TASK 6: Find on the internet the examples with these terms. Copy and paste the entire paragraph where the terms were used,
and translate it.
15
1.4 Facts about Public Administration in different countries
TASK 7: Read the information about the Republic of Lithuania and fill in the table below
Government
Country name:
Lithuania
□□
conventional long form: Republic of Lithuania
conventional short form: Lithuania
local long form: Lietuvos Respublika
local short form: Lietuva
former: Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic
Government type:
parliamentary democracy
Capital:
Vilnius
Administrative divisions:
DO
10 counties (apskritys, singular - apskritis); Alytaus, Kauno, Klaipedos, Marijampoles, Panevezio, Siauliu,
16
Taurages, Telsiu, Utenos, Vilniaus
Independence:
11 March 1990 (independence declared from Soviet Union); 6 September 1991 (Soviet Union recognizes
Lithuania’s independence)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 16 February (1918); note - 16 February 1918 is the date Lithuania declared its
independence from Soviet Russia and established its statehood; 11 March 1990 is the date it declared its
independence from the Soviet Union
Constitution:
adopted 25 October 1992
Legal system:
based on civil law system; legislative acts can be appealed to the constitutional court
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Valdas ADAMKUS (since 12 July 2004)
head of government: Premier Algirdas Mykolas BRAZAUSKAS (since 3 July 2001)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the nomination of the premier
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 13 June 2004 and 27
June 2004 (next to be held June 2009); premier appointed by the president on the approval of the
Parliament
17
election results: Valdas ADAMKUS elected president; percent of vote - Valdas ADAMKUS 52.2%,
Kazimiera PRUNSKIENE 47.8%
Legislative branch:
unicameral Parliament or Seimas (141 seats, 71 members are directly elected by popular vote, 70 are
elected by proportional representation; members serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 10 and 24 October 2004 (next to be held October 2008)
election results: percent of vote by party - Labor 28.6%, Working for Lithuania (Social Democrats and
Social Liberals) 20.7%, Homeland Union (Conservatives) 14.6%, For Order and Justice (Liberal
Democrats and Lithuanian People’s Union) 11.4%, Liberal and Center Union 9.1%, Union of Farmers and
New Democracy 6.6%; seats by faction - Labor 39, Homeland Union 26, Social Democrats 22, Social
Liberals 10, Liberal Political group 10, Union of Farmers and New Democracy Parties 11, Liberal
Democrats 9, Liberal Center Political group 8, independents 6
Judicial branch:
Constitutional Court; Supreme Court; Court of Appeal; judges for all courts appointed by the President
Political
leaders1:
parties
and DO l-^l
Electoral
Action
of
Lithuanian
Poles
[Valdemar
TOMASZEVSKI,
chairman];
Homeland
Union/Conservative Party or TS [Andrius KUBILIUS, chairman]; Labor Party [Viktor USPASKICH,
chairman]; Liberal Center Political group [Arturas ZUOKAS, chairman]; Liberal Democratic Party
[Valentinas MAZURONIS, chairman]; Liberal Political group; Lithuanian Christian Democrats or LKD
[Valentinas STUNDYS, chairman]; Lithuanian People’s Union for a Fair Lithuania; Lithuanian Social
1 Please note that the CIA did not imclude the other political parties such as Lithuanian Centre Party [Romualdas Ozolas, chairman], and others.
18
Democratic Coalition [Algirdas BRAZAUSKAS, chairman] consists of the Lithuanian Democratic Labor
Party or LDDP and the Lithuanian Social Democratic Party or LSDP; New Democracy and Farmer’s
Union or VNDPS [Kazimiera PRUNSKIENE, chairman]; Social Liberals (New Union) [Arturas
PAULAUSKAS, chairman]; Social Union of Christian Conservatives [Gediminas VAGNORIUS,
chairman]; Young Lithuania and New Nationalists
Political pressure groups ПО
and leaders:
NA
International organization ПО |=j)
participation:
ACCT (observer), Australia Group, BIS, CBSS, CE, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EU (new member), FAO, IAEA,
IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO
(correspondent), ITU, MIGA, NATO, NIB, NSG, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,
UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU (associate partner), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO
https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/lh.html
Country name Government
(conventional
type
long form)
Executive
branch
Legislative
branch
19
Judicial branch
Legal system
Administrative
divisions
TASK 8: Fill in the missing information about Latvia, Sweden, Russia, Germany, Belarus, the United Kingdom and the United
States using information from the website: https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/index.html. Or use the zip file. The file
is available in the folder STUDENTS on this CD.
Note: The World Factbook requires about 30 megabytes of disk space for the file (factbook2006.zip) and about 80 megabytes of
disk space for the publication once it’s unzipped.
Country name
(conventional long form)
Government
type
Executive
branch
Legislative
branch
The Republic of Latvia
The Kingdom of Sweden
The Republic of Belarus
Russian Federation
The United States of
America
The United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Northern
Ireland
Federal Republic of
Germany
20
Judicial
branch
Legal system
Administrative
divisions
CHAPTER 2: POLITICS AND POLITICIANS IN THE UK AND THE US
2.1 Famous quotations o f the famous politicians
TASK 1: Write in your own words the main idea of the memorable quotations in the box below. Discuss the ideas with your
groupmates.
S QUOTATION: My fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you —ask what you can do for your country.
John Fitzgerald Kennedy (1917-1963), U.S. president. Inaugural address, January 20, 1961, Washington, DC. quoted in
Theodore C. Sorenson, Kennedy, pt. 3, ch. 9 (1965)._____________________________________________________________
S QUOTATION: A shadow has fallen upon the scenes so lately lighted by the Allied victory.... From Stettin in the Baltic to
Trieste in the Adriatic, an iron curtain has descended across the Continent.
Churchill (1874-1965), British statesman, writer.Winston Speech, March 5, 1946, Fulton, Missouri.
21
S QUOTATION: Though I sit down now, the time will come when you will hear me.
Benjamin Disraeli (1804-1881), British statesman, author. The maiden speech in House of Commons, Dec. 7, 1837.
S QUOTATION: People have got to know whether or not their president is a crook. Well, I ’m not a crook. I earned
everything I ’ve got.
Richard M Nixon, 37th US President To Associated Press Managing Editors Assn, Disneyland, 17 Nov 73.______________
22
S QUOTATION: An eye for an eye will make the whole world blind.
Mohandas Gandhi (1869-1948), Indian politician and spiritual leader, author.
2.2 What people think about the politicians?
Task 2: Discuss the following questions
1. Why do you think people go into politics and make it their life’s work?
2. What is your favorite politician in Lithuania and in the World? Give reasons.
3. How far and in what ways can the media be used by politicians to create a favourable image?
TASK 3: Choose the article from the British or American newspaper or magazine. List the items which you may describe as
“political” and give reasons. You may choose from the following list of American or British magazines.
23
The British magazines and newspapers
www.thetimes.co.uk
http://www.guardian.co.uk/
http://www.theherald.co.uk/
http://www.spectator.co.uk/
http://www.dailv-express.co.uk/
The American newspapers and magazines
www.time.com
www.iht.com
www. newsweek, com
www.nytimes.com
www.washingtonpost.com
24
TASK 4: Read the text and choose the correct alternative from each pair
What Americans think...
Americanpolitical/politic life is relatively honest compared with that in many countries. But there have been famous/favorite cases of
corruption (= dishonest use of political power, especially to make money) and scandals, such as Watergate. In New York in the 1800s,
a group of politicians became known for their corrupt behaviour, and the name of the building where they met/meet, Tammany Hall,
became a general expression for political corruption. Some cities still have a political machine, which means that the people who
manage the city government/power use their power to prevent other people taking part.
Americans generally have little trust in politicans and little interest in politics. Many people do not like either/neither of the two main
political parties, the Republicans and the Democrats. This lack of interest is slowly changing the political system. The number of
people who vote in elections keeps going down, and in elections for Presidential/President only about half of the people who could
vote actually do so. This means that a candidate getting only 25% of all possible votes can be elected. There is also a problem of falloff, i.e. people vote for candidates for important positions, like President or State Governor/Governors, but not for lower positions,
like city judge.
Every two years, when there are election/elections for Congress, many people change the party they vote for. This happens even if
there have been no economic problems or major events such as a war. The explanation is that once a party has been elected it is
associated with government, and this makes Americans suspicious/suspecting of it. Some people think there should be term
limitation, a limit to the number of years a person can serve in Congress so that he or she does not have time to become
unhonest/dishonest. Others say that such a rule would mean that the country lost honest politicians, and that people should make more
effort to find out which politicians are dishonest and not vote for them.
Americans like to choose candidates for political office because of their character, not for their politics/policies, so in election
campaigns politicians have to be careful not to seem partisan (= strongly attached to a political party). They avoid discussing political
issues and what they would do if elected, and talk instead about their beliefs and values, such as the importance of family and religion.
25
Since television is important in Americanpolitic/politics, candidates try to think of good soundbites (= short, meaningful phrases) that
will be repeated in news bulletins and make a strong impression on voters. This rather empty style of communication has led to the
rise of spin doctors, whose job is to present political ideas in a way that makes them look good.
When Americans have a serious complain/complaint about something they may say, ‘I’ll write a letter to my Congressman.’ In fact
many cannot name their Congressman or Congresswoman, and many would not know where to find that information.
Although the political system has many strongs/strengths, Americans mostly see only its problems. Their response is to avoid getting
involved in politics, but this has the effect of making the problems worse.
Oxford guide to British and American culture for learners of English / editor Jonathan Crowther.
Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000. P. 421.
TASK 5: Read the text once more and answer the questions
1. “Many people do not like either of the two main political parties, the Republicans and the Democrats. This lack of interest is slowly
changing the political system”. Can the small number of political parties in the election be the main factor of the lack of interest in
politics? Discuss it.
2. “Some people think there should be term limitation, a limit to the number of years a person can serve in Congress ...”. What are the
advantages and disadvantages of a proposed Congressman’s term limitation suggested by the Americans?
3. “Americans like to choose candidates for political office because of their character, not for their policies ...”. Explain this piece of
sentence.
4. “Since television is important in American politics, candidates try to think of good sound bites that will be repeated in news
bulletins and make strong impression on voters.” Search for the presidential election sound bites on the internet. In which presidential
campaign were they used? What makes them sound effective?
5. How should the US Government try to raise the Americans’ interest in politics? Discuss it .
26
What the British think ...
TASK 6: Read the text and choose the correct alternative from each pair
A street survey in Britain would reveal that not many people know who their Member of Parliament (MP) is. Even fewer/less could
name their Euro-MP or any of their local councillors. British people vote at general elections but show little interest in politics at other
times. Only if there is a local issue that affects/effects them personally will they bother to write to their MP or attend a surgery (= a
session when people can talk to their MP). Even then, many people prefer to write to a newspaper or organize a protest campaign
because they think that this has more chance of achieving results.
At election/elections time there are party political broadcasts on radio and television, in which leading politicians say what their party
will do if it wins the election and try to persuade people to vote for them. Many people do not listen. By contrast, special broadcasts on
election night are popular, and people stay up late to listen to the election results as they are announced/pronounced. Experts make
predictions throughout the night about the final overall result. As the ‘swing’ or change of support from one party to another becomes
clearer, the experts calculate and recalculate the likely number of seats that each party will win, and display the information on a
swingometer.
Politic/political parties try to persuade their supporters to become party members so that they can keep in contact with them between
elections. However, only a small percentage of the population belongs to a party and takes part in any political activity.
During sessions of Parliament, members of the public may go and sit in the Strangers’ Gallery at the House of Commons or the
House of Lords. Few/a few people, however, have the time for this. Parts of debates are broadcast on radio and television, but not
many people listen regularly. Most rely on news and current affairs programmes, such as the Today programme on Radio 4, to find
out what is happening. Newspapers summarize parliamentary affares/affairs in varying amounts of detail. Different papers support
different parties, and this affects how they report political policy and events.
The media concentrate more on political personalities than on issues because they know that this is what many people like to hear and
read about. The main parties employ advertising consultants to improve their image. Party leaders are often photographed with their
27
families to show how ordinary and respectable they are. Cartoonists care little for a politician’s image, and in their drawings they
emphasize a prominentphysical/physic feature or well-known gesture and add a humorous comment relating to current events.
British people would like to think that politicians deserve respect, but they know that they cannot trust the image. Newspapers are full
of stories of scandal and sleaze. For instance, MPs have been accused of taking bribes to ask questions in Parliament, and there are
dirty tricks and smear campaigns (= false accusations intended to damage an MP’s reputation). MPs’ private lives are often shown to
be less than perfect. So it is perhaps not surprising that many people find it difficult to take politics seriously.
Ibid, p. 421.
TASK 7: Read the text once more and answer the questions.
1. What is the main idea of the given texts? How can you summarize each of them it in one sentence?
2. “At election time there are party political broadcasts on radio and television, in which leading politicians say what their party will
do if it wins the election and try to persuade people to vote for them. Many people do not listen . By contrast, special broadcasts on
election night are popular, and people stay up late to listen to the election results as they are announced”. Discuss the reasons of this
fact.
3. “The main parties employ advertising consultants to improve their image.” Comment on the possible ways to improve the image of
a party. Discuss it.
4. “However, only a small percentage of the population belongs to a party and takes part in any political activity”. Use the internet and
find out what the percentage of the population belongs to parties and to which ones.
5. “Newspapers are full of stories of scandal and sleaze”. Use the internet and find out at lest several stories of scandal or sleaze about
politicians .What are the most popular political figures written about in the British press?
28
CHAPTER 3: POLITICAL PARTIES IN BRITAIN, USA, LITHUANIA AND THE EU
TASK 1: Discuss the following questions
1.
2.
3.
4.
Should the Lithuanian parties be allowed to buy political advertising on television, radio?
What information can you give about the negative aspects of the Lithuanian political parties?
Does the Lithuanian media reinforce the political status quo or challenge it?
Discuss with your friends your own political attitudes to the political party allegiance.
3.1 Political parties in Britain
TASK 2. Before reading the text decide if the given statements are TRUE, FALSE or NOT GIVEN. Read the text to check.
1. The political parties are obliged to reveal the source of donations.
2. Whips are party managers in a legislative body who secure attendance and direct other members.
3. The Liberal Democratic Party sweeps a constituency from the people who are reluctant to vote for the Labour and
Conservative Parties.
4. The recent parties , known as the Conservative Party and the Liberal Party , have developed from the Tories and the Whigs.
5. The influence and the support for the political parties can be geographically depicted on the map of the U.K.
6. All the members of the party give speeches , debate policy, and share opinions at a party conference.
29
7. The Conservative Party’s set up constituency associations are created to collect funds for the party and to encourage its
policies.
8. The Parliament is a noisy debating chamber, chaired by one of the senior members , known as the Speaker.
9. The Conservative Party considers Liberal Democratic Party and the Social Democratic Party to be as important rivals as the
Labour Party.
10. The party leaders are elected according to the inner regulations of each party.
The party system
The British political system relies on having at least two parties in the House of Commons able to form a government. Historically, the
main parties were the Tories and the Whigs. More recently these parties became known as the Conservative Party and the Liberal
Party. The Conservative Party’s main rival is now the Labour Party, but there are several other smaller parties. The most important is
the Liberal Democratic Party, which developed from the old Liberal Party and the newer Social Democratic Party. Wales and Scotland
have their own nationalist parties, Plaid Cymru (The Party of Wales) and the Scottish National Party. Northern Ireland has several
parties, including the Ulster Unionist Party, the Ulster Democratic Unionist Party and the Social Democratic and Labour Party.
Party support
The Conservative Party is on the political right and the Labour Party on the left. The Liberal Democrats are generally closer to Labour
in their opinions than to the Conservatives. Each party has its own emblem and colour: the Conservatives have a blue torch, Labour a
red rose, and Liberal Democrats a yellow bird.
In order to have closer contact with the electorate (= people who have the right to vote in elections), the Conservative Party set up
constituency associations, local party offices coordinated by Conservative Central Office. These raise money for the party and
promote its policies. By contrast, the Labour Party began outside Parliament amongst trade unions and socialist organizations, and
tried to get representatives into Parliament to achieve its aims. Both parties now have many local branches which are responsible for
30
choosing candidates for parliamentary and local government elections.
Conservative supporters are traditionally from the richer sections of society, especially landowners and business people. The Labour
Party originally drew its support from the working classes and from people wanting social reform. It has always had support from the
trade unions, but recently has tried to appeal to a wider group, especially well-educated and professional people. The Liberal
Democratic Party draws most of its votes from those people who are unwilling to vote Labour.
Support for the main parties is not distributed evenly throughout Britain. In England, the south has traditionally been Conservative,
together with the more rural areas, while the north and inner cities have been Labour. In Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland the
situation is complicated by the existence of the nationalist parties. Wales is traditionally a Labour region, though Plaid Cymru is
strong. Scotland, formerly a Conservative area, is now also overwhelmingly Labour, though many people support the Scottish
Nationalist Party. After the 1997 election the Conservative Party had no MPs representing Welsh or Scottish constituencies. Support
for the Liberal Democratic Party is not concentrated in any one area. In a first-past-the-post system, where the winner in an election is
the candidate with the most votes in each constituency, a strong geographical base is important. In the 1992 election, over 17% of all
the votes cast were for the Liberal Democratic Party but these were spread too thinly and the party won only 3% of the seats in
Parliament.
At present, political parties do not have to say where they obtain their money. The Labour Party receives a lot of its money from trade
unions, whereas the Conservative Party receives gifts from individuals, especially businessmen, and sometimes from people living
outside Britain. The Labour Party would like to have a law passed that forced parties to reveal the source of large donations and to
prevent money being sent from abroad.
Party conferences
A party conference is organized each year by the national office of each party, to which constituency offices send representatives.
Prominent members of the party give speeches, and representatives debate party policy. Conferences are usually lively events and
receive a lot of attention from the media. They also give party leaders the opportunity to hear the opinions of ordinary party members.
