The political system of the UK
THE UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN AND NOTHERN IRELAND
Lecture 1.
Historical background
About three thousand years B.C. many parts of Europe including the British Isles, were inhabited by people who came from the north of Spain (the Iberian Peninsula).
So, the earliest known people who lived on the territory of Great Britain were of the Iberian origin. The Iberians used stone weapons and tools.
One of the mysterious monuments of prehistoric Britain is the so-called “Stonehenge” - a circular structure formed by huge stone slabs. It is located in the southern part of England. No one can tell how these large stones were moved or from what places they were brought. Stonehenge is still mystery for scholars. It is a trace of ancient people – the ancestors of the British.
In the 7th century B.C. the country was invaded by the Celts who came from Europe. Celtic tribes were represented by the Picts, the Scots and the Britons. The Iberians were unable to fight back the attacks of the Celts who were armed with metal spears, swords, daggers and axes.
The Picts penetrated into the mountains in the North. Some Picts as well as the tribes of the Scots decided to settle in Ireland. Later the Scots returned to the larger island and settled in its northern part which was given the name of Scotland.
The Britons, the most powerful Celtic tribes, held most of the country including the southern half of the island which was named Britain after them.
In the 1st century B.C. the Roman Empire became extremely strong. It was the last and greatest civilization of the ancient world. And in the 1st century A.D. they conquered Britain. Britain was one of the numerous provinces of the Roman Empire. Two thousand years ago the Celts were still living in tribes. Roman society differed greatly from that of the Celts.
The Romans with Julius Caesar at the head invaded the British Isles and forced the population to pay tribute. They kept their armies in Britain and had the country under control. The Romans protected themselves from the attacks of the Britons by the walls which they built on the territory of Britain. Hadrian’s Wall is well-known all over the world.
The Romans left the country only in the second half of the 5th century. The Roman army was called back to Italy where it defended the country from barbaric peoples. The Romans left the towns with streets, markets and shops. Their houses had baths and central heating.
After the Romans had left Britain the Celts remained independent, but they couldn’t keep their land free for a long time.
The Germanic tribes – the Angles, Saxons and Jutes started raiding Britain. These wild barbaric people destroyed the beautiful towns, buildings and roads built by the Romans. They took houses, fields and cattle from the Britons who had to go to the mountains in the west and settle there. This part of Britain is called Wales now. The Angles became the strongest tribe. Later two peoples – the Angles and Saxons – grew into one and were called Anglo-Saxons. They called their speech English and their country England, that is The Land of the English. They formed many kingdoms which now are counties of Great Britain.
The conquest of Britain by Germanic tribes is regarded as the beginning of the medieval history of the country.
At the end of the 8th century the Danes began to attack Britain in the same way as the Anglo-Saxons did it themselves four centuries earlier. Plunder was the main aim of the earliest Danish raids. The Danish raids were successful because English kingdoms had neither a regular army nor a fleet. There were no coastguards to watch the coasts and this made it possible for the raiders to appear quite unexpectedly. Besides, there were few roads and many parts of the country were covered with pathless forests or swamps. Sometimes it took several weeks to reach a settlement from where a messenger could be sent to the king. After many battles they took the crown from the English and held it for 24 years.
Invaders from Scandinavia tried to conquer Britain during the 8th and 9th centuries. The town of York became the capital of their kingdom. New invaders were called the Vikings. They brought their language, art and traditions and also developed international trade. The English could get rid of the Vikings only in the 10th century.
In the 11th century England was invaded by the Normans who came from Normandy (the northern part of France). That was the fifth and the last invasion of England. The Battle of Hastings took place in 1066. The Normans won the victory at the head of William, Duke of Normandy, who was crowned and became a king of England. He was called William the Conqueror. A great number of important changes are connected with The Norman Conquest. First of all, it led to strengthening of the royal power.
The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle says: “In 1086 William the Conqueror sent his men all over England, into every shire to find out what property every inhabitant possessed in land and cattle…” In fact, that was the first registration in England. The Anglo-Saxons were afraid of registration and hated it. They used to say that nothing could be concealed from the king’s officials just as you would not conceal anything from God on doomsday. The peasants and other people were threatened to be punished on doomsday in case they didn’t tell the whole truth. That is why probably the book in which all those accounts were written was called by the people of England the Doomsday Book.
