Welcome to English as a Second Language podcast number 1114, Forms of Government.
This is English as a Second Language podcast episode 1114.
I'm your host, Dr Jeff McQuillan, coming to you from the Center for Educational Development in beautiful Los Angeles, California.
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This episode is a dialogue between Margaret and Tony about different forms or types of government.
Let's get started.
Okay.
The teacher said that we should set up an ideal form of government for our imaginary country and then work out detailed plans for governance.
I think the simplest is a dictatorship.
I'll make all of the decisions.
You're sounding like a fascist.
This is supposed to be a partnership, remember?
Okay, then let's make it a monarchy.
I can be king and you can be queen.
You'll probably still make all of the decisions as king.
Maybe we should consider an oligarchy.
Your family and mine can rule equally.
That's fine with me, but you're the communist, or at least socialist.
Don't you think an oligarchy would be too elitist?
I would think you would prefer a meritocracy of some sort.
This isn't about my personal politics.
It's about what's best for our imaginary nation.
How about a simple democracy?
There's nothing simple about a democracy.
How about no government at all?
You mean anarchy?
Sure, that would be the simplest.
Why do I get the feeling that you're making suggestions based on the amount of work this assignment will take, rather than political considerations?
That's because you're very perceptive.
I have a big weekend planned.
Margaret begins our dialogue by saying Okay, the teacher said that we should set up an ideal form of government.
To set up is a two-word phrasal verb meaning to establish or start.
Margaret and Tony are in a class in which the teacher has instructed the students, or told the students, to imagine that they are starting a form of government, an ideal I-D-E-A-L or perfect form of government.
A form of government is the way that a country or some region within a country organizes itself, how it makes laws and enforces them or puts them into effect.
Margaret says that this ideal form of government is for our imaginary, or made-up, country.
The teacher also told the students to work out detailed plans for governance.
To work out means to figure out, to think about, to plan.
Governance, G-O-V-E-R-N-A-N-C-E, refers to leadership and control over a group of people.
Tony says, I think the simplest is a dictatorship.
The simplest would be the one that is least complicated.
Tony is saying that the simplest form of government would be a dictatorship.
D-I-C-T-A-T-O-R-S-H-I-P
A dictatorship is a system of government in which one person is in control and has complete authority over the government.
A dictatorship is run by a dictator, a person who has absolute and complete control of the laws and the government in a country.
Tony says that he's going to be the dictator in this imaginary government.
He says, I'll make all of the decisions.
Margaret says, you're sounding like a fascist.
A fascist F-A-S-C-I-S-T is a person who supports a dictatorship where the nation and or a given race is considered more important than the individuals.
Now, fascism has a particular historical context that we're not going to talk about here.
People nowadays use this expression not to refer necessarily to say, the government of Germany or Italy in the 1930s, but rather to someone who is basically an authoritarian or who believes that the government should be able to do anything it wants.
That's a more general use of the term in English.
Margaret says, this is supposed to be a partnership, remember?
A partnership is when two people work together for some particular purpose.
Although nowadays, people talk about partners, P-A-R-T-N-E-R-S, to refer not just to people with whom they have a partnership, but also for people who they might be in a romantic relationship with.
I never quite understood this.
I mean if someone's your partner either he or she is your boyfriend or girlfriend, or husband or wife.
I mean, really, there aren't any other choices, are there?
But for some reason, nowadays, people prefer to say partner.
I guess they want it to be a mystery to keep you guessing, perhaps.
Anyway, Tony says, okay, let's make it a monarchy.
Tony proposes making this imaginary government a monarchy.
M-O-N-A-R-C-H-Y.
A monarchy is a form of government that is led by a monarch, a king, or a queen.
There are various countries throughout the world that still have monarchies.
The government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain is a monarchy, officially.
The head of the government is the Queen of England, Queen Elizabeth II, at least at the time of this recording.
There are various other monarchies throughout the world as well, and many countries that used to have a monarch but no longer do, such as France.
Tony says, I can be king and you can be queen.
Margaret says, you'll probably still make all of the decisions as king.
Margaret doesn't really like this idea.
She says maybe we should consider an oligarchy.
Your family and mine can rule equally.
An oligarchy O-L-I-G-A-R-C-H-Y is a form of government led by a small group of people who don't listen to anyone else.
They decide how the government should be run.
The verb to rule, R-U-L-E, means in this case to have and use power as a government.
It's often used in connection with a dictatorship, a monarchy and other forms of government that are not democratic.