31
Before an election, each party prepares a detailed account of its ideas and intended policies and presents them to the electorate in an
election manifesto.
The Labour leader is elected at the party conference by representatives of trade unions, individual members of the party and Labour
MPs. The Liberal Democrats’ leader is also elected by party members but by a postal vote. But the Conservative leader is elected only
by Conservative MPs in a secret ballot.
The parties in Parliament
In debates in Parliament, MPs from different parties argue fiercely against each other. However, representatives of all parties
cooperate in arranging the order of business so that there is enough time for different points of view to be expressed. Another example
of cooperation between parties is the pairing system. An MP of one party is paired with an MP of another party, and when there is to
be a vote and the two MPs know that they would vote on opposite sides, neither of them will be present to vote. In this way, the
difference in numbers between the two sides is maintained while MPs are free to do other parliamentary work.
The parties are managed by several Whips, MPs or peers (= members of the House of Lords) chosen from within their party. The
Government Chief Whip and the Opposition Chief Whip meet frequently and are ‘the usual channels’ through which arrangements for
debates are made. Junior whips act as links between the Chief Whips and party members.
The main parties hold regular meetings at which party policy is discussed. Conservative MPs belong to the 1922 Committee which
meets once week and provides an opportunity for MPs to give their opinions on current issues. Meetings of the Parliamentary Labour
Party are generally held twice a week and are open to all Labour MPs and Labour members of the House of Lords. Liberal Democrat
MPs and peers also meet regularly. In addition, the parties have their own specialist committees that deal with different areas of
policy.
Ibid, p. 419.
32
TASK 3: PREPARE THE PRESENTATION OF THE POLITICAL PARTY IN BRITAIN
To find more about the political parties in Britain check the website: http://www.psi.org.uk/links/default.asp?category=3
Or use the search engines (www.google.lt; www.yahoo.com and others) to find more information.
Prepare a short presentation of the political party.
You will have to talk about history of the party, its leaders, and achievements on the political stage.
Please use the keyphrases needed for the presentation. Click the link: STUDENTS\KEY PHRASES OF PRESENTATION.doc. Note:
you may find this file in the folder “Students”.
Use the outline of the transparency provided. Click the link: PARTY PRESENTATION.doc . Fill in the missing information from the
website.
Note: you may find this file in the folder “Students”.
Or you may use a Powerpoint presenatation outline. Click the link: Party presentation.pps
Fill in the missing information from the website.
Note: you may find this file in the folder “Students”.
If your colleagues ask some difficult questions use the phrases from the file: Handling questions.doc. Click the link: Handling
questions.doc.
33
3.2 Political parties in the US
Task 1. Read the text and write a 100 word essay comparing the party systems in the UK and in the USA
Political parties in the United States of America
The growth of the party system
The US has two main political parties, the Democratic Party and the Republican Party. There are other, smaller parties but they rarely
win elections, and then usually only at the local level.
The first political party was the Federalist Party, which was begun while George Washington was President. Soon after, a group of
people led by Thomas Jefferson formed a faction (= rival group) within the Federalist Party called the Democratic Republican Party.
The Democratic Party grew out of this party in the 1820s. The Whigs were formed in the 1830s to oppose the Democratic Party. They
borrowed their name from a British political party. The Republican Party began in 1854 with members from both the Democratic
Party and the Whigs.
The way politicians are elected in the US makes it difficult for more than two main parties to exist at one time. When a third party
appears, it disappears again quite soon or replaces one of the other parties. This often happens when a particular issue becomes
important. During the 1850s, for instance, many Americans wanted to make slavery illegal and started the Republican Party. As it
gained support, it took the place of the Whig Party. This process is called realignment.
34
The role of the parties
Party organizations are less important in the US than in countries like Britain which have a parliament. This is partly because, due to
the separation of powers between the executive, legislative and judicial branches of government, a political party is not so closely
identified with government. In addition, candidates for many offices are chosen by voters in primary elections rather than by the party.
The national organization for each of the main parties is called the National Committee, and its head is the National Chairman. This
person is appointed by the party’s candidate for President. The head of a US political party is not, as in Britain, the head of the
administration (= people running the government at a particular time).
An important job of the national party is to organize the party convention (= meeting), which is held every four years in the summer
before the elections for President. The convention decides who will be the party’s candidates for President and Vice-president, as well
as the platform, the ideas and opinions of the party and the policies it will introduce if it wins the election.
The national parties raise money for election campaigns and provide other kinds of help to their candidates. They may, for example,
help them make television advertisements.
In the House of Representatives and the Senate the majority party controls the most powerful committees, the groups that decide what
laws are made and how the administration spends its money. Members of Congress are allowed more independence from their parties
than British Members of Parliament. They aim to appear loyal first of all to the people they represent. But to other politicians from
their party they want to be seen as loyal party members, so that they will have the chance of sitting on important committees and build
up support for any proposals they may introduce.
Americans hope that politicians will devote themselves more to their country than to their own careers. They do not want politicians to
appear too partisan (= strongly attached to their party) but to show a bipartisan (= cooperative) spirit and work together for the good of
the country.
35
What are the parties like?
There is less difference between the two main US parties than there is between parties in some other countries. Both parties are
moderate and close to the political centre, but the Republicans are to the right and the Democrats are to the left of centre. Typically,
the Democrats support government spending on social welfare programmes, while the Republicans are against this. The Republicans
are usually in favour of spending money on the armed forces and believe there should be few laws restricting business and trade.
Republicans are sometimes called the GOP, or Grand Old Party, and have an elephant as their symbol. The Democrats’ symbol is a
donkey.
Traditionally, the Democratic Party has drawn its support from poor people, workers with low-paid jobs, African Americans, and
many people in the southern states. People with more money and jobs in the professions, and those who live in the central parts of the
US, have tended to vote for the Republicans. Many white southerners are closer in their political beliefs to the Republicans but do not
want to vote for them because it was a Republican president, Abraham Lincoln, who fought the Civil War against the South. As a
compromise, they elect politicians who are on the right of the Democratic party, sometimes called ‘Dixiecrats’.
In the 20th century the Republicans have elected presidents such as Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan and George Bush. Democratic
presidents have included Franklin D. Roosevelt, John F Kennedy and Bill Clinton.
Party membership
If somebody becomes a member of a political party it does not mean that they remain committed to it. Americans believe that the
personal qualities of a candidate for office are more important than the party he or she belongs to, and they do not stay loyal to one
party. Every four years each party holds primary elections to decide who will be the party’s candidate for President. People who vote
in a party’s primary must be members of that party. Many people change their party membership often, in some cases every four or
eight years. Some people even vote in one party’s primary, and then vote for the candidate from the other party in the general election.
Very few party members take part in party political activities. Local branches of the parties support candidates running for local
36
offices and people who are active in a party are involved at this level. The branches use members to distribute information before an
election or to telephone people to remind them to vote.
Ibid, p. 420.
37
TASK 5: PREPARE THE PRESENTATION OF THE POLITICAL PARTY IN THE US
To find more about the political parties in the US check the website: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political parties in the US
Or use the search engine (www.google.lt; www.yahoo.com and others) to find more information.
Prepare a short presentation of the political party.
You will have to talk about history of the party, its leaders, and achievements on the political stage.
Please use the keyphrases needed for the presentation. Click the link:STUDENTS\KEY PHRASES OF PRESENTATION.doc. Note:
you may find this file in the folder “Students”.
Use the outline of the transparency provided. Click the link: PARTY PRESENTATION.doc . Fill in the missing information from the
website.
Note: you may find this file in the folder “Students”.
Or you may use a Powerpoint presenatation outline. Click the link: Party presentation.pps
Fill in the missing information from the website.
Note: you may find this file in the folder “Students”.
If your colleagues ask some difficult questions use the phrases from the file: Handling questions.doc. Click the link: Handling
questions.doc.
38
3.3 Political parties in the EU Parliament
TASK 6: Read the text and discuss the questions below
The most prominent political parties of the European Union:
* European Democratic Party: centrists, European integrationists
* European Free Alliance: pro-devolution, independentist, regionalist
* European Green Party: greens
* Party of the European Left: socialists and communists
* European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party: liberal democrats and centrists
* European People’s Party: christian democrats and conservatives
* Party of European Socialists: social democrats and socialists
* Alliance for Europe of the Nations: eurosceptics and nationalists
* EUDemocrats: eurosceptics and EU-reformists of centre and centre-left
* Alliance of Independent Democrats in Europe: centre-right eurosceptics
In the EU transnational political groupings exist, and include the majority of Members of the European Parliament (MEPs). However,
at present these are essentially confederations of national political parties, rather than parties in their own right. MEPs in most
countries stand for election on the banner of a national political party, not the transnational grouping to which it belongs.
A European political party, formally a political party at European level, sometimes informally (especially in academic circles) a
39
Europarty, is a type of political party organization operating transnationally in Europe. The European Union recognizes such
organizations and provides them with funding, largely per Article 191 of the Treaty of Maastricht.
Political parties at European level are important as a factor for integration within the Union. They contribute to forming a European
awareness and to expressing the political will of the citizens of the Union.
This was also codified in the draft Treaty establishing a constitution for Europe’s Article 45(4) with slightly different wording.
Stemming from this provision, Regulation (EC) No 2004/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 4 November 2003
lays out the regulations governing ‘political parties at European level’ and the rules regarding their funding.
By 2006 ten (10) European political parties that are eligible for EP funding have been created, based on Europe-wide party alliances.
Within the European Parliament these parties often express themselves in affiliation with Groups in the European Parliament which
may be alliances of more than one European political parties, or possibly alliances between parties and nominally independents.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European political party
1. How would you define a term ’’European political party”?
2. Do you support or oppose the idea of a European political party?
3. Which European political parties do you know?
4. The European political parties are eligible for EP funding. Comment on this fact. Justify your choice.
40
TASK 7: PREPARE THE PRESENTATION OF THE EU POLITICAL PARTY
To find more about the political parties in the EU check the website: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European political party
Or use the search engine (www.google.lt; www.yahoo.com and others) to find more information.
Prepare a short presentation of the political party.
You will have to talk about history of the party, its leaders, and achievements on the political stage.
Please use the keyphrases needed for the presentation. Click the link:STUDENTS\KEY PHRASES OF PRESENTATION.doc. Note:
you may find this file in the folder “Students”.
Use the outline of the transparency provided. Click the link: PARTY PRESENTATION.doc . Fill in the missing information from the
website.
Note: you may find this file in the folder “Students”.
Or you may use a Powerpoint presenatation outline. Click the link; Party presentation.pps
Fill in the missing information from the website.
Note: you may find this file in the folder “Students”.
If your colleagues ask some difficult questions use the phrases from the file: Handling questions.doc. Click the link: Handling
questions.doc.
41
3.4 Political parties and non-governmental organizations in Lithuania
TASK 8: Read the text and answer the questions after the text
The political system of the USSR, where Lithuania was also a part of it, was based on ruling principles of a single-party. At the end of
1989, when the 6th and the 7th articles of the Lithuanian SSR Constitution (the ones that consolidated the exclusive role of the
Communist Party) were changed, in Lithuania there appeared openings for pluralism of opinions, and the formation of party system
began. On October 25, 1992 the Constitution of the Republic of Lithuania was enacted in a general referendum. It secured the citizens’
right to freely consolidate into communities, political parties, and associations.
However, political parties and public associations that represented societal interests began establishing in Lithuania some time before
declaration of independence and enactment of the new Constitution. There already in 1988-1990 around 150 public organisations,
associations, communities, clubs, and others were established in the country. The most famous of them were organisations, which
made ecological problems, whereas the first political parties appeared in 1989, to be more precise - they were re-established party
organisations that functioned in Lithuania in 1918-1940. By the end of 1992 the country had already 11 political parties; generally
speaking the development of political parties and party system was rather dynamic: from 1993 through 1997 there were established 24
political parties, while from 1998 through 2003 - another 17 ones. It should be mentioned that in 1992-2003 political parties were not
only being established - some of them suspended their activity, some were ‘splitting’ or joining other parties, and so on. Currently (in
the middle of 2004), the total number of political parties registered in the Ministry of Justice is 36.
Basically, the profiles of multiparty system in Lithuania were formed until the Seimas election in 1996, political parties were
representing interests of all social stratums; of course, not all political parties were influential enough in the political life. Taking into
consideration the number of votes gained in elections of different level, participation in the government formation processes, as well
42
as ideological (programme) attitudes, of all political parties the following should be mentioned first of all: the Lithuanian Social
Democratic Party, the Labour Party, the New Union (social liberals), the Union of Peasants’ and New Democracy Parties (left and
central-left parties), the Liberal Democratic Party, the Lithuanian Christian Democrats, the Homeland Union, and the Liberal and
Centre Union (right and central-right parties).
The activity of political parties in Lithuania is regulated by the Law on Political Parties, passed on September 25, 1990. It is stated in
the law that ‘the variety of political parties assures democracy of political system; furthermore, they help to form and express interests
and political will of citizens’. Unfortunately, the law did not make a clear distinction between political parties and public organisations
- what was done only in 1994, after basic changes of law had been made, and on February 2, 1995, when the Law on Public
Organisations was passed. This law became one of the first legal acts that regulated the activity of non-governmental organisations in
the country. The law defined public organisations as voluntary alliances of citizens (unions, fellowships, funds, associations, etc.), and
they were formed in order to realise general needs and purposes of their members.
The Law on Public Organisations did not regulate the establishment and activities of other non-governmental organisations (their
kinds), and it appeared to be a serious disadvantage in securing the development of the ‘third sector’. Because of that, several laws
were passed in 1996, which provided clear definitions of the activities of non-governmental organisations and assured their variety.
First of all, it is the Law on Public Institutions (the law defines public institutions as non-profitmaking organisations established on the
basis of property, which aim at useful objective for the society), the Law on Associations (associations are defined as voluntary
alliances, which are involved in dealing with the following matters of association members: economical, social, cultural, educational,
etc. and in performing such functions), and the Law on the Endowment and Relief Fund.
Though today Lithuanian non-governmental organisations encompass all spheres of social activity, however the ‘third sector’ is not
formed yet. Non-governmental organisations were being established rather positively in the period of 1993-1995, for example, more
than 1,000 of only such organisations were established in Lithuania. Though the number of non-governmental organisations
43
established and functioning in the country is not stable. According to the data of various sources, non-governmental organisations
from the non-state and non-profitmaking sector today could total from 10 to 15 thousand. As the results of the survey, which was
performed by the Non-governmental Organisation Information and Support Centre, showed only around 10 percent of the country’s
residents are in one or another way involved into the activities of non-governmental organisations. Thus, having in mind that in
countries of the Western Europe such organisations involve from one third to half of all residents, it is true to say that the development
of the sector of non-governmental organisations in Lithuania is in the primary stage of formation.
www.lietuva.lt/politines partijos.html
***WEBSITE OF INTEREST***
Links to websites of governmental institutions and political parties in Lithuania:
http://www.gksoft.com/govt/en/lt.html
Non-governmental Organizations in Lithuania:
http://www.on.lt/horg.htm
44
Answer the questions
1. What is the main idea of the text? Which quotation (phrase) could you use to express the main idea?
2. What information was given about the changes in the laws which regulate the activities of the Lithuanian political parties.
3. Do you agree with the statement that the development o f the sector o f non-governmental organisations in Lithuania is in the
primary stage o f formation. Give reasons.
45
TASK 9: PREPARE PRESENTATION OF THE LITHUANIAN POLITICAL PARTY
To find more about the political parties in Lithuania check the website:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List of political parties in Lithuania
Or use the search engine (www.google.lt; www.yahoo.com and others) to find more information.
Prepare a short presentation of the political party.
You will have to talk about history of the party, its leaders, and achievements on the political stage.
Please use the keyphrases needed for the presentation. Click the link: STUDENTS\KEY PHRASES OF PRESENTATION.doc. Note:
you may find this file in the folder “Students”.
Use the outline of the transparency provided. Click the link: PARTY PRESENTATION.doc . Fill in the missing information from the
website.
Note: you may find this file in the folder “Students”.
Or you may use a Powerpoint presenatation outline. Click the link; Party presentation.pps
Fill in the missing information from the website.
Note: you may find this file in the folder “Students”.
46
TASK 10: Compare the two major Lithuanian political parties: their leadership style, method of election, organization,
ideology, policy
CHAPTER 4: POLITICAL SPEECHES
TASK 1: Read the text and answer the questions after the text
What is political discourse analysis?
Political discourse analysis is used to research written, spoken or sign language in political forums such as debates, speeches, and
hearings as the phenomenon of interest. The future civil servants may improve their speaking skills by reading the books on Rhetoric
and listening to the political speeches made by famous politicians. Political speeches sometimes can be quite interesting. David
Crystal, the British linguist points out, that a great deal of spoken monologue occurs when the Queen of England delivers a speech at
the opening of Parliament or during the US president’s radio address. Some political speeches can help you understand the legislative
proposals or the evaluation of the country’s political status. For example, the State of the Union Address is an annual event in which
the President of the United States reports on the status of the country, normally to a joint session of the U.S. Congress (the House of
Representatives and the Senate). The address is also used to outline the President’s legislative proposals for the upcoming year.
In Lithuania you can hear and read on the Internet the annual state of Nation Address to the Seimas made by the Lithuanian president
or the annual report of the Lithuanian government.
Adapted from the David Crystal’s The Cambridge encyclopedia o f the English language.
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1997. P. 294
47
Answer the questions
1.
2.
3.
4.
How can you improve your skills of political speeches? Give reasons.
What information were you given in the text about the US president and the Lithuanian president?
Why were the terms “rhetoric”, “political discourse analysis” mentioned in the text?
Do you like the speeches in which the politician speaks all the time or the speeches when the politician communicates with
audience? Justify your choice.
DID YOU KNOW?
Queen Elizabeth II visited Lithuania on the 17th of October 2006 as a pert of her tour to the Baltic states.