For about two centuries after the Norman Conquest England was ruled by foreign kings. The king forced the barons to pay tribute and took great sums of money for the wars in Europe. Those who refused to pay money were arrested. So, in 1215 the barons revolted. They wrote a paper where the rights of the Englishmen were written down. The document was called the Great Charter and the king had to sign it. A council of 25 barons was chosen to take control of the king. That was the beginning of the English Parliament.
During the Middle Ages Englishmen suffered from numerous wars, especially from the war with France which is known as the Hundred Years War (it began in 1337 and came to an end in 1453). One of the aims of the English was to obtain free access to the markets of the Low Countries. Also there were the wars within the country which were called the Wars of the Roses (1455-1485) during which the representatives of two contending Houses were struggling for the English Throne (those were the wars between the Lancastrians and the Yorkists). In 1485 Richard III was defeated by Henry Tudor, a Lancastrian.
In the 16th century Britain was ruled by the members of the powerful Tudor Dynasty. Henry VIII is known as a tyrant who murdered a lot of people. His daughter Mary was called Bloody Queen Mary, she is a symbol of cruelty. It was she who ordered to burn hundreds of Protestants. After Henry’s daughter Elisabeth I ruled over Britain for 45 years. Her reign was glorious. She is considered to be one of the noblest monarchs.
The 17th century is associated with the other dynasty of rulers – the Stuarts. It was the epoch of a great struggle between Parliament and the Stuarts. Parliament finally won the victory over the king’s dynasty and kings in Britain lost their absolute power.
In the middle of the 17th century there were two great tragedies in the country. First, the greatest epidemic of the plague broke out in London and a lot of people died. A year later there was the Great Fire of London. Nothing could stop the fire for five days.
In 1629 King Charles I dismissed the Parliament and for 11 years he riled over the country without any Parliament. But in 1640 the Parliament assembled again and the Civil War between the king and the Parliament began. It lasted for twelve years and the Parliament with Oliver Cromwell at the head won the victory. The Commonwealth was proclaimed. Then Oliver Cromwell became the Protector of the new republic. After Cromwell’s death the government was too weak and the new Parliament decided to have a king.
The 18th and the first half of the 19th centuries are known as the “Georgian period” because four kings who ruled Britain at that time were all named George. Queen Victoria ruled the country for 64 years (1837 - 1901). That period is called “Victorian”.
Large territories in India, Australia, America and Africa became dependent on the British Empire during the “Georgian” and “Victorian” periods. At the period of its prosperity the British Empire comprised one quarter of the Earth.
At the end of the 19th century Britain began to lose industrial supremacy to the United States and Germany. The population of the colonies began to struggle for their independence. The process of decolonization began in 1947 when India and Pakistan became independent states. But the English ruling classes didn’t want to lose influence over the former colonies of the British Empire. An association of former members of the British Empire was founded in 1949. It is called the Commonwealth and includes such countries as Ireland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and others. The Queen of Great Britain is also the Head of the Commonwealth. Now Elisabeth II who became the Queen in 1952 is not only the Queen of the UK. Her Majesty is also the Queen of Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
Check yourself.
1. What is Stonehenge?
2. When was the invasion of the Celts?
3. What was one of the aims of the Hundred Years War?
4. Who won the Wars of the Roses?
5. Why was the Commonwealth formed?
Lecture 2
National Emblems
“Britannia” is an ancient name of Britain. Nowadays Great Britain is personified under the name of “Britannia” as a helmeted woman seated on a globe leaning with one arm on a shield and grasping a spear with the other hand. England is also often called Albion. When the Romans saw the white chalk cliffs of the south of England they called those cliffs and the land behind them Albion, i.e. a White Land. Since those times Albion is the poetic name of England.
The national flag of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland combines three crosses representing England, Scotland and Ireland. It is called the Union Jack and is a mixture of several flags.