Although really it could refer to any kind of government, the functioning of any kind of government.
Tony says, that's fine with me, meaning that's okay with me, I agree.
But you're the communist, or at least socialist.
Tony refers to Margaret as a communist, C-O-M-M-U-N-I-S-T.
A communist is a person who supports a form of government in which everything is owned by the state.
Basically,
And people are paid based on their needs, with the assumption that everyone will contribute as much as he or she can.
Of course, communism has different forms and the real definition is a little more complicated than that, but you probably are familiar with communist governments, such as the one that used to be in charge of the Soviet Union or the one that is currently in charge of China.
Tony says that Margaret is a communist or at least socialist.
A socialist, S-O-C-I-A-L-I-S-T, is a little more difficult to define.
A socialist is a person who believes the government should have a very strong role in owning different parts of an economy and that the government should have a very active role in providing for the needs of the people.
However, people will differ on the exact definition of what a socialist is.
In some countries, such as the United States, the word socialist, and certainly the word communist, is meant as an insult.
It's not something that most politicians would want to say or admit to, although there is actually a senator from one of our states who is a socialist.
But that's quite unusual in terms of American politics.
Tony continues, don't you think an oligarchy would be too elitist?
Elitist, E-L-I-T-I-S-T, refers to the idea that Tony says, Tony says, The word meritocracy, M-E-R-I-T-O-C-R-A-C-Y, refers to a system of government or to a system in general in which people are given power based on their qualifications.
The most talented, the most able people are given more power.
A meritocracy isn't necessarily a democracy.
A meritocracy could be a system of government, where someone decides who is the most talented and gives people power based on that decision.
It doesn't necessarily mean that the people in general decide who is the best to lead the government.
Margaret says, however, this isn't about my personal politics.
Your personal politics are your own belief systems, your own desires, your own ways of interacting with other people.
She says, it's about what's best for our imaginary nation.
How about a simple democracy?
Democracy D-E-M-O-C-R-A-C-Y is a system of government in which people vote for the leaders of that government and, in some cases, vote directly on laws that will be used by the government.
It's a government by the people.
The where we vote on people who then vote on the laws for the country.
It's not a direct democracy, if you will.
We don't usually vote on laws directly, although there are places, such as here in California, where sometimes we do vote directly on a law, on what are called propositions or referendums.
But in general, the U.S. has a representative form of democracy.
Tony continues, Margaret says, You mean anarchy?
Anarchy A-N-A-R-C-H-Y is a situation where there is, in fact, no government or no one who is in charge, no one who has authority.
It's generally considered a state of disorder, a situation where there is no government and things often are rather dangerous.
Tony says, sure, that would be the simplest.
Margaret says.
Margaret is saying saying that Tony seems to be picking the forms of government that are easiest to write about for this school assignment, not that are best for their imaginary government or imaginary country.
Tony says that's because you're very perceptive.
To be perceptive, P-E-R-C-E-P-T-I-V-E, means to be able to understand things that most people aren't aware of or don't understand.
Tony is telling Margaret that she's very perceptive that the forms of government he is suggesting are the easiest ones to write about for the school assignments.
Now let's listen to the dialogue, this time at a normal speed.
Okay.
The teacher said that we should set up an ideal form of government for our imaginary country and then work out detailed plans for governance.
I think the simplest is a dictatorship.
I'll make all the decisions.
You're sounding like a fascist.
This is supposed to be a partnership, remember?
Okay, then let's make it a monarchy.
I can be king and you can be queen.
You'll probably still make all of the decisions as king.
Maybe we should consider it an oligarchy.
Your family and mine can rule equally.
That's fine with me, but you're the communist, or at least socialist.
Don't you think an oligarchy would be too elitist?
I would think you would prefer a meritocracy of some sort.
This isn't about my personal politics.
It's about what's best for our imaginary nation.
How about a simple democracy?
There's nothing simple about a democracy.
How about no government at all?
You mean anarchy?
Sure, that would be the simplest.
Why do I get the feeling that you're making suggestions based on the amount of work this assignment will take, rather than political considerations?
That's because you're very perceptive.
I have a big weekend planned.
Many thanks to our perceptive script writer, the wonderful Dr. Lucy Say.
From Los Angeles, California, I'm Jeff McQuillan.
Thank you for listening.
Come back and listen to us again right here on ESL Podcast.
English as a Second Language Podcast is written and produced by Dr Lucy Say, hosted by Dr Jeff McQuillan.
Copyright 2015 by the Center for Educational Development.