You can see the photos of the visit online:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in pictures/6059286.stm
On the website of the British Monarchy you can read the Queen’s speech delivered at the Lithuanian Seimas on the 17th of October
2006:
http://www.royal.gov.uk/output/Page5645.asp
48
4.1 The British poiiticai speeches
DID YOU KNOW?
10 Downing Street, commonly known as Number 10, is the official residence of the British Prime Minister. It is arguably the most
famous street address in London.
The Prime Minister’s office, for which the terms “Downing Street” and “No. 10” are synonymous, lies within 10 Downing Street and
is headed by a Chief of Staff and staffed by a mix of career civil servants and special advisors. It provides the Prime Minister with
support and advice on policy, communications with parliament, government departments and public/media relations.
TASK 1: Listen to the excerpt of Tony Blair’s speech and answer the questions.
1. What is the speech about?
2. Who was the speech prepared for?
3. What is the speaker’s purpose?
4. Why did you like or dislike the political speech? Give 3 reasons.
49
Click the link to listen to the speech:
BLAIR START.mp3
Note: you may find this file in the folder “Students”.
TASK 2: Listen to the excerpt again and fill in the gaps.
Tony Blair’s Speech To The Labour Party Annual Conference. October 2, 2001
John, thank you very much. And thank you, John for the modest work you do a s ______prime minister; no prime minister could ask
for a better deputy than you. And...
Thank you to you and to all th e_______indeed. You’ve been such support and strength at this time. I am very proud of the work that
you do for your country and I know this party is very proud of the work that you do.
Conference.
I n __________the Millennium marked only a moment in time. It was the events of 11 September that marked a _______ point in
history, where we confront the dangers of the future and______the choices facing humankind.
50
It was a tragedy. An act of evil. From this nation, goes our deepest_______and prayers for the victims and our________ solidarity
with the American people.
We were with you at the first. We will stay with you to the last.
Just two weeks ago, in New York, after th e _____________ I met some of the families of the British victims.
It was in many ways a very British________. Tea and biscuits. It was raining outside. Around the edge of the room, strangers making
_________ , trying to be normal people in a n ________situation. And as you crossed the room, you felt the longing and sadness;
hands clutching photos of sons and daughters, wives and husbands;_________you to believe them when they said there was still an
outside chance of their loved ones being found alive, when you knew in truth that all hope was gone.
And then a ______- ____ mother looks you in the eyes and tells you her only son has died, and asks you: why?
I tell you: you do not feel like the most powerful man in the country at times like that.
Because there is no answer. There is n o _____________for the pain of those people. Their son did nothing wrong. The woman, seven
months pregnant, whose child will never know its father, did nothing wrong.
And they don’t want_______. They want something better in memory of their loved ones.
I believe their________can and should be greater than simply the punishment of the guilty. It is that out of the shadow of this evil,
should emerge lasting good: destruction of the machinery of terrorism wherever it is found; hope amongst all nations of a new
51
beginning where we seek t o __________________ in a calm and ordered way; greater understanding between nations and between
______; and above all justice and prosperity for the poor and dispossessed, so that people everywhere can see the chance of a better
future through the hard work and creative power of the free citizen, not the violence and ________of the fanatic.
I know that here in Britain people a re _______, even a little frightened. I understand that. People know we must act but they worry
what might follow.
They worry about the economy and talk o f_________.
And, of course there are dangers; it is a new situation.
But the____________of the US, British and European economies are strong.
Every reasonable measure of internal security is being_________ .
Our way of life is a great deal stronger and will last a _________ longer than the actions of fanatics, small in number and now facing
a unified world against them.
People should have__________.
This is a battle with only one _______: our victory not theirs.
What happened on 11 September was without________in the bloody history of terrorism.
52
Within a few hours, up to 7000 people w ere___________, the commercial centre of New York w a s________________ and in
Washington and Pennsylvania further death and horror on an _________________ . Let no one say this was a blow for Islam when the
blood of innocent Muslims w as____along with those of the Christian, Jewish and other faiths around the world.
DID YOU KNOW?
*** Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born 1953) is the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
since 1997.
*** Margaret Thatcher (born 1925) is the only woman who has ever served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Northern Ireland, holding the office from 1979-1990.
*** The first Prime Minister (in the modern sense), Robert Walpole, took office in 1721.
*** On the Internet you listen and watch the PM Tony Blair deliver major statements to the Parliament or at major international events
such as G8. The broadcast major government statements such as the annual Budget or Queen’s Speech are available to watch online:
http://www.number10.gov.uk/output/Page308.asp
53
The speech of the Queen
Questions for discussion
1. Does monarchy still have a useful constitutional role to play in today’s world? Give reasons.
2. Has the monarchy been changed by the vision of Hollywood-type Royal Family created by the media?
DID YOU KNOW?
The Speech from the Throne (or Throne Speech) is an event in certain monarchies in which the monarch (or a representative) reads
a prepared speech to a complete session of parliament, outlining the government’s agenda for the coming year.
In the United Kingdom, the speech from the throne is commonly called the Queen’s Speech and is part of a lavish affair known as the
State Opening of Parliament, with many formalities and traditions, including the Queen’s wearing of her official state crown. In other
countries of the British Commonwealth, the Governor-General (or sometimes the Queen herself) reads the throne speech.
54
TASK 3. Listen to the speech of Queen Elizabeth II and answer the questions.
Click the link below to listen to the speech:
Queen.mp3
Note: you may find this file in the folder “Students”.
1. What is the speech about?
2. Who was the speech prepared for?
3. What is the speaker’s purpose?
4. Why did you like or dislike the political speech? Give 3 reasons.
TASK 4. Read the tapescript of the speech and give English explanations and Lithuanian equivalents to the expressions in
bold
Transcript of the Queen’s Speech 17 May 2005
My Lords and Members of the House of Commons.
My Government will continue to pursue economic policies, which entrench stability and promote long-term growth and prosperity.
To this end, my Government will continue to secure low inflation and sound public finances.
55
My Government will build on its programme of reform and accelerate modernisation of the public services to promote opportunity
and fairness. My Government will bring forward legislation in the key areas of public service delivery: education; health; welfare;
and crime.
Education remains my Government’s main priority. My Government will further reform the education system to improve quality and
choice in the provision of schooling, and build on the progress already made to improve educational standards for all.
Legislation will be brought forward to offer greater support for working families by extending maternity benefits and improving the
provision of child care.
My Government will continue to reform the National Health Service in a way that maintains its founding principles. Measures will be
brought forward to introduce more choice and diversity in healthcare provision and to continue to improve the quality of health
services and hospital hygiene. Legislation to restrict smoking in enclosed public places and workplaces will also be introduced.
A Bill will be brought forward to support patients who wish to seek redress should they experience problems with their healthcare.
My Government will continue its reform of the welfare state, in order to reduce poverty further, offer greater equality, and match
rights with responsibilities.
My Government will introduce legislation to reform support for housing costs.
A Bill will be introduced to establish benefits which will facilitate a return to employment, while offering long-term support for those
unable to work.
My Government will begin long-term reform to provide sustainable income for those in retirement.
56
A Bill will be introduced to improve protection of consumers by bringing home reversion plans within the scope of the Financial
Services Authority.
My Government is committed to creating safe and secure communities, and fostering a culture of respect.
Legislation will be taken forward to introduce an identity cards scheme.
A Bill will be introduced to give police and local communities new powers to tackle knives, guns and alcohol-related violence.
Further legislation will be introduced to tighten the immigration and asylum system in a way that is fair, flexible, and in the economic
interests of the country.
Proposals will be brought forward to continue the fight against terrorism in the United Kingdom and elsewhere.
My Government will bring forward legislation to reduce re-offending by improving the management of offenders.
Legislation will be introduced to reform the criminal defence service, making better use of legal aid resources.
My Government believes that the welfare of the child is paramount. A Bill will be introduced to establish a barring and vetting
scheme, and other measures to provide better protection for children and vulnerable adults.
Legislation will be introduced to safeguard the welfare of children in circumstances of parental separation and to improve the process
of inter-country adoption.
My Government will continue with legislation to provide a new framework for the provision of compulsory treatment of those with
mental disorders.
57
Legislation will be introduced to modernise charity law, to develop a vibrant, diverse and independent charitable sector.
My Government will take forward proposals to introduce an offence of corporate manslaughter.
My Government will bring forward measures to tackle those who incite religious hatred.
Legislation will be introduced to combat discrimination and to establish the Commission for Equality and Human Rights.
My Government is committed to achieving sustainable development and supporting rural services.
Legislation will be brought forward to ensure the better management and protection of the natural environment and to provide support
for rural communities.
A Bill to modernise the management of common land will be introduced.
Legislation will be brought forward to help reduce casualties on the roads.
My Government is committed to promoting efficiency, productivity and value for money. Legislation will be introduced to
streamline regulatory structures and make it simpler to remove outdated or unnecessary legislation.
Consumer credit law will be updated to provide greater protection for consumers and to create a fairer, more competitive credit
market.
Company law will be reformed to encourage greater levels of investment and enterprise.
Members of the House of Commons,
58
Estimates for the Public Services will be laid before you.
My Lords and members of the House of Commons
My Government will continue to work closely with the devolved administrations in Scotland and Wales, and will work to bring about
the conditions necessary for the restoration of political institutions in Northern Ireland.
Legislation will be brought forward to encourage greater voter participation in elections while introducing further measures to combat
fraud and increase security.
Legislation will also be introduced to reform the National Assembly for Wales.
My Government will bring forward proposals to continue the reform of the House of Lords.
If London is selected to host the 2012 Olympic Games, legislation will be introduced as soon as possible to establish the necessary
powers to ensure the delivery of the Games, and that the requirements of the International Olympic Committee are met.
My Government will establish a single system of service law for the Armed Forces.
My Government will bring forward a Bill to give effect to the Constitutional Treaty for the European Union, subject to a referendum.
Legislation will be introduced to ratify the treaty of accession of Romania and Bulgaria to the European Union.
Other measures will be laid before you.
My Government will continue to play its full part in international affairs.
59
The Duke of Edinburgh and I look forward to our visit to Canada later today and to our state visit to Malta in November, which
precedes the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. We look forward to our visit to Australia in March next year for the
opening of the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne followed by our State visit to Singapore. We also look forward to receiving
Their Majesties King Harald and Queen Sonja of Norway.
The United Kingdom will take over the Presidency of the European Union in July, and my Government will work to build an
increasingly prosperous and secure Europe.
My Government will use its Presidency of the G8 to secure progress in tackling poverty in Africa and climate change.
My Government will continue to push for a resolution of the conflict in Darfur.
My Government will continue to work to prevent terrorism and the proliferation of nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons, and to
combat drug smuggling and international crime.
My Government will work to strengthen commitment to the continued effectiveness of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, and
continue to contribute to a modern and representative United Nations.
My Government will work to secure a successful outcome from the United Nations Millennium Review Summit and the Ministerial
meeting of the World Trade Organisation in Hong Kong in December.
My Government will support the Iraq Transitional Government and Transitional National Assembly as they write a constitution and
prepare for future elections.
My Government will continue to assist the Government of Afghanistan including in its counter-narcotics efforts, and to support better
60
standards of governance throughout the world. Peace in the Middle East will remain one of my Government’s highest priorities.
My Government will work to deepen and develop the strong partnership between Europe and the United States in order to meet these
objectives.
My Lords and Members of the House of Commons: I pray that the blessing of Almighty God may rest upon your counsels.
http://www.number10.gov.uk/output/Page7488.asp
TASK 5. Read the tapescript of the speech again and find how many times the Queen is using the phrase “Legislation will be
brought forward” and all its variations.
4.2 The American political speeches
DID YOU KNOW?
As the office of the U.S. President, the term “White House” is often used as a metonymy for the president’s administration. Also
the White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the President of the United States of America.
The Oval Office is the official office of the President of the United States.
61
TASK 6: Discuss the following questions
1. Why is the USA important when the politicians speak about NATO?
2. What are the advantages for Lithuania as the member of NATO?
3. Why did some US politicians visit Lithuania from time to time?
The speech of the US President to the Citizens of Vilnius. Vilnius, Lithuania. November 23, 2002.
TASK 7: Listen to the speech of George W. Bush and answer the questions.
1.
2.
3.
4.
What is the speech about?
What is the speaker’s purpose?
Why did you like or dislike the political speech? Give 3 reasons.
What did you like and dislike in President’s speech?
Click the link below to listen to the speech:
Speech of Bush in Lithuania.mp3
Note: you may find this file in the folder “Students”.
62
TASK 8. Listen again to the speech and fill in the gaps.
Alliance of Freedom Being Tested by “New and Terrible Dangers”
Remarks by the President to the Citizens of Vilnius
November 23, 2002
Rotuse
Vilnius, Lithuania
10:20 A.M. (Local)
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all very much. Thank you, Mr. President. Thank you for your friendship and thank you for your____.
I’m also honored to be here with the Presidents of Latvia and______. I want to thank them for coming, as well. Laura and I are____
to be here with you. Thank you for coming out to say hello. (Applause.)
This is a great day in the history of Lithuania, in the history of the Baltics, in the history of NATO, and in the history o f _____.
(Applause.) The countries of NATO have opened the doors of our_______to Lithuania and six other European democracies. And I
have the honor of sharing this message with you: We proudly invite Lithuania t o _____us in NATO, the great Atlantic Alliance.
(Applause.)
63
Many doubted that freedom would come to this country, but the United States always ________ an independent Lithuania.
(Applause.) We knew that this continent would not remain_____. We knew that arbitrary lines drawn b y ________would be erased,
and those lines are now gone. No more Munichs. No more Yaltas. The long night of fear,______and loneliness is over. You’re
joining the strong and growing family of NATO. Our Alliance has made a solemn______of protection, and anyone who would
choose Lithuania as a n _____has also made an enemy of the United States of America. (Applause.) In the face o f _____ , the brave
people of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia will never again stand alone.
AUDIENCE: Aciu, aciu, aciu! (Thank you, thank you, thank you!)
THE PRESIDENT: You’re welcome. (Laughter.) You a re ________in the Nato Alliance. You w ill_____ to our common security.
Yet the strength of NATO does not only depend on the______of armies, but on the character of men and women.
We must be willing to stand in the face of evil, to have the courage to always_____danger. The people of the Baltic states have
shown these qualities to the world. You have known cruel_____and withstood it. You were h e ld _____ by an empire and you
outlived it. And because you have paid its cost you know th e______of human freedom.
Lithuania today is true to its best traditions of democracy a n d _____and religious liberty, and you have_____ the respect of my
nation and all nations. (Applause.)
Our alliance of freedom is being_____again by new and terrible dangers. Like the Nazis and the communists before them, the
______seek to end lives and control all life. And like the Nazis and the communists before them, they will b e _______ by free nations
and the terrorists will b e _______. (Applause.)
64
Over a decade ago hundreds of thousands of Lithuanians, Latvians and Estonians_________ , from Tallin to Vilnius, to show your
love for freedom. Near Cathedral Square is a stone________that struggle. Inscribed on that stone is one w ord:______ . The recent
history of the Baltic states truly is a miracle. You’v e ________your freedom; you have won your independence. You now join a great
Alliance, and your miracle goes on.
Today on this great day, may G o d _____the memory of Lithuanian_______ and freedom fighters who did not live to see this
moment. And may God always bless the brave and th e____people of Lithuania. (Applause.)
Thank you for coming today. May God bless freedom. (Applause.)
END 10:30 A.M. (L)
DID YOU KNOW?
George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is the current President of the United States and a former governor of Texas. He is currently
in his second term as president, which runs until January 20, 2009.
George W.Bush is the 43rd President of the United States.
65
President’s Radio Address about US Economy:
TASK 9: Listen to the speech and answer the questions.
1. Who was the speech prepared for?
2. What is the speaker’s purpose?
3. What did you like and dislike in the President’s speech? Give reasons.
Click the link to listen to the speech:
Economy.mp3
Note: you may find this file in the folder “Students”.
President’s Radio Address
January 10, 2004
THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. As the year 2004 begins, America’s economy is strong and getting stronger. More Americans than
ever own their own homes. More businesses are investing. More manufacturers are seeing increased activity than at any time in the
last 20 years. Stock market wealth has increased by more than $3 trillion over the past year. And over the past five months, more than
a quarter-million Americans started work at new jobs. In December, the unemployment rate fell to 5.7 percent, from a high of 6.3
percent last June.
66
This latest report underscores a choice about the future of our economy, and the future of those who are looking for work. We can
continue on the path to prosperity and new jobs - a path marked by a pro-growth agenda that has cut taxes on paychecks for 109
million American taxpayers - or we can reverse the course by raising taxes on hardworking Americans. The choice is clear. Tax relief
has got this economy going again, and tax relief will keep it moving forward.
In my budget for the upcoming fiscal year, I will call on Congress to make permanent all the tax relief we have delivered to the
American people and our nation’s small businesses. If Congress fails to act, this tax relief will disappear and millions of American
families and small businesses would see tax hikes starting in 2005. For the sake of our economic expansion, and for the sake of
millions of Americans who depend on small businesses for their jobs, we need Congress to act to make tax relief permanent.
Every American who pays income taxes got a tax cut: They should keep that tax cut in the future. American families saw the child
credit double to $1,000 per child: They should keep that higher credit. American investors, including millions of seniors, saw taxes fall
on dividend income and investment gains: They should keep that tax relief. American small businesses received new tax incentives to
invest in equipment and software: They should keep those incentives. Every American family, including every farmer, rancher, and
small business owner, will see the death tax disappear in 2010, then reappear in 2011. But the death tax should stay buried.
Now is not the time to turn our backs on America’s families and workers and entrepreneurs by letting much needed tax relief expire.
Making tax relief permanent is a simple step that would keep our economy growing, so that every American who wants to work can
find a job.
We must continue to take other steps to promote growth and job creation throughout our economy. We must promote free and fair
trade, reform our class action system, and help businesses and their employees address the problem of rising health care costs.