In 1606 Scotland was joined to England and Wales. The Scottish flag, St. Andrew’s cross (blue and white, from corner to corner) was joined to the English flag, St. George’s cross (white and red). St. George, the Martyr, was the patron of England and his cross was also the symbol of the Church of England. Later, in 1801 Ireland was joined to the Union of England, Wales and Scotland. The Irish flag of St. Patrick’s cross was added (white and red from corner to corner).
King James III (1566-1622) ordered that the Union Flag should be flown on the main mast of all British ships, except on ships of war. “Jack” is an old word which means “sailor” and it explains the name of the national flag of the UK.
The national anthem is the oldest in the world, established in 1745 and based on a song of the 17th century. The beginning of it runs as follows:
God save our gracious Queen,
Long live our noble Queen,
God save the Queen –
Send her victorious,
Happy and glorious,
Long to reign over us,
God save the Queen.
Each part of the country has its own emblem.
The red rose is the symbol of England. It is connected with the Wars of the Roses. The red rose was the emblem of the Lancastrians, the white rose was that of the Yorkists. The rivalry between the Roses ended by the marriage of Henry VII, the Lancastrian, with Princess Elizabeth, the daughter of Edward IV, the Yorkist. And since those times the red rose has become the national emblem of England.
The thistle is the symbol of Scotland. A curious legend explains the history of this emblem. Once upon a time the Norsemen (ancient Scandinavians) landed on the east coast of Scotland. Their intention was to plunder the country and settle in it. The Scots assembled with their arms behind the river Tay. They were very tired after a long march and had a rest in their camp. They were expecting the enemies. The Norsemen decided to attack the Scots. They didn’t want to make any noise and took off their shoes. Suddenly one of the Norsemen stepped on a thistle and began to shriek. It was a kind of an alarm for the Scots and the Norsemen were put to flight.
Welshmen all over the world celebrate St. David’s Day by wearing either leeks or daffodils. Wales has got two national symbols. The link between the leek and St. David is the belief that he had to live on bread and wild leeks for several years. The daffodil is also associated with St. David’s Day, due to the fact that it breaks into blossom on that day. In the 20th century it became an alternative to the leek as a Welsh emblem, because the leek was considered by some people to be a vulgar symbol.
The shamrock is the symbol of Northern Ireland. The inhabitants of Northern Ireland often wear this national emblem on St. Patrick’s Day (on March, 17) in memory of Ireland’s patron saint. Preaching the doctrine of the Trinity to the pagan Irish St. Patrick used the shamrock, a kind of a white clover with three leaves symbolizing the Trinity.
The political system of the UK
Britain is a parliamentary democracy with a constitutional monarch – Queen Elizabeth II – as a head of State. Today the Queen is not only head of State but also an important symbol of national unity. The royal title in Britain is: ”Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of Her other Realms and Territories Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith”. In law the Queen is head of the executive, an integral part of the legislative, head of the judiciary, the Commander-in-chief of all the armed forces of the Crown and the Supreme Governor of the established Church of England.
The Queen and the royal family continue to take part in many traditional ceremonies, they are involved in the work of many charities.
In practice the monarch has no actual power; they say, the monarch reigns but doesn’t rule. Queen’s power is limited by the Parliament. The Queen summons, prorogues and dissolves Parliament. She opens each session with a speech. The Queen must see all Cabinet documents.
Parliament is the supreme legislative authority in Britain and the Prime Minister is the virtual ruler of the country. The Prime Minister is the head of the Party which has the majority in the House of Commons. He is appointed by the Sovereign.
Parliament consists of two Houses: the House of Commons (they are known as MPs – Members of Parliament) and the House of Lords. The Commons is more important of the two Houses. The British Parliament works in a large building called the Palace of Westminster (the Houses of Parliament).
Traditionally, MPs were not supposed to be professional politicians. They were supposed to be ordinary people, bringing their experience into Parliament. They were not even paid until the beginning of the last century. Politics in Britain in the last fifty years has become professional. Most MPs are full-time politicians and do another job only part-time.
The person who chairs and controls discussion in the House of Commons is the Speaker. He or she decides which MP is going to speak next and makes sure that the rules of procedure are followed. In fact, the Speaker is, officially, the second important “commoner” in the Kingdom after the Prime Minister.
