A: have you every belonged to a political party?
B: no, I havent, but I thought about joining the green party.
A: really? I know you are very concerned about the environment. You were a member of the pressure group greenpeace, werent you?
B: yes. I was. But I didnt have enough time to devote to it.
A: the green party have no chance of winning an election. The other parties are too big and popular.
B; youre right. But smaller political and pressure groups can often influence large political parties. Any member of parliament can propose legislation and parties and pressure groups can raise awareness1 of issues.
A: most people are not very politically aware. They often dont understand the issues fully2.
B: thats true. But its a little strange because the media often reports on political events. You can read about them in newspaper or hear them on tv.
Intermediate
A: how does the political system work in your country?
B: we have hundreds of constituencies and the votes in each one elect a member of parliament. Most people call them mps.
A; each mp belongs to a political party, right?
B: almost all of them do. A few are independent. That means that they do not belong to a party. If one party more than half of the mps. they form a government. That means that they choose a prime minister can cabinet members.
A; whats a cabinet?
B; this is a small group of people-perhaps 25 mps who are usually ministers. They make all the big decision and discuss laws and policy.
A; can any mp make a law?
B: any mp can present a law to parliament. The proposed law is debated and voted on. If it is accepted, it becomes law.
A: I suppose a proposed a law needs the support of the big political parties.
B: yes, it does, because they have most of the mps. most mps vote the way their party wants them to.
A: how do people choose which party or candidate to vote for?
B: they produce manifesto3. These documents which states their policies. Some people just vote for the same party every time there is an election. Votes who often change the party they vote for are called floating voters.
Words
Policy manifesto ruling party vote referendum election minister prime minister president candidate cabinet politician government opposition power campaign pressure group conservation
Liberal mainstream extreme left-wing right-wing centre majority minority