To serve the economic needs of our country, we must also reform our immigration laws. Reform must begin by confronting a basic
fact of life and economics: Some of the jobs being generated in America’s growing economy are jobs American citizens are not
filling. This past week, I proposed a new temporary worker program that would match willing foreign workers with willing American
employers, when no Americans can be found to fill the jobs. If an American employer is offering a job that American citizens are not
willing to take, we ought to welcome into our country a person who will fill that job.
67
The program I’ve outlined is not an amnesty program, an automatic path to citizenship. It is a program that recognizes the
contributions that many undocumented workers are now making to our economy. This temporary worker program represents the best
tradition of our society. It will help strengthen our economy, return order to our immigration system, and secure our homeland.
Thank you for listening.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2004/01/print/20040110.html
TASK 10: Write a short summary of the speech.
Use the outline of the summary, key phrases in the file “WRITING SUMMARY”. Click the link below STUDENTS\WRITING
SUMMARY.doc.
Or open the file “WRITING SUMMARY.doc” in the folder “STUDENTS”.
***WEBSITE OF INTEREST***
The website of the White House on the Internet:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/__________________
68
John F. Kennedy’s Inaugural Address
DID YOU KNOW?
Inaugural Addresses of the Presidents of the United States are given each time that a United States President is inaugurated. A total
of 55 have been given by a total of 37 presidents. George Washington’s second address was the shortest one (135 words) and William
Henry Harrison delivered the longest one (8,495 words).
***The first inaugural address was delivered by George Washington in Balcony of Federal Hallin in New York on April 30, 1789.
***The latest inaugural address was delivered by George W. Bush in the West Front, U.S. Capitol on January 20, 2005.____________
***WEBSITE OF INTEREST***
Full texts of all U.S. Inaugural Addresses can be found at Bartleby.com: http://www.bartleby.com/124/
69
TASK 11: Discuss the following questions
1. Do you like or dislike the speeches delivered by the leading politicians on radio or TV? Give reasons.
2. What information can you get from the Lithuanian or American President speeches for the citizens?
3. Which famous American or British political speeches do you know?
Click the link to listen to the speech:
Kennedy.mp3
Note: you may find this file in the folder “Students”.
John F. Kennedy’s Inaugural Address
Given on Friday, January 20, 1961
TASK 12: Fill in the missing words from the box
This much we pledge; summoned to give testimony; undo the heavy burdens ;welcome to the ranks; stays the hand ; adversary; break
the bonds; solemn oath; friend and foe; shrink from this responsibility; casting off;
Vice President Johnson, Mr. Speaker, Mr. Chief Justice, President Eisenhower, Vice President Nixon, President Truman, Reverend
Clergy, fellow citizens:
70
We observe today not a victory of party but a celebration of freedom - symbolizing an end as well as a beginning - signifying renewal
as well as change. For I have sworn before you and Almighty God the same__________ our forbears prescribed nearly a century and
three-quarters ago.
The world is very different now. For man holds in his mortal hands the power to abolish all forms of human poverty and all forms of
human life. And yet the same revolutionary beliefs for which our forebears fought are still at issue around the globe—the belief that
the rights of man come not from the generosity of the state, but from the hand of God.
We dare not forget today that we are the heirs of that first revolution. Let the word go forth from this time and place, t o _________
___alike, that the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans - born in this century, tempered by war, disciplined by a
hard and bitter peace, proud of our ancient heritage - and unwilling to witness or permit the slow undoing of those human rights to
which this Nation has always been committed, and to which we are committed today at home and around the world.
Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any
friend, oppose any foe, in order to assure the survival and the success of liberty.
- and more
To those old allies whose cultural and spiritual origins we share, we pledge the loyalty of faithful friends. United, there is little we
cannot do in a host of cooperative ventures. Divided, there is little we can do - for we dare not meet a powerful challenge at odds and
split asunder.
To those new States whom w e __________________ of the free, we pledge our word that one form of colonial control shall not have
passed away merely to be replaced by a far more iron tyranny. We shall not always expect to find them supporting our view. But we
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shall always hope to find them strongly supporting their own freedom - and to remember that, in the past, those who foolishly sought
power by riding the back of the tiger ended up inside.
To those peoples in the huts and villages across the globe struggling to ______________of mass misery, we pledge our best efforts to
help them help themselves, for whatever period is required - not because the Communists may be doing it, not because we seek their
votes, but because it is right. If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich.
To our sister republics south of our border, we offer a special pledge - to convert our good words into good deeds - in a new alliance
for progress - to assist free men and free governments i n __________ the chains of poverty. But this peaceful revolution of hope
cannot become the prey of hostile powers. Let all our neighbors know that we shall join with them to oppose aggression or subversion
anywhere in the Americas. And let every other power know that this Hemisphere intends to remain the master of its own house.
To that world assembly of sovereign states, the United Nations, our last best hope in an age where the instruments of war have far
outpaced the instruments of peace, we renew our pledge of support - to prevent it from becoming merely a forum for invective - to
strengthen its shield of the new and the weak - and to enlarge the area in which its writ may run.
Finally, to those nations who would make themselves our_________, we offer not a pledge but a request: that both sides begin anew
the quest for peace, before the dark powers of destruction unleashed by science engulf all humanity in planned or accidental self
destruction.
We dare not tempt them with weakness. For only when our arms are sufficient beyond doubt can we be certain beyond doubt that they
will never be employed.
But neither can two great and powerful groups of nations take comfort from our present course - both sides overburdened by the cost
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of modern weapons, both rightly alarmed by the steady spread of the deadly atom, yet both racing to alter that uncertain balance of
terror that
of mankind’s final war.
So let us begin anew - remembering on both sides that civility is not a sign of weakness, and sincerity is always subject to proof. Let
us never negotiate out of fear. But let us never fear to negotiate.
Let both sides explore what problems unite us instead of belaboring those problems which divide us.
Let both sides, for the first time, formulate serious and precise proposals for the inspection and control of arms - and bring the
absolute power to destroy other nations under the absolute control of all nations.
Let both sides seek to invoke the wonders of science instead of its terrors. Together let us explore the stars, conquer the deserts,
eradicate disease, tap the ocean depths, and encourage the arts and commerce.
Let both sides unite to heed in all corners of the earth the command of Isaiah - to
go free.”
. .and to let the oppressed
And if a beachhead of cooperation may push back the jungle of suspicion, let both sides join in creating a new endeavor, not a new
balance of power, but a new world of law, where the strong are just and the weak secure and the peace preserved.
All this will not be finished in the first 100 days. Nor will it be finished in the first 1,000 days, nor in the life of this Administration,
nor even perhaps in our lifetime on this planet. But let us begin.
In your hands, my fellow citizens, more than in mine, will rest the final success or failure of our course. Since this country was
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founded, each generation of Americans has b e e n __________________________to its national loyalty. The graves of young
Americans who answered the call to service surround the globe.
Now the trumpet summons us again - not as a call to bear arms, though arms we need; not as a call to battle, though embattled we are
- but a call to bear the burden of a long twilight struggle, year in and year out, “rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation” - a struggle
against the common enemies of man: tyranny, poverty, disease, and war itself.
Can we forge against these enemies a grand and global alliance, North and South, East and West, that can assure a more fruitful life
for all mankind? Will you join in that historic effort?
In the long history of the world, only a few generations have been granted the role of defending freedom in its hour of maximum
danger. I do not__________________________ - I welcome it. I do not believe that any of us would exchange places with any other
people or any other generation. The energy, the faith, the devotion which we bring to this endeavor will light our country and all who
serve it - and the glow from that fire can truly light the world.A
And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country.
My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.
Finally, whether you are citizens of America or citizens of the world, ask of us the same high standards of strength and sacrifice which
we ask of you. With a good conscience our only sure reward, with history the final judge of our deeds, let us go forth to lead the land
we love, asking His blessing and His help, but knowing that here on earth God’s work must truly be our own.
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TASK 12: Write the 100-word summary of the speech
President Reagan’s Farewell Speech
TASK 13: Discuss the following questions
1. What is the time for the politician to leave the post?
2. What should the leading politician do before resigning from the top position?
3. What information can you give about the famous Lithuanian politicians who were told to leave their posts?
TASK 14: Listen to the farewell speech of President R. Reagan on January 11, 1989 and write a 100-word summary.
Click the link to listen to the speech:
Reagan.mp3
Note: you may find this file in the folder “Students”.
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TASK 15: Listen to the speech again and fill in the missing words
This is the 34th time I’ll speak to you from the Oval Office and the last. We’ve been together eight years now, and soon it’ll be time
for me to go. But before I do, I wanted to share some thoughts, some of which I’ve been saving for a long time.
It’s been th e_____(honor) of my life to be your president. So many of you have written the past few weeks to say thanks, but I could
say as much to you. Nancy and I are________grateful for the opportunity you gave us to serve.
One of the things about th e__________presidency is that you’re always somewhat apart. You spend a lot of time going by too fast in
a car someone else is driving, and seeing the people through______tinted glass - the parents holding up a child, and the wave you
saw too late and couldn’t return. And so many times I wanted to stop and reach out from behind the glass, and connect. Well, maybe I
can do a little of that tonight.
People ask how I feel about leaving. And the fact is, “parting is such sweet sorrow.” The sweet part is California, and the ranch and
freedom. The sorrow - the goodbyes, of course, and leaving this beautiful place.
You know, down the hall and up the stairs from this office is the part of the White House where the president and his family live.
There are a few favorite windows I have up there that I like to stand and look out of early in the morning. The view is over the
_______grounds here to the Washington Monument, and then the Mall and the Jefferson Memorial. But on mornings when the
humidity is low, you can see past the Jefferson to the river, the Potomac, and the Virginia shore. Someone said that’s the view Lincoln
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had when he saw the smoke rising from the Battle of Bull Run. I see more_______prosaic things: the grass on the banks, the morning
traffic as people make their way to work, now and then a sailboat on the river.
I’ve been thinking a bit at that window. I’ve been__________reflecting on what the past eight years have meant and mean. And the
image that comes to mind like a refrain is a nautical one - a small story about a big ship, and a refugee and a sailor. It was back in the
early ‘80s, at the height of the boat people. And the sailor was hard at work on the carrier Midway, which was patrolling the South
China Sea. The sailor, like most American__________servicemen, was young, smart, and fiercely observant. The crew spied on the
horizon a leaky little boat. And crammed inside were refugees from Indochina hoping to get to America. The Midway sent a small
launch to bring them to the ship and safety. As the refugees made their way through the choppy seas, one spied the sailor on deck and
stood up and called out to him. He yelled, “Hello, American sailor. Hello, freedom man.”
A small moment with a big meaning, a moment the sailor, who wrote it in a letter, couldn’t get out of his mind. And when I saw it,
neither could I. Because that’s what it was to be an American in the 1980s. We stood, again, for freedom. I know we always have, but
in the past few years the world again, and in a way, we ourselves rediscovered it.
It’s been quite a journey this decade, and we held together through some stormy seas. And at the end, together, we are reaching our
destination.
The fact is, from Grenada to the Washington and Moscow summits, from th e _________recession of ‘81 to ‘82, to the expansion that
began in late ‘82 and continues to this day, we’ve made a difference. The way I see it, there were two great triumphs, two things that
I’m proudest of. One is the economic_________recovery, in which the people of America created - and filled - 19 million new jobs.
The other is the recovery of our morale. America is respected again in the world and looked to for leadership.
Something that happened to me a few years ago reflects some of this. It was back in 1981, and I was attending my first big economic
______summit, which was held that year in Canada. The meeting place rotates among the member countries. The opening meeting
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was a formal dinner for the heads of government of the seven______________industrialized nations. Now, I sat there like the new
kid in school and listened, and it was all Francois this and Helmut that. They dropped titles and spoke to one another on a first-name
basis. Well, at one point I sort of leaned in and said, “My name’s Ron.” Well, in that same year, we began the actions we felt would
ignite an economic comeback - ________ cut taxes and regulation, started t o ____________ cut spending. And soon the recovery
began.
Two years later another economic______summit, with pretty much the same cast. At the big opening meeting we all got together,
and all of a sudden, just for a moment, I saw that everyone was just sitting there looking at me. And one of them broke the silence.
“Tell us about the American miracle,” he said.
Well, back in 1980, when I w as____________________running for president, it was all so different. Some_______ pundits said our
programs would result in catastrophe. Our views on foreign affairs would cause war. Our plans for the economy would cause inflation
to soar and bring about economic________collapse. I even remember one highly respected economist saying, back in 1982, that “the
engines of economic growth have shut down here, and they’re likely to stay that way for years to come.” Well, he and the other
_______________opinion leaders were wrong. The fact is, what they called “radical” was really “right.” What they called
“dangerous” was just “desperately needed.”
And in all of that time I won a nickname, “The Great Communicator.” But I never thought it was my style or the words I used that
made a difference: It was th e_______content. I wasn’t a great communicator, but I communicated great things, and they didn’t spring
full bloom from my brow, they came from the heart of a great nation - from our experience, our wisdom, and our belief in principles
that have guided us for two centuries. They called it the Reagan revolution. Well, I’ll accept that, but for me it always seemed more
like the great rediscovery, a rediscovery of our values and our common sense.
___________ Common sense told us that when you put a big tax on something, the people will produce less of it. So, we cut the
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people’s ________ tax rates, and the people produced more than ever before. The economy bloomed like a plant that had been cut
back and could now grow quicker and stronger. Our economic program brought about the longest peacetime expansion in our history:
_________________real family income up, the poverty rate down, entrepreneurship booming, and an explosion in research and new
technology. We’re exporting more than ever because American industry became more competitive and at the same time, we
summoned the national will to knock down protectionist walls abroad instead of erecting them at home. Common sense also told us
that to preserve the peace, we’d have to become strong again after years of weakness and confusion. So, we rebuilt our defenses, and
this New Year we toasted the new peacefulness around the globe. Not only have th e ___________superpowers actually begun to
reduce their stockpiles of nuclear weapons - and hope for even more progress is bright - but the regional conflicts that rack the globe
are also beginning to cease. The Persian Gulf is no longer a war zone. The Soviets are leaving Afghanistan. The Vietnamese are
preparing to pull out of Cambodia, and an American-mediated accord will soon send 50,000 Cuban troops home from Angola.
The lesson of all this was, of course, that because we’re a great nation, our challenges seem complex. It will always be this way. But
as long as we remember our first principles and believe in ourselves, the future will always be ours. And something else we learned:
Once you begin a great movement, there’s no telling where it will end. We meant to change a nation, and instead, we changed a world.
Countries across the globe are turning t o ____________free markets a n d _____________ free speech and turning away from
ideologies of the past. For them, the great rediscovery of the 1980s has been that, lo and behold, the moral way of government is the
practical way of government: Democracy, the profoundly good, is also the profoundly productive.
When you’ve got to the point when you can celebrate the anniversaries of your 39th birthday, you can sit back sometimes, review your
life, and see it flowing before you. For me there was a fork in the river, and it was right in the middle of my life. I never meant to go
into politics. It wasn’t my intention when I was young. But I was raised to believe you had to pay your way for the blessings bestowed
on you. I was happy with my career in the entertainment world, but I ultimately went into politics because I wanted to protect
something precious.
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Ours was the first revolution in the history of mankind that truly reversed the course of government, and with three little words: “We
the people.” “We the people” tell the government what to do, it doesn’t tell us. “We the people” are the driver, the government is the
car. And we decide where it should go, a n d ___________ by what route, and how fast. Almost all the world’s constitutions are
documents in which governments tell the people what their privileges are. Our Constitution is a document in which “We the people”
tell the government what it is allowed to do. “We the people” are free. This belief has been the underlying basis for everything I’ve
tried to do these past eight years.
But back in the 1960s, when I began, it seemed to me that we’d begun reversing the order of things - that through more and more
rules and___________regulations and confiscatory taxes, the government was taking more of our money, more of our options, and
more of our freedom. I went into politics in part to put up my hand and say, “Stop.” I was a citizen politician, and it seemed the right
thing for a citizen to do.
I think we have stopped a lot of what needed stopping. And I hope we have once again reminded people that man is not free unless
government is limited. There’s a clear cause and effect here that is as neat a n d __________predictable as a law of physics: As
government expands, liberty contracts.
Nothing is less free than______________ pure communism, and yet we have, the past few years, forged a satisfying new closeness
with the Soviet Union. I’ve been asked if this isn’t a gamble, and my answer is no because we’re basing our actions not on words but
deeds. The detente of the 1970s was based not on actions but promises. They’d promise to treat their own people and the people of the
world better. But the gulag was still the gulag, and the state was still____________expansionist, and they still waged proxy wars in
Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
Well, this time, so far, it’s different. President Gorbachev h a s____________ brought about some internal democratic reforms and
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begun th e__________withdrawal from Afghanistan. He has also freed prisoners whose names I’ve given him every time we’ve met.
But life has a way of reminding you of big things through small incidents. Once, during the heady days of the Moscow summit, Nancy
and I decided to break off from the entourage one afternoon to visit the shops on Arbat Street - that’s a little street just off Moscow’s
main shopping area. Even though our visit was a surprise, every Russian there immediately recognized us and called out our names
and reached for our hands. We were just about swept away by the warmth. You could almost feel the possibilities in all that joy. But
within seconds, a ___KGB detail pushed their way toward us and began pushing and shoving the people in the crowd. It was an
interesting moment. It reminded me that while the man on the street in the Soviet Union yearns for peace, the government is
Communist. And those who run it are Communists, and that means we and they view such issues as freedom and human rights very
differently.
We must keep up our guard, but we must also continue to work together to lessen a n d _______________ eliminate tension and
mistrust. My view is that President Gorbachev is different from previous Soviet leaders. I think he knows some of the things wrong
with h is_______society and is trying to fix them. We wish him well. And we’ll continue to work to make sure that the Soviet Union
that eventually emerges from this process is a less threatening one. What it all boils down to is this. I want the new closeness to
continue. And it will, as long as we make it clear that we will continue to act in a certain way as long as they continue to act in a
helpful manner. If and when they don’t, at first pull your punches. If they persist, pull the plug. It’s still trust but verify. It’s still play,
but cut the cards. It’s still watch closely. And don’t be afraid to see what you see.