Before every sitting of the House the Speaker walks to the Chamber from his residence within the Royal Palace. He is wearing a wig and a gown and is accompanied by his Chaplain, Secretary and Serjeant-at-Arms carrying the Mace. On arrival in the Chamber, the Mace is set on the table, prayers are read and provided a quorum of forty members, and the Speaker takes the chair.
The members of the House of Commons are elected for the period of five years. The House of Commons is made up of 630 elected members. The Party which obtains the majority of seats in the House of Commons is called the Government and the others – the Opposition which forms the so-called “shadow cabinet”. The leader of the Opposition is a recognized post in the House of Commons.
The first two rows of seats are occupied by the leading members of both the Government and the Opposition. They are called “front benchers”. The back rows of seats belong to the rank-and-file MPs (the so-called “back-benchers”). The House of Commons has seats for only about two-thirds of its 630 members.
The House of Lords consists of more than 1000 members: 830 are the members of the Upper House by the right of inheritance, 270 members are given life peerage and 26 members of the House of Lords are spiritual peers (bishops and archbishops).
The House of Lords is represented by people of different grades of nobility: dukes, marquesses, earls, viscounts and barons.
The Lord Chancellor is the Chairman of the House of Lords. He sits upon the Woolsack, a large bag of wool covered with red cloth. The Woolsack is the reminder of the times when England’s commercial prosperity was founded on her wool exports.
The House of Lords is the non-elected chamber of Parliament in the world.
Every bill (a law in the process of making) has to go through several stages in order to become an Act of Parliament. First of all every bill has three readings in the House of Commons. If the majority of MPs vote for the bill it is sent to the House of Lords for discussion. If the Lords agree to the bill it is sent to the Queen for signature. If any bill passes through all these stages it becomes an Act of Parliament or a Law of the Land.
The real power is vested in the House of Commons. The Lords cannot reject a bill. They can only delay it for a maximum of one year. Financial bills (i.e. bills related to money) can’t be delayed by the House of Lords.
Since 1945 the British Government is represented by two political parties: the Conservative and Labour Party. The main British political parties are:
· the Conservative Party;
· the Labour Party;
· the Liberal Party;
· the Party of Liberal Democrats.
The Conservative Party is often called the Tory Party. The word “tory” means an Irish thief. This word was applied to the conservatives by their opponents. It is the most powerful party and is often called a party of business directors.
The Liberal Party is often called “Whigs”. A “whig” was a Scottish preacher who could preach moralizing sermons for several hours.
The Labour Party was founded by the Trade Unions at the end of the 19th century.
In 1988 the Liberal Party made an alliance with Social Democrats and the Party of Liberal Democrats was formed.
As to British Constitution this country has no written constitution. When speaking of British Constitution usually the following three main sources are mentioned: Statute of Westminster, Common Law and Conventions. Statute of Westminster comprises the most important Acts of Parliament, which regulate political system of the country and rights and duties of British citizens. They are:
1. Magna Charta – the Great Charter of English liberties, forced from King John “Lackland” by English barons. It was signed by him on June, 15, 1215. Lords’ Council set by the Charta was the first limitation of monarch’s absolute power and the beginning of future Parliament.
2. Petition of right – was signed by Charles the First in 1628. It also limited monarch’s absolute power and extended the rights of Parliament and courts and protected the property of bourgeoisie. It was signed by King Charles but ignored, which caused the English Revolution headed by Cromwell.
3. Habeas Corpus Act, 1679 – proclaimed sovereignty of person and his property, restrain or extension of the person’s liberty in courts.
4. The Bill of Rights – the statute of 1689 signed by William III and Mary II. With minor changes it confirmed the petition of Right and proclaimed the foundation of Constitutional Monarchy.
5. Statute of Westminster – the Act of Parliament of 1931 regulating the relations between the UK and its dominions. It confirmed full sovereignty of the former British dominions.
Common law is Civil Code and Criminal Code all in one. It is used in courts. Conventions are unwritten laws and they regulate the relations on different levels of the society from top to bottom.
Check yourself.
1. Tell about the national emblems of Great Britain.
2. What is the supreme legislative authority in Britain?
3. What does Parliament consist of?
4. How does Parliament work?
5. What are three main sources of British Constitution?
Lecture 3