I’ve been asked if I have any regrets. Well, I do. The deficit is one. I’ve been talking a great deal about that lately, but tonight isn’t for
arguments. And I’m going to hold my tongue. But an observation: I’ve had my share of victories in the Congress, but what few people
noticed is that I never won anything you didn’t win for me. They never saw my troops, they never saw Reagan’s regiments, the
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American people. You won every battle with every call you made and letter you wrote_________demanding action. Well, action is
still needed. If we’re to finish the job, Reagan’s regiments will have to become the Bush brigades. Soon he’ll be the chief, and he’ll
need you every bit as much as I did. Finally, there is a great tradition of warnings in presidential farewells, and I’ve got one that’s been
on my mind for some time. B ut___________ oddly enough it starts with one of the things I’m proudest of in the past eight years: the
resurgence of national pride that I called the new patriotism. This national feeling is good, but it won’t count for much, and it won’t
last unless it’s grounded in thoughtfulness and knowledge.
An informed patriotism is what we want. And are we doing a good enough job teaching our children what America is and what she
represents in the long history of the world? Those of us who are over 35 or so years of age grew up in a different America. We were
taught, very directly, what it means to be an American. And we absorbed, almost in the air, a love of country and a n ____________
appreciation of its institutions. If you didn’t get these things from your family, you got them from the neighborhood, from the father
down the street who fought in Korea or the family who lost someone at Anzio. Or you could get a sense of patriotism from school.
And if all else failed, you could get a sense of patriotism from popular culture. The movies celebrated democratic values and
implicitly__________reinforced the idea that America was special. TV was like that, too, through the mid-’60s
But now, we’re about to enter the ‘90s, and some things have changed. Younger parents aren’t sure that an unambivalent appreciation
of America is the right thing to teach modern children. And as for those who create the popular culture, well-grounded patriotism is no
longer the style. Our spirit is back, but we haven’t reinstitutionalized it. We’ve got to do a better job of getting across that America is
freedom - freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of enterprise. And freedom is special and rare. It’s _______fragile; it
needs protection.
So, we’ve got to teach history based not on what’s in fashion but what’s important: Why the Pilgrims came here, who Jimmy Doolittle
was, and what those 30 seconds over Tokyo meant. You know, four years ago on the 40th anniversary of D-Day, I read a letter from a
young woman writing of her late father, who’d fought on Omaha Beach. Her name was Lisa Zanatta Henn, and she said, “We will
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always remember, we will never forget what the boys of Normandy did.” Well, let’s help her keep her word. If we forget what we did,
we won’t know who we are. I’m warning of an eradication of the American memory that could result, ultimately, in an erosion of the
American spirit. Let’s start with some basics: more attention to American history and a greater emphasis o n ____________civic ritual.
And let me offer lesson No. 1 about America: All great change in America begins at the dinner table. So, tomorrow night in the
kitchen I hope the talking begins. And children, if your parents haven’t been teaching you what it means to be an American, let ‘em
know and nail ‘em on it. That would be a very American thing to do.
And that’s about all I have to say tonight. Except for one thing. The past few days when I’ve been at that window upstairs, I’ve
thought a bit of the “shining city upon a hill.” The phrase comes from John Winthrop, who wrote it to describe the America he
imagined. What he imagined was important because he was an early Pilgrim, an early__________ freedom man. He journeyed here
on what today we’d call a little wooden boat; and like the other Pilgrims, he was looking for a home that would be free.
I’ve spoken of the shining city all my political life, but I don’t know if I ever quite communicated what I saw when I said it. But in my
mind it was a tall proud city built on rocks stronger than oceans, wind-swept, God-blessed, and teeming with people of all kinds living
in harmony and peace, a city with free ports that hummed with commerce and creativity, and if there had to be city walls, the walls
had doors and the doors were open to anyone with the will and the heart to get here. That’s how I saw it and see it still.
And how stands the city on this winter night? M ore__________prosperous, more secure, and happier than it was eight years ago. But
more than that; after 200 years, two centuries, she still stands strong and true on the granite ridge, and her glow has held steady no
matter what storm. And she’s still a beacon, still a magnet for all who must have freedom, for all the pilgrims from all the lost places
who are hurtling through the darkness, toward home.
We’ve done our part. And as I walk off into the city streets, a final word to the men and women of the Reagan revolution, the men and
women across America who for eight years did the work that brought America back. My friends: We did it. We weren’t just marking
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time. We made a difference. We made the city stronger. We made the city freer, and we left h er____________in good hands. All in
all, not bad, not bad at all.
And so, good-bye, God bless you, and God bless the United States of America.
DID YOU KNOW?
Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911-June 5, 2004) was the 40th President of the United States (1981-1989) and the 33rd
Governor of California (1967-1975). At age 69 he was the oldest person elected president. Before entering politics, Reagan was a
motion picture actor, head of the Screen Actors Guild, a television actor, and a motivational speaker. His speaking style, which was
widely regarded as well-delivered and persuasive, earned Reagan the accolade “The Great Communicator” from the media.
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CHAPTER 5: ELECTIONS IN THE US, THE UK AND LITHUANIA
TASK 1: Match the terms with their definitions below.
1. Canvass
2. Whistlestop tour
3. Election promise
4. Constituency
5. Electorate
6. Suffrage
7. Ballot
8. Gallup Poll
9. Inauguration
10. Quorum
a) the group of people from whom an individual or organization hopes to attract support, or the group of people or
geographical area that a particular elected representative or group of elected representatives represents.
b) a body of electors; (the number of) all those entitled to vote in a country or constituency.
c) the action or process of personally soliciting votes before an election, or of ascertaining the amount of support a
candidate may count on.
d) a promise made to the public by a politician who is trying to win an election.
e) A fixed minimum number of members whose presence is necessary to make the proceedings of an assembly, society,
etc., valid.
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f) a style of political campaigning where the politician makes a series of brief appearances or speeches at a number of
small towns over a short period of time.
g) the civil right to vote, or the exercise of that right.
h) a piece of paper on which you indicate your choice or opinion in a secret vote
i) an opinion poll conducted by The Gallup Organization and frequently used by the mass media for representing public
opinion.
j) a ceremony of formal investiture whereby an individual assumes an office or position of authority or power.
TASK 2: Find on the internet the examples containing these terms and translate them.
5.1 Elections in the US
DID YOU KNOW?
**The elections to the Senate and the House of Representatives were last held 2 November 2004 (next to be held on 7 November
2006).
*** The elections of the US president were last held 2 November 2004 (next to be held 4 November 2008).
TASK 2: Before reading the text decide if the given statements are TRUE, FALSE or NOT GIVEN. Read the text to check.
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1. A need to register to vote is the main factor that determines the low rate of American voters in presidential elections.
2. The U.S. holds the laws limiting the amount of money that can be spent in presidential elections.
3. Presidential candidates usually receive federal and private funding.
4.
Though in theory , age and nationality are the only restrictions for a candidate in presidential elections , in practice , the
candidates are usually prominent political figures.
5. The people of the United States vote for the electors who then vote for the President.
6. The political parties choose their candidates for presidential elections through a series of primary elections held in every state.
7. You may vote by absentee ballot at the clerk’s office or request that the ballot be mailed to you.
8. A person can run for the President of the U.S. only with a support of political parties or by organizing a petition.
9. The date of presidential elections have been determined long ago by the weather and work circumstances.
10. Name recognition is considered an important factor in elections, as candidates with low name recognition are unlikely to
receive votes from people who only casually follow politics.
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Running for office in the US
Elections are held regularly for President of the US, for both houses of Congress and for state and local government offices.
Candidates usually run for office with the support of one of the two main political parties, the Republicans or the Democrats. Anyone
who wants to run as an independent can organize a petition and ask people to sign it. Some people run as write-in candidates: they ask
voters to add their name to the ballot (= list of candidates) when they vote.
During an election campaign candidates try to achieve name recognition (= making their names widely known) by advertising on
television, in newspapers, and on posters in public places. They take part in debates and hold rallies where they give speeches and go
round ‘pressing the flesh’, shaking hands with as many voters as possible. A candidate is helped by campaign workers. In the last few
weeks before an election, these workers concentrate on ‘GOTV’ (get out to vote), which involves reminding members of their party to
vote.
Election campaigning is very expensive, and the candidate with most money has a big advantage. There are laws limiting the amount
of money candidates may take from any one person or group but, except in presidential campaigns, there is no limit to the total that
can be spent. In a medium-sized state, a candidate for the Senate might spend ten million dollars on the campaign.
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Electing the President
Only a person over 35 who was born in the US can run for President. These are the only restrictions but, in practice, presidents have
always come from a narrower group of people. They have all been white, and no woman has ever been President, although Geraldine
Ferraro ran for Vice-president on Walter Mondale’s ticket (= in association with Mondale when he was trying to become President) in
1984. John F Kennedy was the first Roman Catholic president. Candidates are usually well-known political figures, such as the
governors of large states or members of Congress. Americans believe that a president should be not only a good leader, but also a kind
and honest person, so candidates are usually people who know how to seem warm and friendly, especially on television.
Presidential elections are held every four years. Early in election year, the political parties choose their candidates through a series of
primary elections held in every state. Voters register to vote in either the Republican or the Democratic primary. States hold both
primaries on the same day but voters are given different ballots depending on the party they choose. As these races take place it
gradually becomes clear which candidates are the strongest.
In the summer each party holds a convention to make the final choice of candidates for President and Vice-president. Each state sends
delegates to the conventions but they do not have to vote for the candidates who won the state’s primary. The platform of ideas that
candidates will emphasize during the campaign is decided at the conventions.
Presidential candidates spend tens of millions of dollars on campaigning. In order to prevent rich candidates from always winning, the
federal government offers an equal sum of money to the candidates of both parties. Those who receive federal funding cannot accept
money from other sources. Candidates travel round the US giving speeches and meeting voters. A popular candidate may help others
from the same party running for lower offices. This is called the coat-tail effect.
In November the people go to vote. Although the President is said to be directly elected, the official vote is made by an electoral
college. Each state has a certain number of electors in the college, based on the state’s population. All the electors from a state must
vote for the candidate who got the most votes in the state, and the candidate with at least 270 votes out of a total of 538 becomes
President. This system makes states with a large population, such as California, very important.
After the election, the new President goes to Washington for the inauguration on 20 January, and takes the oath of office. Between the
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election and the inauguration, the old President has little power and is called informally a lame duck.
Voting procedures
US elections are held on the Tuesday following the first Monday of November. This date was selected long ago when most Americans
lived in the country, because in early November there was little work on the farms and the weather was good enough to allow people
to travel into the city to vote.
Americans over the age of 18 have the right to vote, but only about half of them take part in presidential elections, even fewer in other
elections. One explanation for low voter turnout is the need to register to vote. People who move to another state have to register again
after they move. In some places registrations forms are now available in fast-food restaurants.
A few weeks before election day registered voters receive a card telling them the address of the polling station where they should go
to vote, usually a school or church hall. People who will be away on election day, or who are ill, may use an absentee ballot and post it
to election officials.
Polling stations are open from early morning until night. Voters first have to sign their name in a book that lists all the voters in the
precinct (= area) and then cast a vote. Some states use computerized systems, but the most common method is to use a voting booth.
This has three sides and a curtain that closes the fourth side. In the booth are lists of candidates for each office. Voters pull down a
metal lever beside the name of the person they want to vote for. The levers operate mechanical counters which record the total number
of votes for each candidate. It is possible to select all the candidates from one party, and this is called voting a straight ticket. But
many voters choose candidates from both parties and vote a split ticket.
Journalists and pollsters are allowed to ask people how they voted and these exit polls help predict election results. However, the
results of exit polls may not be announced until polling stations everywhere have closed, in case they influence or change the result.
Oxford guide to British and American culture for learners of English / editor Jonathan Crowther.
Oxford : Oxford University Press, 2000. P. 172.
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5.2 Elections in the UK
DID YOU KNOW?
The elections to the House of Commons were last held 5 May 2005 (next to be held by May 2010).
There are no elections to the House of Lords, but in 1999, as provided by the House of Lords Act, elections were held in the House
of Lords to determine the 92 hereditary peers who would remain there; elections are held only as vacancies in the hereditary peerage
arise.
TASK 3. Before reading the text decide if the given statements are TRUE, FALSE or NOT GIVEN. Read the text to check.
1.
2.
3.
4.
A voter’s age and a registration card are the only requirements needed for voting for an MP.
Candidates’ funds for their campaign and political broadcasts on TV are strictly limited.
Depending on the electoral system being used, a constituency may elect one or more members.
Voting for an MP usually represents a voter’s political views and party support rather than likeness of a candidate’s
personality.
5. Professional analysts execute exit polls in order to predict a general election result.
6. Candidates want to become MPs mainly because of their strong political views and the interest in the affairs of their
constituency.
7. A by-election takes place when a seat in the House of Commons becomes vacant because the sitting MP dies, resigns or
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performs his duties inefficiently.
8. General elections must take place every five years and are held on Thursdays.
9. The recount of votes is needed when the candidates demand it.
10. It is your interest in politics that will open up opportunities in becoming an MP rather than any piece of paper you own.
Elections to Parliament in the United Kingdom
The electoral system
Each of the 659 Members of Parliament, or MPs, in the House of Commons represents a particular part of the United Kingdom called
a constituency. The country is divided into areas of roughly equal population (about 90 000 people). Cities have several
constituencies. MPs are expected to be interested in the affairs of their constituency and to represent the interests of local people, their
constituents, in Parliament. Many hold regular surgeries, sessions at which they are available for local people to talk to them. People
may also write to their MP if they want to protest about something.
Anyone who wants to become an MP must be elected by the people of a constituency. Before an election one person is chosen by each
of the main political parties to stand for election in each constituency. People usually vote for the candidate who belongs to the party
they support, rather than because of his or her personal qualities or opinions. Only the candidate who gets the most votes in each
constituency is elected. This system is called first past the post.
In a general election, when elections are held in all constituencies, the winning party, which forms the next government, is the one that
wins most seats in Parliament (= has the most MPs), even though it may have received fewer votes overall than the opposition parties.
In 1992, for example, the Conservative Party gained more than half the total number of seats but fewer than half of all the votes cast.
A proposal that Britain should use a system of proportional representation, whereby seats in Parliament would be allocated according
to the total number of votes cast for each party, has been put forward on various occasions.
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General elections
By law, a general election must take place every five years. The government decides when to hold an election, and the Prime Minister
may decide to go to the country earlier than is legally necessary if there seems to be a good chance of winning.
General elections are always held on Thursdays. After the date has been fixed, anyone who wants to stand for Parliament (= be a
candidate for election) has to leave a deposit of 500 with the Returning Officer, the person in each constituency responsible for
managing the election. The local offices of the major parties pay the deposit for their own candidates. If a candidate wins more than
5% of the votes, he or she gets the deposit back. Otherwise candidates lose their deposit. This is intended to stop people who do not
seriously want to be MPs from taking part in the election. Sometimes people who feel very strongly about an issue, e.g. protecting the
lives of unborn babies, become candidates and campaign specifically about that issue. A few people become candidates for a joke,
especially in the constituency which the Prime Minister is defending, because they know that they will get a lot of publicity. One
candidate, ‘Lord’ David Sutch, has stood against the Prime Minister in most elections since 1966.
Before an election takes place candidates campaign for support in the constituency. The amount of money that candidates are allowed
to spend on their campaign is strictly limited. Leading members of the government and the opposition parties travel throughout the
country addressing meetings and ‘meeting the people’, especially in marginals, constituencies where only a slight shift of opinion
would change the outcome of the voting. Local party workers spend their time canvassing, going from house to house to ask people
about how they intend to vote. At national level the parties spend a lot of money on advertising and media coverage. They cannot buy
television time: each party is allowed a number of strictly timed party political broadcasts. Each also holds a daily televised news
conference.
By-elections
If an MP dies or resigns, a by-election is held in the constituency which he or she represented. By-elections are closely watched by the
media as they are thought to indicate the current state of public opinion and the government’s popularity.
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Voting
Anyone over the age of 18 has the right to vote at elections, provided that they are on the electoral register. This is a list of all the
adults living in a constituency. A new, revised list is compiled each year. Copies are available for people to look at in local public
libraries. Voting is not compulsory but the turnout (= the number of people voting) at general elections is usually high, about 75%.
About a week in advance of an election everyone on the electoral register receives a polling card. This tells them where their polling
station is, i.e. where they must go to vote. On the day of the election, polling day, voters go to the polling station and are given a ballot
paper. This lists the names of all the candidates for that constituency, together with the names of the parties they represent. Each voter
then goes into a polling booth where nobody can see what they are writing, and puts a cross next to the name of one candidate only,
the one they want to elect. Polling stations, often local schools or church halls, are open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. to give everyone an
opportunity to vote. During a general election, people leaving the polling station may be asked by professional analysts called pollsters
how they voted. Similar exit polls taken all over the country are used to predict the overall election result.
After the polls close, the ballot papers from all the polling stations in a constituency are taken to a central place to be counted. In most
constituencies counting takes place the same evening, continuing for as long as necessary through the night. If the number of votes for
two candidates is very close, the candidates may demand a recount. Several recounts may take place until all the candidates are
satisfied that the count is accurate. Finally, the Returning Officer makes a public announcement giving the number of votes cast for
each candidate and declaring the winner to be the MP for the constituency. On general election night, television and radio keep
everyone informed of the results throughout Britain and make predictions about the overall result and the size of the winning party’s
majority in Parliament.
Ibid, p. 173.
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DID YOU KNOW?
The Electoral Commission is an independent body, accountable directly to the UK Parliament, that regulates elections in the UK,
promotes voter awareness.
The official website:
http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/
***WEBSITE OF INTEREST***
You can check results for European Parliamentary elections and UK parliamentary general elections on the Internet.
The records begin from the UK Parliamentary general election held in 2001 to the UK Parliamentary general election held in 2005.
The website is:
http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/election-data/_____________________________________________________________
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5.3 Elections in Lithuania
Lithuania elects on national level a head of state - the president - and a legislature. The president is elected for a five year term by the
people. The Parliament (Lietuvos Respublikos Seimas) has 141 members, elected for a four year term, 71 members elected in single
seat constituencies and 70 members elected by proportional representation. Lithuania has a multi-party system, with numerous parties
in which no one party often has a chance of gaining power alone, and parties must work with each other to form coalition
governments.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elections in Lithuania
TASK 3: Find information about elections in Lithuania.
Use the following links:
Central Electoral Committee of the Republic of Lithuania
http://www.vrk.lt/rinkimai/index.eng.html
Legislative Framework of the Elections in the Republic of Lithuania
http://www3.lrs.lt/rinkimai/rink istatymai.eng.htm
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Also refer to the CIA Factsbook: https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/
Note: you may find the copy pf the CIA Factsbook in the folder “Students”.
•
The elections of the president in Lithuania;
•
election results;
•
elections of the legislative branch in Lithuania;
•
election results of the legislative branch in Lithuania.
***WEBSITE OF INTEREST***
The daily coverage of elections from around the world; a good source for the results of recent elections.
http://electionworld.org/
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CHAPTER 6: GOVERNMENTAL MATTERS IN THE US, THE UK AND LITHUANIA
6.1 Federal government in the US
DID YOU KNOW?
The United States was the first nation to create the office of President as the head of state in a modern republic.
The Congress of the United States derives from First Continental Congress , a meeting of representatives of twelve of Great
Britain’s thirteen North American colonies , in the autumn of 1774.
TASK 1: Match the Federal government terms with their definitions below.
1. Medicaid
2. Treaty
3. Social Security
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4. Court of Appeals
5. Medicare
6. The Supreme Court
7. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS)
8. The Government Accountability Office (GAO)
9. Electoral college
10. The Secret Service
a) a system under which a government pays money regularly to certain groups of people, for example , the sick, the unemployed,
or those with no other income.
b) a court which functions as a court of last resort whose rulings cannot be challenged .
c) a Federal system of health insurance for people who require financial help.
d) a written agreement between countries in which they agree to do a particular thing or help each other.
e)
f)
g)
h)
i)
the title of a court which has the power to consider or hear an appeal.
the United States government agency that collects taxes and enforces the internal revenue laws.
A Federal programme of health insurance for the elderly.
set of electors who choose the President and Vice President of the United States at the conclusion of each presidential election
The United States federal government law enforcement agency which is concerned with the prevention of counterfeiting of
U.S. currency and U.S. treasury bonds and notes, and protection of the President, Vice President, their immediate families,
other high ranking government officials, isiting foreign heads of state and government
j) the agency of the US which supports the Congress in meeting its Constitutional responsibilities and to helps to improve the
performance and ensure the accountability of the federal government for the American people.
TASK 2: Find on the internet the examples with these terms and translate them.
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FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IN THE USA
A system of checks and balances
When the Founding Fathers were deciding what form the federal (= national) government should take, they wanted everyone to have
an opportunity to express their opinion, but also to prevent any person or group from having too much influence. The result was the
system of government defined in the Constitution, which is based on the separation of powers among three branches: the executive,
the legislative and the judicial. This system provides a series of checks and balances because each branch is able to limit the power of
the others. Before major changes can be made there must be agreement between all the branches.
The executive branch
The executive branch consists of the President, the Vice-president and government departments and agencies. The President works in
the White House, at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, DC. The President has a powerful role: he or she can approve or stop
laws proposed by Congress and can also suggest laws to Congress. In addition, the President appoints senior officials, such as heads of
government departments and federal judges, though the appointments must be approved by the Senate. The President is also
Commander-in-Chief of the military forces.
If the President dies or is unable to continue in office, the job passes to the Vice-president. The Vice-president otherwise has little
power.
There are 14 departments of government. The heads of these departments make up the Cabinet, a group which meets regularly to
discuss current affairs and to advise the President. Each department has its own area of activity. The Department of Defense, for
example, runs the military services. The Department of Health and Human Services is perhaps the most important department to
ordinary Americans. It runs several programmes including Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. The State Department advises the
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President on foreign affairs and runs embassies abroad.
In addition to the 14 cabinet-level departments, various agencies and independent bodies belong to the executive branch of
government. These range from the US Postal Service to the CIA.
The legislative branch
The legislative branch of government is the Congress. This has two houses, the Senate and the House of Representatives, sometimes
called the upper and lower houses. Both meet in the Capitol Building in Washington, DC. Each has a large room with a circular
arrangement of seats, one seat being reserved for each member.
The main job of Congress is to make laws, but its other responsibilities include establishing federal courts, setting taxes and, if
necessary, declaring war. Although the Senate and the House of Representatives have similar powers, some jobs belong only to the
Senate. These include approving treaties with other countries and confirming appointments made by the President. The process of
impeaching (= removing from office) a federal official, including the President, because he or she has committed a serious crime can
only begin in the House of Representatives, which has the power to decide whether the official should be charged. The Senate has the
power to try the official and to decide whether he or she should be impeached.
Daily events in Congress are reported in the Congressional Record. The most important responsibility for members of Congress is to
represent their constituents. When deciding whether to vote for or against a new law, they are expected to put the interests of their
state before those of their party. Members of Congress are also expected to help their constituents directly. If, for example, somebody
needs a passport urgently they may contact the office of one of their representatives in Congress. A worker in that office, known as a
constituent aid, will then help them obtain it.
The President and members of Congress are chosen in separate elections. This may mean that the President’s party does not have
power in Congress. This can have the effect of slowing down the process of government.
The Senate has 100 members, two from each state, both of whom represent the whole state. Senators must be over 30 and have been
US citizens for at least nine years, They are elected for six years, and every two years two-thirds of the seats in the Senate are up for
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re-election. The Vice-president is the President of the Senate. The Senate elects a president pro tempore when the Vice-president is not
available.
The House of Representatives, also known as the House, has 435 members, called Representatives, Congressmen or Congresswomen.
The number elected by each state depends on its population: a few states have only one Representative, while California has 45.
Larger states are divided into districts, each with one Representative. Members of the House must be over 25 and have been US
citizens for seven years. Elections are held every two years for every seat in the House. A Speaker of the House is elected from the
majority party to lead discussions.
Both the Senate and the House have many committees. These play an important part in the process of law-making. Each deals with a
certain subject, e.g. small businesses.
The judicial branch
The judicial branch of government has three levels. The Constitution created the Supreme Court; below it are 13 courts of appeal, and
below them are many federal district courts and special courts such as the Court of International Trade.
The Supreme Court has nine members, called justices, who are appointed by the President. They are often referred to informally as the
nine old men. The head of the court is the Chief Justice. The Supreme Court has the power to influence the law through a process
called judicial review. If it decides that a law is unconstitutional (= goes against the principles of the Constitution), it must not be
applied.
The President appoints federal judges, and they then keep their jobs for the rest of their lives. This is so that they can remain
independent, and not be afraid of losing their jobs if the government does not like their decisions.
Oxford guide to British and American culture for learners of English / editor Jonathan Crowther.
Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000. P. 191.
102
TASK 3: Decide if if the statements are True or False or Not Given.
1. Though the Senate and the House of Representatives basically have the same func tions, they also have the separate responsibilities.
2. Two members of the Congress are elected two from each state.
3. Presidents and Vice Presidents of US are elected every four years.
4. The Cabinet members run a specific area of services.
5. The Senate of the United States of America is one of the two chambers of the Congress of the United States, the other being the
House of Representatives .
6. The President of US, the representative of the executive branch, can approve, stop or suggest laws to the Congress.
7. The most important responsibilities for the members of the Congress are to represent the values and ideas of their parties.
8. The Supreme Court, the highest level of judicial branch, has the power to decide if the law is applied or not.
9. The executive, the legislative and the judicial branches of government in US were created to limit the power of each other.
10. A Congress is different from a parliament in that legislative initiative is vested into it.
TASK 4: Read through the text again , and answer the questions.
1. What are the layers of the executive, legislative, and the judicial branches according to the importance and influence of power?
2. What are the functions of the Vice - president?
3. What are the requirements needed to become a member of a Congress?
Assignments
1. Find out all departments of government of US and draw a diagram showing the functions they perform. Check the official website
of the US government: http://www.whitehouse.gov/government/cabinet.html.
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2. “The President appoints federal judges, and they then keep their jobs for the rest of their lives”. What are the benefits and
disadvantages of such appointment? Discuss it.
***WEBSITE OF INTEREST***
You can search the web at FirstGov.gov, the comprehensive web information portal for the United States Government. FirstGov.gov
should be your first stop to find any US government information on the Internet, with topics ranging from business and economy to
money and benefits to science and technology - and everything in between!
http://www.firstgov.gov/________________________________________________________________________________________
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6.2 Local government in Britain
DID YOU KNOW?
The Local Government Association (LGA), formed on 1 April 1997, promotes the interests of English and Welsh local authorities a total of just under 500 authorities. These represent over 50 million people and spend around £74 billion a year on local services.
The official website of this organization is:
http://www.lga.gov.u
TASK 5. Before reading the text decide if the given statements are TRUE, FALSE or NOT GIVEN. Read the text to check.
1. Central government allocates funds to the councils in the form of grants and business rates.
2. Legislation had been passed replacing community charge with the council tax in 1993.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Counties and unitary authorities have two levels of government.
The UK is divided into small geographical areas , called counties.
Councils raise money by collecting a council tax from local people.
Councillors elect a chairperson , sometimes called the Lord Mayor.
The system of local councils have been amended constantly since the 19th century.
The activities , carried out by council staff, cover all local services.
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9. During the 1970s, all counties were abolished and replaced with metropolitan counties and non- metropolitan counties.
10. In the United Kingdom, unitary authorities are responsible for almost all local government functions within their areas.
Local government in Britain
Structure
For administrative purposes Britain is divided into small geographical areas. The oldest and largest divisions in England and Wales are
called counties. In Scotland, the largest divisions are regions. Counties and regions are further divided into districts. Parishes,
originally villages with a church, are the smallest units of local government in England. These are called communities in Scotland and
Wales. Northern Ireland is sometimes known as the Six Counties, but local government there is based on districts. Boroughs were
originally towns large enough to be given their own local government. Now, only boroughs in London have political power, which
they took over in 1985 when the Greater London Council was abolished.
Counties and districts are run by councils which have powers given to them by central government. A system of local councils was
first established in the 19th century, but since then there have been many changes to their structure and powers. During the 1970s,
some counties were abolished and some new ones created, including new metropolitan counties around large cities. In 1992 a Local
Government Commission was set up to consider whether counties should be replaced by unitary authorities. Counties have a two-tier
structure (= two levels of government), with both county and district councils. The county council is the more powerful. Unitary
authorities have only one tier of government. The Commission recommended keeping a two-tier system in many places but suggested
that some areas, especially large cities, should become unitary authorities. Local residents were given the opportunity to express their
opinions. The first unitary authorities were created in 1995. Since then, all of Wales and Scotland and many parts of England have
become unitary authorities.
Councils consist of elected representatives, called councillors. They are elected by the local people for a period of four years (in
Scotland for three years). Counties, districts and parishes are divided into areas, often called wards, each ward electing one councillor
106
or in some cases more. Most councillors belong to a political party and, especially at county level, people vote for them as
representatives of a party, not as individuals. County councils meet in a council chamber at the local town hall or county hall.
Councillors elect a chairperson from amongst themselves. In cities, he or she is called the Lord Mayor. Members of the public are
allowed to attend council meetings.
In 1998 further changes to local government structure were proposed. The most widely discussed proposal is that mayors should be
directly elected by the people. It has already been decided that the people of GreaterLondon will elect their mayor.
Responsibilities
Councils make policies for their area. Decisions are made by the full council or in committees. Policy is carried out by local
government officers, who have a similar role to that of civil servants. Local authorities (= councils and committees) rather than central
government are responsible for education, social services, housing, transport, the police and fire services, town planning, recreation
facilities and other local services. In two-tier counties these responsibilities are divided between county and district authorities.
Councils employ about 1.4 million people. Formerly, staff employed by the council carried out most activities, but now councils often
give contracts to private firms. Many local government functions, e.g. rubbish/garbage collection, must be put out to tender (=
competed for by private companies). This procedure is called compulsory competitive tendering and is intended to save money. There
is an increasing trend away from local authorities providing services directly. The social services department, for example, may decide
who needs care and what sort of care they require, but the care itself is often provided by companies or voluntary organizations which
are paid by the authority.
Finance
Central government provides a lot of the money spent by councils in the form of grants. It also collects taxes, called business rates, on
commercial properties throughout the country and then shares the money out between local authorities according to their population.
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Councils also charge local people a council tax. This is the only tax that they are allowed to collect. The council tax has existed since
1993 and is based on the actual value of a person’s house. A person living alone can claim a reduction of 25%. Previously, councils
obtained money from the rates, a tax based on the size of a house and its value if it were rented. Under this system, people living alone
in a large property did badly. Rates varied a lot between councils, and in 1985 the government gave itself the power to set an upper
limit on the amount that councils could raise from the rates. This was called rate-capping. In 1989 the rates were replaced by the
community charge or ‘poll tax’. Everyone paid the same, whether they owned or rented property. The community charge was very
unpopular and many people refused to pay it. The government still has powers to limit or cap local authority budgets, and this is called
charge-capping.
Ibid, p. 314.
***WEBSITE OF INTEREST***
One of the best sources of information about how local government works is the UK local government site: www.idea.gov.uk. The
other website worth visiting is: www.lga.gov.uk, the local government association._________________________________________
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6.3 Local government in Lithuania
DID YOU KNOW?
Association of Local Authorities in Lithuania (ALAL) or in the Lithuanian language “Lietuvos savivaldybių asociacija” (LSA),
is a non-profit non-Governmental organization, having the rights of a legal person, representing the common interests of its
members - local authorities in all institutions of state authorities and government, as well as foreign and international organizations of
local authorities.
The official website of ALAL is : http://www.lsa.lt
The functions of the local government are defined in the Constitution of the Republic of Lithuania. Before reading the excerpt of the
Constitution discuss the following questions with your friends.
TASK 3: Discuss the following questions
1. How far are constitutions of the countries influenced by politics and governmental ideas?
109
2. How democratic is the Lithuanian constitution?
3. Discuss the arguments for and against changes in the structure of the local government in Lithuania.
4. “The Lithuanian people stand for elections as councilors for a variety of reasons”. Explain at least two different sets of reasons
and motives behind the individuals’ willingness to stand for office.
5. Explain the sort of pressures that councilors may have to cope with in office. Which councilors are likely to be subject to the
great pressures?
6. Evaluate the case for councilors being full-time paid representatives.
TASK 4: Read the excerpts from the Lithuanian constitution covering local government and fill in the missing words from the
box
institutions; deeds; appealed ; two- year; secret; councils; implementation; competence ; budget; local ; dues; leverage; court
administration; powers; the Seimas; direct administration; self-government; representatives;
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CONSTITUTION
OF THE REPUBLIC OF LITHUANIA
(Approved by the citizens of the Republic of Lithuania
in the Referendum on 25 October 1992)
CHAPTER 10
LOCAL GOVERNMENTS AND ADMINISTRATION
Article 119
Administrative units provided by law on State territory shall be entitled to the right of 1______________ . This right shall be
implemented through local government councils. Members of local government 2_______ shall be elected for a 3________ term on
the basis of universal, equal and direct suffrage by 4______ ballot by the residents of their administrative unit who are citizens of the
Republic of Lithuania.
The procedure for the organisation and activities of self- government 5________ shall be established by law. Local government
councils shall form executive bodies which are accountable to them for the direct 6_____________ of the laws of the Republic of
Lithuania and the decisions of the Government and the local government council.
Article 120
The State shall support local governments.
Local governments shall act freely and independently within the limits of their 7__________ which shall be established by the
Constitution and laws.
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Article 121
Local governments shall draft and approve their own 8______.
Local government councils shall have the right within the established limits and according to the procedure provided by law to
establish 9_________, and to provide for the 10________of taxes and duties at the expense of their own budget.
Article 122
Local government councils shall have the right to appeal to 11_____regarding the violation of their rights.
Article 123
In higher level administrative units, the 12______________ shall be organised by the Government according to the procedure
established by law.
1 3 ____________shall be appointed by the Government to supervise that the Constitution and the laws are observed, and that the
decisions of the Government are implemented.
The 14_______of Government representatives and the procedures of their implementation shall be established by law.
In cases and according to procedures provided by law, 15_________ may introduce 16_______________ on local government
territory.
Article 124
17___________and actions of local government councils as well as of their executive bodies and officers which violate the rights of
citizens and organisations may be 18_________against in court.
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TASK 5. Find the articles of the Constitution of the Republic of Lithuania which regulate the actions of the Lithuanian local
government (budget and other spheres).
Go to the website: http://www3.lrs.lt/pls/inter2/dokpaieska.showdoc l?p id=211295
Use the phrase “local government” to search for information.
Note: you may use the file “LR Constitution.doc” in the folder to search for information.
CHAPTER 7: LITHUANIA AND THE EUROPEAN INTEGRATION
TASK1: Discuss the following questions
1. Can the Lithuanian government solve policy problems in isolation, or do they need seek collective solutions through the EU?
2. What is your opinion about the relationship of the Lithuanian integration into the EU monetary system? Should Lithuania join
the euro zone? Justify your choice.
3. What do you know about the activities of the Lithuanian members of the European Parliament?
4. “The EU is no more than an undemocratic and highly interventionist bureaucracy”. How valid is this criticism? What sort of
reforms might improve the reputation of the EU?
113
DID YOU KNOW?
The European Union (EU) is an intergovernmental and supranational union of 25 democratic member states from the European
continent. The European Union was established under that name in 1992 by the Treaty on European Union (the Maastricht Treaty).
However, many aspects of the Union existed before that date through a series of predecessor relationships, dating back to 1951.
***WEBSITE OF INTEREST***
The official website of the European Union:
http://europa.eu/______________________
114
Task 2. Match the terms with the appropriate definition.
1. Member of the European Parliament (English abbreviation MEP)
2. Codecision
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Council of Europe
Council of Ministers
Enlargement
Erasmus
Eurogroup
European Commission
9. Structural funds
10. The European Commissioners
a) the Council made up of ministers (or their representatives) from each of the Member States. It meets periodically in Brussels or
Luxembourg to adopt Community legislation, often jointly with the European Parliament. Its decisions are prepared by the Committee
of Permanent Representatives of the Member States (Coreper). The make-up of the Council varies with the subject (finance,
agriculture, foreign affairs, etc.). At present the Council presidency rotates among the Member States on a 6-monthly basis.
b) not to be confused with the European Council, this is an intergovernmental organisation with 45 member countries, which drafts
pan-European Conventions for adoption in areas such as human rights, culture and education. It has been based in Strasbourg since
1949. The Council of Europe is not an EU body.
c) a legislative procedure introduced by the Maastricht Treaty which places the European Parliament and the Council of Ministers on
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an equal footing for the adoption of Community legislation. The European Constitution will turn the ‘codecision procedure’ into the
‘ordinary legislative procedure’ for the adoption of European ‘laws’.
d) a member of the European Union’s directly-elected legislative body, the European Parliament. MEPs are the European Unions
equivalents of a country’s national parliamentary members, known as MPs in English; hence, the term Euro-MP is used colloquially in
English.
e) the term used to describe the four waves of new accessions whereby the six founding members of the European Community Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands - were joined by a further nineteen: Denmark, Ireland and the
United Kingdom in 1973; Greece in 1981; Spain and Portugal in 1986; Austria, Finland and Sweden in 1995; Cyprus, the Czech
Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovenia and Slovakia in May 2004. Negotiations with Bulgaria and
Romania are continuing. Turkey, and recently Croatia, have been recognised as accession candidates.
f) the institution that initiates Community legislation, runs European common policies, implements the budget and ensures compliance
with the treaties. At present it is made up of 25 independent members (one from each of the Member States). It is appointed for 5
years subject to the approval of the European Parliament, to which it is accountable.
g) The members of the European Commission. The Commission currently consists of 25 Commissioners, one from each member state
of the EU, supported by an administrative body of several thousand European civil servants. Each Commissioner takes responsibility
for a particular area of policy, and heads a department called a Directorate General. The Commission is headed by a President (from
November 2004, José Manuel Durao Barroso of Portugal).
h) the European Union programme, now merged with the Socrates programme, under which students from one Member State can
spend part of their education in another country of the Union.
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i) informal grouping of the twelve members of the Economic and Finance Council representing the euro zone.
j) the term denoting the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the European Social Fund (ESF), the European Agricultural
Guidance and Guarantee Fund and the Cohesion Fund. Their purpose is to narrow the development gap between regions and between
EU Member States.
DID YOU KNOW?
The Barroso Commission is the European Commission that has been in office since 22 November 2004 and is due to serve until 31
October 2009. It consists of its president, José Manuel Durao Barroso, and 24 other commissioners.
The portfolio of Financial Programming & the Budget belongs to the commissioner from Lithuania Dalia Grybauskaitè.
TASK 3. Before reading the text decide if the given statements are TRUE, FALSE or NOT GIVEN. Read the text to check.
1. Lithuania has been the gradually developing country of the Baltic trio for most of the 1990s.
2. In the first quarter of 2002 economy of Lithuania grew by 9.4%.
3. Financial crisis of Russia had a negative effect on three Baltic countries in the year 1999.
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4. The IMF’s help, privatizations, cut of the government spending and the taxes helped to build a strong Lithuania’s economy.
5. Economies of the Baltic tigers (Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia) achieved an impressive growth as compared to the Unions 15
countries.
6. Lithuania has the fastest growing economy because of the good financial indicators.
7. Russian oil producer, Yukos regained control over the Lithuania’s biggest export earner, Mazeikiu oil refinery.
8. Local interest rates decreased because of the Lithuania’s budget deficit in 1999.
9.
The increase of privatizations in Lithuania made better tax collection and budget surplus.
10. Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia are not among the ten poorest countries to join the EU in 2004.
Lithuania
Baltic tiger
Lithuania has the fastest-growing economy in Europe
NAME the country with the highest growth rate in Europe last year, booming exports, zero inflation, a rock-steady currency, shrinking
unemployment and a budget surplus. Stumped by this happy conundrum? Then look to Lithuania, the southernmost of the three small
Baltic states, and for most of the 1990s the quietest and sleepiest of them.
Sleepy no more, Lithuania romped home last year as Europe’s top-performing economy with real growth of 6.7%. In the first quarter
of this year it did even better, its economy swelling by 9.4%, year-on-year. The IMF thinks Lithuania will manage to grow this year by
about 6% and the same again next year - a remarkable feat for a country that looked just four years ago as though it was veering
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towards tragedy rather than triumph in its transition away from communism.
The reforms paying off so handsomely now for Lithuania are the painful ones it took after its big neighbour, Russia, defaulted and
devalued in 1998. The shockwaves from that crash hit all three Baltic countries, through their big Russia-related trade and finance
activities. Lithuania, where reforms were slowest, was hit hardest. Its economy shrank by almost 4% in 1999 and local interest rates
soared, as the government tried to finance a yawning budget deficit.
But Lithuania righted itself, with the IMF’s help. It stepped up privatisations to raise quick cash, improved tax collection, and cut
general government spending from 38% of GDP in 1999 to 32% in 2002. All this brought the budget deficit down from 8.5% of GDP
in 1999 to just 1.2% last year - while this year’s first quarter yielded a modest surplus.
Growth rebounded quickly. So did foreign investment, including a vital deal last year giving a Russian oil producer, Yukos, control of
the Mazeikiu oil refinery, Lithuania’s biggest export earner. The deal assures supplies of crude oil for Mazeikiu through the Soviet-era
pipelines which tie it still to Russia.
Lithuania is being given a run for its money by its two Baltic neighbours. Latvia’s economy grew by 6.1% last year; its rate in this
year’s first quarter rose to 8.8%. Estonia’s grew by 5.8% last year; in this year’s first quarter its rate was 5.2%.
But for all their dynamism, the Baltic trio still rank among the poorest of the ten countries due to join the European Union next year,
with per capita incomes around one-fifth of the EU average. But with growth across the Union’s current 15 countries averaging just
1% last year, the Baltic tigers are catching up.
Jul 17th 2003
From The Economist print edition.
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***WEBSITE OF INTEREST***
You can find the latest statistics about economic indicators in Lithuania on the website of the World Bank:
http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/CQUNTRIES/ECAEXT/LITHUANIAEXTN/0..menuPK:304965~pagePK:141132~
piPK:141107~theSitePK:304956.00.html
The website of the Department of Statistics to the Government of the Republic of Lithuania:
http://www.std.lt/en/?PHPSESSID=47ecfa3c2750c38590ee89880af40a63
DID YOU KNOW?
In the European parliament there are 13 Members of the European Parliament for Lithuania in the 2004 to 2009 session.
Their names can be found on the Internet:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MEPs for Lithuania 2004-2009
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CHAPTER 8: CORRUPTION
TASK 1: Match the corruption terms with their definitions below
1. Political corruption
2. Police corruption
3. Corporate crime
4. White-collar crime
5. State-corporate crime
6. Transparency International (TI)
7. Corruption
8. Bribery
9. Money laundering
10. Wrongdoing
a) specific form of police misconduct sometimes involving political corruption, and generally designed to gain a
financial or political benefit for a police officer or officers in exchange for not pursuing, or selectively pursuing, an
investigation or arrest.
b) an international organisation addressing corruption, including, but not limited to, political corruption.
c) crimes either committed by a corporation or by individuals that may be identified with a corporation or other
business entity
d) the opportunity to commit crime emerges from the relationship between the corporation and the state.
e) a crime implying a sum or gift given alters the behaviour of the person in ways not consistent with the duties of that
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person.
f) corruption of a political system through bribery, intimidation, extortion, vote buying, destabilization, or influence
peddling
g) a crime committed by a person of respectability and high social status in the course of his/her occupation.
h) a general concept describing any organized, interdependent system in which part of the system is either not
performing duties it was originally intended to, or performing them in an improper way, to the detriment of the
system’s original purpose.
i) the practice of engaging in specific financial transactions in order to conceal the identity, source and/or destination
of money and is a main operation of underground economy.
j) Action or behaviour contrary to morality or law, misconduct; moral or legal transgression; an instance of this; a
wrongful action.
TASK 2: Find on the internet the examples with these terms. Copy and paste the whole paragraph where the terms were used,
and translate the whole paragraph.
***WEBSITE OF INTEREST***
The official website of Transparency International is: http://www.transparency.org/
On this website you can find some information about corruption in Lithuania._____
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8.1 Corruption in the world
TASK 3: Read the text and answer the questions after the text
Global corruption ‘on the rise’
Corruption is on the increase in a majority o f countries around the world, according to a study by global pressure group
Transparency International.
People in 48 of the 69 countries covered in its annual Global Corruption Barometer survey said corruption had risen over the past
three years.
The survey showed that taking bribes was particularly prevalent in Africa, Eastern Europe and Latin America.
Political parties were the most corrupt bodies for the second year in a row.
They were followed by parliaments, police and judicial systems.
In central and eastern Europe, customs officials were seen as the most corrupt.
Hurting development
Transparency International’s (TI) survey is timed to coincide with the United Nations’ global Anti-Corruption Day.
The results o f this survey are a callfor alarm for people Transparency International’s Huguette Labelle
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It found that in 13 countries more than 50% of respondents said corruption had increased a lot over the past three years - Bolivia,
Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, India, Israel, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines and Venezuela.
Only six countries said it had decreased - Colombia, Georgia, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Kenya and Singapore.
TI said corruption also extended to the education system of many countries, and that this could have a detrimental effect on their
future development.
Its chairwoman Huguette Labelle said corruption was “a major problem of our times”.
Pressure
“Its most deadly impact is on the poor,” said Ms Labelle.
“If people are pessimistic, they will not feel they can do anything about it.”
“The results of this survey are a call for alarm for people.”
“It can change, but it requires leadership, will and pressure”
People in Africa appeared to pay the most in bribes, the report found, with Cameroon, Ghana and Nigeria the worst.
Households in these three countries spend more than 20% of their income on paying bribes, the survey found.
Story from BBC NEWS: Published: 2005/12/09 15:23:14 GMT
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/business/4514112.stm
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1. Explain the title of the article in your own words.
2. Point out and comment on the statement TI said corruption also extended to the education system o f many countries, and that
this could have a detrimental effect on their future development.
3. What did the Survey show?
4. What information were you given about corruption in Africa and Europe?
5. Why have there been so few successful attempts to fight corruption in Lithuania?
8.2 The British corruption
TASK 3: Read the text and translate the terms and expressions in bold
Three charged in corruption swoop
One serving detective and two former detectives with Staffordshire Police have been charged as part of an operation by anti
corruption officers.
A detective sergeant aged 58 was held by members of the Anti-Corruption Command of the Metropolitan Police.
The former detectives, now both private investigators, were arrested at their homes in Newcastle-under-Lyme and Clayton in Stafford.
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All were bailed on charges of misconduct while in public office.
Detective Sergeant John Michael Matthews, 58, has been charged on two counts.
He was arrested in April 2005 and rearrested on Tuesday morning by arrangement at a police station in Staffordshire.
Gary Flanagan, 41 an ex-detective constable from Clayton, Newcastle-under-Lyme was charged with one count of conspiracy to
commit misconduct in public office and the theft of a warrant card.
Former detective sergeant Anthony Wood, 53, of Aldershaw Close, Parkside, Stafford was charged with one count of conspiracy to
commit misconduct in public office.
All three have been bailed to appear at Bow Street Magistrates Court in London on 28 March.
As part of the operation, search warrants were executed at two residential addresses as well as a business premises in Stoke-onTrent.
A spokesman for the Anti-Corruption Command team said 25 people had so far been arrested as part of a “pro-active, intelligenceled” anti-corruption operation.
Eighteen of these have been charged with various offences.
Story from BBC NEWS:
Published: 2006/02/28
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/uk news/england/staffordshire/4760868.stm
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TASK 4: Discuss the text by answering the following questions.
1. Critically review the present system of police accountability and complaints procedure.
2. Why has law and order become such an important political issue?
3. What do you think about corrupt police officers?
4. How far do you agree that corruption remain hallmark of the Lithuanian or British police officers?
8.3 The American corruption
TASK 5. Before reading the article answer the questions
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
What do you know about corruption in the US?
Is financial wrongdoing of the politicians a “victimless crime”?
Is bribery or embezzlement the least serious financial wrongdoing? Give reasons.
Do higher wages for bureaucrats reduce corruption?
How does corruption affect people’s lives?
TASK 6: Match the terms with their definitions below
1. a tax evasion
2. to acquit
3. a payoff
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4. a racketeering
5. an income
6. a junket
7. to shepherd
8. to vindicate
9. a probe
a) to clear of blame or suspicion.
b)
c)
d)
e)
f)
g)
h)
i)
the money that a person or organization earn or receive , as opposed to the money that hey have to spend or pay out.
a trip or visit by an official or businessman which is expensive, unnecessary, and often has been paid for with public money.
to be formally declared not to have committed the crime.
the crime of not paying the full amount of tax that you should pay.
an investigation of suspected illegal activity.
to guide or direct people.
making money from illegal activities such as threatening people or selling worthless , immoral , or illegal goods or services.
a payment which is made to someone , often secretly or illegally so that they will not cause trouble.
TASK 7: Find on the internet the examples with these terms. Copy and paste the whole paragraph where the terms were used,
and translate the whole paragraph
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Altanta’s ex-mayor cleared of corruption
Bill Campbell is found guilty of tax evasion
ATLANTA, Georgia (AP) - Former Mayor Bill Campbell was acquitted Friday of lining his pockets with payoffs while guiding
Atlanta through a period of explosive growth that helped secure its place during the 1990s as a world-class city.
But the jury convicted him of tax evasion.
Campbell, 52, could get up to nine years in prison, but legal experts have said it is doubtful he would receive the maximum sentence.
The federal jury took a day and a half to acquit Campbell of racketeering and bribery after a seven-week trial that put his
womanizing and his high-rolling, jet-setting ways on display with his wife sitting dutifully in the courtroom for most of the
proceedings.
Campbell did not appear to react as the verdict was read.
Later, outside court, Campbell said he had “great regrets” that the jury convicted him of anything. “I know that I’m innocent,” he said.
Campbell feels ‘vindicated’
A somber Campbell, who remained free on bail, described the tax charges as “fairly minor,” saying they were tied to his income
from speeches and public appearances. He said he has always admitted keeping poor records of that income.
But, Campbell said, he was vindicated by the “substance” of the trial. “I’m satisfied, to a degree, that my honor was restored,” he said.
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The trial - with more than 60 witnesses, including two women with whom he had affairs - tarnished a long record of achievement,
beginning at age 7, when Campbell became the lone black child to integrate the Raleigh, North Carolina, public school system.
Campbell, who served two terms as mayor from 1994 to 2002, was indicted two years after leaving office, snared in a federal
corruption probe that has led to the convictions of 10 other former city officials and contractors.
‘Human ATMs’
Federal prosecutors charged that Campbell ran the biggest city in the South with a “what’s-in-it-for-me” attitude and regarded
contractors who wanted to do business with Atlanta as “human ATMs.”
Prosecutors said he took more than $160,000 in cash, campaign contributions, junkets and home improvements in exchange for city
contracts, and spent it on gambling trips to Mississippi River casinos and other getaways with his mistresses.
They said Campbell took in so much money in bribes that he withdrew a mere $69 from his personal bank accounts one year.
The defense countered that Campbell’s extra money came from his gambling winnings and speaking engagements, and that
Campbell’s subordinates had used his name without his knowledge to enrich themselves.
Campbell’s lawyers repeatedly challenged prosecution witnesses with the same questions: Did the mayor ask you to do anything
illegal? Did you see the mayor take any money? With few exceptions, the answers were no.
Atlanta prospered
Campbell - a graduate of two of the South’s most distinguished schools: Vanderbilt University and Duke University law school - was
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a federal prosecutor and city councilman before he was elected mayor.
He presided over one of the most prosperous periods in Atlanta history. On his watch, the city grew for the first time in more than 30
years, adding 40,000 people. He was mayor when Atlanta had its moment on the world stage as host of the 1996 Olympics.
Campbell also helped transform Atlanta’s skyline, mostly by shepherding projects started by former Mayor Maynard Jackson. He
presided over the construction of Philips Arena and high-rise condominiums and the virtual disappearance of housing projects.
While he easily won both of his mayoral elections, he was criticized by business interests as soft on crime, and he left the city with an
$82 million budget deficit and a crumbling infrastructure.
His successor, Mayor Shirley Franklin, has worked to clean up what some see as Campbell’s messes.
After leaving office, Campbell had a brief stint as a radio talk show host, then moved to Stuart, Florida, to practice law.
CNN
Friday, March 10, 2006
http://www.cnn.com/2006/LAW/03/10/atlanta.mayor.ap/index.html
TASK 8: Explain the meaning of the phrases in bold
TASK 9: Write a short essay which expresses your reaction to the previous two articles and the problem of corruption in
general: its root cause, the ways to fight it etc
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TESTS
REVISION TEST 1
TASK : Match the terms with their definitions below
1. Public administration
2. Civil servant
3. Law and order
4. Parliamentary democracy
5. Suffrage
6. Whistlestop tour
7. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS)
8. Medicaid
9. European Commission
10. Transparency International (TI)
a) the civil right to vote, or the exercise of that right.
b) the United States government agency that collects taxes and enforces the internal revenue laws.
c) an international organisation addressing corruption, including, but not limited to, political corruption.
d) a civilian career public sector employee working for a government department or agency.
e) the institution that initiates Community legislation, runs European common policies, implements the budget and ensures compliance
with the treaties. At present it is made up of 25 independent members (one from each of the Member States). It is appointed for 5
132
years subject to the approval of the European Parliament, to which it is accountable.
f) a Federal programme of health insurance for the elderly
g) a style of political campaigning where the politician makes a series of brief appearances or speeches at a number of small towns
over a short period of time.
h) a political system in which the legislature (parliament) selects the government - a prime minister, premier, or chancellor along with
the cabinet ministers - according to party strength as expressed in elections; by this system, the government acquires a dual
responsibility: to the people as well as to the parliament.
i) a political term, used most notably in the United States, to refer to crime and punishment as a political issue.
j) the implementation of public policy, largely by the executive branch or a field of study preparing persons for careers in such work.
REVISION TEST 2
TASK : Choose the correct answer
1. I n ______________ public administration as an academic discipline started as a separate scholarly field in the 1890s, but it was
first taught in universities in the 1720s.
a)
b)
c)
d)
America and Europe;
Europe, notably England and Germany;
the United States and some European countries;
the United States.
2. The term “bureaucrat” today has largely negative connotations, so those who are the members of a governmental bureaucracy
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usually prefer terms such a s___________to describe their jobs.
a) government official or eurocrat;
b) public servant;
c) civil servant;
d) civil servant or public servant.
3. The US has two main political parties,__________, but there are other small parties at the local level.
a) the Constitution Party, the Reform Party;
b) the Democrats and the Republicans;
c) the Conservatives and the Republicans;
d) the Conservative or the Liberal party;
4. Nowadays the British political system relies on having at least two parties, the__________in the House of Commons able to form
a government.
a) the Tories and the Whigs;
b) the Conservative Party and the Liberal Party;
c) the Conservative Party and the Labour party;
d) the Conservative Party, and the Social Democratic Party.
5. Political parties at European level are important as they contribute to forming a________ and to expressing_____of the EU.
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a)
b)
c)
d)
coalitions in the Parliament, political will;
national political will; European awareness;
European awareness; the political will of the citizens;
national awareness; political will.
6. The activity of political parties in the Republic of Lithuania is regulated by the__________
, passed on September 25, 1990.
a) The Law on Public Organisations;
b) the Law on Associations;
c) Law on Political Parties;
d) the Constitution.
7. The future civil servants may improve their speaking skills b y _________and________.
a) reading books; listening to the speeches;
b) watching and listening to the speeches of politicians;
c) reading the books on Rhetoric; listening to the political speeches made by famous politicians;
d) reading newspapers; watching TV.
8. The administrative divisions in the Republic of Lithuania a re __________, in the US - _
counties, cities and boroughs, cities, royal boroughs.
a) districts and neighborhoods, states; boroughs;
b) neighbourhoods, microdistricts; boroughs, states;
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and 1 district; in the UK -
c) states neighbourhoods, states; boroughs;
d) counties and districts; states; boroughs.
9. Elections are held regularly for President of the US, for both houses o f_____ and for state and_____ .
a) the Senate, the House of Representatives; agencies;
b) Congress; local government offices;
c) the Congress; municipalities;
d) the Congress, local courts.
10. In Lithuania taxes are collected by the Tax Inspectorate, in the US b y ____ and in Britain b y _________ .
a) the IRS; HM Revenue and Customs;
b) tax collectors; HM Revenue and Customs;
c) Internal Revenue Service; Inland Revenue;
d) Inland Revenue.; tax collectors.
11. The president of Lithuania is elected for a _____ , the members of the Parliament for a ________ by the citizens of Lithuania.
a)
b)
c)
d)
five years; four years;
five year term; four year term;
four years, five years;
four year term; a five year term.
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12. The executive branch in the US consists of th e_____ and government
a)
b)
c)
d)
President, the Vice-president; Cabinet; agencies;
President, the Cabinet; ministries and agencies;
President, the Vice-president; departments and agencies;
Cabinet; the President; agencies and departments.
13. In Britain councilors are elected by the local people for a ________, in Lithuania local government councils are elected for a ____
on the basis of universal, equal and direct suffrage by secret ballot by the citizens of the Republic of Lithuania and other residents of
the administrative unit.
a)
b)
c)
d)
period of four years; four years;
period of four years, a four-year term;
period of five years; a four-year term;
period of four years; four-year term.
14. Lithuania was called_________because it had the fastest growing economy in Europe in 2002, while th e _______ was the
nickname for the Republic of Ireland during its period of rapid economic growth between the 1990s and 2001 or 2002, and the term
_______refers to the economies of Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, and South Korea especially during the period the early 1960s and
1990s.
a) Celtic Tiger; East Asian Tigers; Baltic Tiger;
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b) East Asian Tigers; Baltic Tiger; Celtic Tiger;
c) Baltic Tiger; Celtic Tiger; East Asian Tigers;
d) the Baltic Tiger; Celtic Tiger; East Asian Tigers.
15. The survey of the global pressure group Transparency International showed that_______ were the most corrupt bodies for the
second year in a row in 2005 and taking bribes was widespread in Africa,________and Latin America.
a)
b)
c)
d)
politicians; Western Europe;
political parties; Asia;
political parties; Eastern Europe;
politicians; Eastern Europe.
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REVISION TEST 3
Give English equivalents for the following terms
1. Biurokratas
2. Biurokratija
3. Vietos savivalda
4. Viešasis administravimas
5. Korupcija
6. Valstybės tarnautojas (2 žodžiai)
7. Civilinis kodeksas
8. Kriminalinis kodeksas
9. Fizinis asmuo
10. Juridinis asmuo
11. Politinė partija
12. Politikas
13. Europarlamentaras (žodis ir angliškas sutrumpinimas)
14. Nevyriausybinė organizacija (žodis ir angliškas sutrumpinimas)
15. Interesų grupė
16. Lobistas
17. Ministras
18. Ministerija
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19. Valstybės sekretorius (JAV)
20. Tėvynės apsaugos departamentas (JAV)
21. Premjeras (žodis ir sutrumpinimas)
22. Parlamentinė demokratija
23. Centro partija
24. Socialdemokratų partija
25. Konservatorių partija
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.
31.
32.
33.
34.
35.
36.
37.
38.
39.
40.
41.
42.
Populistų partija
Oligarchija
Užsienio politika
Ambasadorius/Ambasada/Diplomatas
Konsulatas/konsulas
Vidaus politika
Valdančioji koalicija
Dešiniojo sparno partija
Kairiojo sparno partija
Vykdomoji valdžia
Įstatymų leidžiamoji valdžia
Teisinė valdžia
Teisėtvarka
Savivaldybės taryba
Savivaldybės tarybos narys (2 žodžiai)
Apskritis
Seniūnas/dabartinis seniūnas./laikinai einantis pareigas seniūnas/ buvęs seniūnas/ seniūno pavaduotojas
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43. Seniūnija
44. Savivaldybė
45. Savivaldybės įmonė
46. Meras/dabartinis meras/ laikinai einantis mero pareigas buvęs meras
47. Laikas- pinigai
48. Klientas visuomet teisus
49. Pinigai verčia suktis pasaulį
50. Pinigai yra viso blogio šaknis
51. Kyšininkavimas
52. Struktūriniai fondai
53. JAV vyriausybės finansuojama medicininė pagalba (neturtingiesiems)
54. JAV valstybinis medicininis aptarnavimas (daugiau kaip 65 m. amžiaus žmonėms)
55. Alga, atlyginimas (valandinis)
56. Alga, atlyginimas (mokamas kas mėnesį)
57. Pajamos, įplaukos; uždarbis;
58. Darbo etika
59. Mokestis už suteiktas paslaugas
60. Kasos čekis
61. Bankomatas (2 žodžiai)
62. Nekvalifikuotas darbuotojas (mėlynoji apykaklaitė)
63. Kvalifikuotas darbuotojas (baltoji apykaklaitė)
64. Generalinis direktorius (3 žodžiai)
65. Europos sąjunga (ES)
66. NVS (Nepriklausomų valstybių sandrauga)
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67. Pasaulio Prekybos Organizacija (PPO)
68. Šiaurės Atlanto Sutarties Organizacija (NATO)
69. Konstitucija
70. Notaras
71. Advokatas
72. Prokuroras
73. Administratorius
74. Teismas
75. Teisėjas
76. Parlamentas (Bendruomenių rūmai, Lordų rūmai)
77. Kongresas (Atstovų rūmai, Senatas)
78. Parliamento narys Anglijoje (žodis ir sutrumpinimas)
79. Mokesčių inspekcija Lietuvoje, Jungtinėje Karalystėje ir JAV
80. Mokesčių deklaracija
81. Įmonių mokesčiai
82. Pinigų plovimas
83. Pajamų mokestis
84. Valstybės socialinio draudimo fondas Lietuvoje
85. Socialinio draudimo įmokos
86. Mokėti mokesčius
87. Gauti socialines išmokas
88. Nedarbingumo pašalpa
89. Darbo birža
90. Akcij ų birža
142
91. Briuselis/ Strasbūras
92. Europos parliamentas
93. Europos teisingumo teismas
94. Europos komisija
95. Komisaras/Komisarė
96. Europos centrinis bankas
97. Biudžetas
98. Paskola
99. Rinkimų/Balsavimo teisė
100. Politinė kultūra
143
REFERENCES
1. Arimavičiutė, Malvina.Viešojo sektoriaus institucijų strateginis valdymas: vadovėlis. Vilnius: Mykolo Romerio universitetas,
2005.
2. Bosewitz, Rene, Kleinschroth, Robert. Bendrauja verslininkai: dalykinė verslo kalba. Kaunas: Šviesa, 1998.
3. Cohen M. J. and J.M. The New Penguin Dictionary of Quotations. Penguin Books, 2002.
4. Collins Cobuild English Dictionary, 1998, Harper Collins Publisher.
5. Hutchinson Tom, Waters A. English for Specific purposes. A learning centered approach. Cambridge University Press, 1994.
6. Lewis, Michael, Implementing the Lexical Approach, Language teaching puvlications, 1997.
7. Oxford Dictionary of English, 2003, Oxford University Press.
8. Oxford Guide to British and American Culture for Learners of English / editor Jonathan Crowther. Oxford: Oxford University
Press, 2000.
9. Palidauskaitė, Jolanta. Viešojo administravimo etika: vadovėlis. Kaunas: Technologija, 2003.
10. Peterson, Peggy, Mori, Toshitami. Communication Skills for Business. Book I. Conducting Business in English. University of
Nebraska at Omaha, 2005.
11. Peterson, Peggy, Mori Toshitami,. Communication Skills for Business. Book II. Business Writing in English. University of
Nebraska at Omaha, 2005.
12. Peterson, Peggy, Mori Toshitami. Communication Skills for Business. Book III. Selling in English. University of Nebraska at
Omaha, 2005.
144
13. Peterson, Peggy, Mori Toshitami. Communication Skills for Business. Book IV. Negotiating in English. University of
Nebraska at Omaha, 2005.
14. Politics UK. Third edition. Bill Jones (Editor). Prentice Hall, 1998.
15. Public management and governance / edited by Tony Bovaird and Elke Löffler. London New York: Routledge, 2004.
16. The Cambridge encyclopedia of the English language / David Crystal.Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 1997.
17. The language of newspapers / Danuta Reah Intertext. London: Routledge, 2003.
18. The language of politics / Adrian Beard Intertext .London New York: Routledge, 2004.
19. Thom, Norbert.Viešoji vadyba: inovaciniai viešojo sektoriaus valdymo metmenys : monografija.Vilnius: Lietuvos teisės
universitetas, 2004.
20. Tulis, Graham, Trappe Tonya. New Insights into Business. Pearson Education limited, 2000.
21. Valstybės tarnyba: Lietuvos Respublikos valstybės tarnybos įstatymas ir jį lydintys teisės aktai / [sudarė A. Kvietkus]. Vilnius:
KKK VanAnta, 2004.
22. Viešasis administravimas ir privatūs asmenys:
viešojo administravimo subjektų ir privačių asmenų santykius
reglamentuojantys administracinės teisės principai / [mokslinis redaktorius Virgilijus Valančius. Vilnius: Council of Europe,
2004.
23. Viešasis administravimas: monografija / [atsakingas redaktorius: Alvydas Raipa]. Kaunas: Technologija, 2003.
24.
http://www.australianpolitics.com/news/2001/01-10-02b.shtml
25.
https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/index.html
26.
http://www.humanities.mq.edu.au/Ockham/y64l09.html
27.
http://www.number10.gov.uk/output/Page7488.asp
28.
http://www.lietuva.lt/politinės partijos.html
145
29.
httD://www.3lrs.lt/Dls/inter2/dokmieska.showdoc l?p id=211295
30.
http://www.nationalreview.com/document/reagan200406052132.asp
31.
http://www.bartlebv.com/124/pres56.html
32.
http://www3.lrs.lt
33.
http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/docs/notesanddefs.html
34.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2002/11/20021123-5.html.
35.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2004/01/print/20040110.html
36.
http://www.wikipedia.org/
146
SUPPLEMENTS
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
BLAIR START.mp3
factbook2006.zip
Handling questions.doc
KENNEDY SPEECH.mp3
KEY PHRASES OF PRESENTATION.doc
QUEENS SPEECH.mp3
PARTY PRESENTATION.doc
PARTY PRESENTATIONS
Raegan speech.mp3
Speech of Bush in Lithuania.mp3
WRITING SUMMARY.doc
Economy.mp3
147
SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER READING
1. Comparative Public Administration. Edited by J. A. Chandler. Routledge, 2000.
2. Coxhall Bill and Lynton Robins. Contemporary British Politics. Second edition. Macmillan, 1994.
3. Current issues in public administration / [edited by] Frederick S. Lane. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 1999.
4. Encyclopedia of rhetoric / Thomas O. Sloane, editor in chief.Oxford: Oxford Univ. Press, 2001.
5. Goodale, Malcolm. The Language of Meetings. Language Teaching Publications, 1987.
6. Henry, Nicholas. Public administration and public affairs. Upper Saddle River (NJ): Prentice hall, 2001.
7. Introduction to public administration : A book of readings / J. Steven Ott, E. W. Russell (editors). New York: Longman,
2001.
8. Mokomasis anglų-lietuvių kalbų teisės terminų žodynas / Vita Bitinaitė Teisės programa. Vilnius: Eugrimas, 1998.
9. New public management : current trends and future prospects / edited by Kate McLaughlin, Stephen P. Osborne and Ewan
Ferlie. London, New York: Routledge, 2003.
10. O’Sullivan, Elizabethann. Research methods for public administrators / Elizabethann O’Sullivan, Gary R. Rassel, Maureen
Berner. New York: Longman, 2003.
11. Paužaitė-Kulvinskienė, Jurgita. Administracinė justicija : teorija ir praktika : monografija / Jurgita Paužaitė-Kulvinskienė.
148
Vilnius: Justitia, 2005.
12. Pass, Christopher. Ekonomikos terminų žodynas: vertimas iš anglų kalbos leidimo / Kristoferis Pasas, Brajenas Louzas,
Leslis Deivis. Vilnius: Baltijos biznis, 1994.
13. Political ideologies: a reader and guide / edited by Matthew Festenstein and Michael Kenny. Oxford: Oxford University
Press, 2005.
14. Public personnel administration: problems and prospects / edited by Steven W. Hays, Richard C. Kearney. per Saddle
River, (NJ) : Prentice Hall, 2003.
15. Politics UK. Third edition. Bill Jones (Editor). Prentice Hall, 1998.
16. Rosenbloom, David H. Public administration: understanding management, politics, and law in the public sector. Boston:
McGraw-Hill, 2002.
17. The language of politics / Adrian Beard Intertext .London New York: Routledge, 2004.
18. The values of bureaucracy / edited by Paul du Gay. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005.
19. Stillman, Richard. Public administration : concepts and cases. Boston, New York : Houghton Mifflin Company, 2000.
20. Shiveley W. Philips. Power & choice. An introduction to political science. Ninth edition. McGraw Hill, 2005.
21. Stivers, Camilla. Bureau men, settlement women: constructing public administration in the progressive era / Camilla
Stivers Studies in government and public policy. Kansas, (KS): University Press of Kansas, 2000.
149
22. Tarptautinių žodžių žodynas [sudarytojai: Aldona Bendorienė... [et al.].Vilnius: Alma littera, 2005.
23. The language of politics / Adrian Beard Intertext . London New York: Routledge, 2004.
24. Vainienė, Rūta.Ekonomikos terminų žodynas: apie 1400 terminų / Rūta Vainienė. Vilnius: Tyto alba, 2005.
25. Valdymo reformų politikos kryptys = Directions of the public administration reform policy / Lietuvos Respublika.
Valdymo reformų ir savivaldybių reikalų ministerija. Vilnius: Valdymo reformų ir savivaldybių reikalų ministerija, 1996.
26. Wangenheim, Georg von. Games and public administration: the law and economics of regulation and licensing / Georg von
Wangenheim New horizons in law and economics. Cheltenham, UK Northhampton, MA, USA: Edward Elgar, 2004.
27. http://www.askoxford.com/dictionaries/?view=uk
28. http://www.webster.com/
150
PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION MATTERS
Compiled and written by Vytenis Končius, Aurimas Nausėda, Daiva Varapickaitė
SL 843. 2006-10-10. 10 leidyb. apsk. l. Tiražas 30. Užsakymas 84.
Išleido VšĮ Šiaulių universiteto leidykla, Vilniaus g. 88, LT-76285 Šiauliai.
El. p. [email protected], tel. (8 ~ 41) 59 57 90, faks. (8 ~ 41) 52 09 80.
Interneto svetainė http://leidykla.su.lt/
151
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