THE UNITED KINGDOM
The United Kingdom consists of the countries of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Each region is divided into counties, the largest units of local government. England has 46 counties and its capital city is London. Wales has 13 counties, the capital is Cardiff. Scotland has 33 counties, the capital is Edinburgh. Northern Ireland has 6 counties and the capital is Belfast. The population of the UK is approximately 60 million people, the 15th largest in the world.
THE CONSTITUTION
The United Kingdom is a parliamentary democracy and a constitutional monarchy. However, the Constitution is not a single document, and most of it is not even written down; some written parts come from documents as ancient as the Magna Carta (1215), or from laws passed by Parliament, or are judgements given in courts. As this set of rules has never been formally codified, it is very flexible and can be modified at any time by an act of Parliament, or by the people’s acceptance of new usages.
THE MONARCHY
The monarchy in Britain is over 1000 years old and the crown is handed on by hereditary right. In the long course of British history the sovereign has lost absolute power and now he or she has only representative functions and simply performs a series of official acts of government decided by Parliament. By tacit agreement, the monarch does not take any active part in politics.
THE PARLIAMENT
The British Parliament is a very old institution, dating back to the 13th century. It has seen its power grow since 1215 when King John was forced to sign the Magna Carta, which gave the barons some control over the sovereign.
The House of Commons (or Lower House) is the most influential of the two houses. It is composed of 651 members (called MPs, Members of Parliament) who are chosen by the people at a general election. They meet in the Commons, a hall in gothic style where the sovereign has not been admitted since the 17th century, when the king broke into it demanding the arrest of some members.
The House of Lords (or Upper House) has approximately 1000 members who are not elected by the people but belong to one of other groups. The House of Lords is presided over by the Lord Chancellor and it is the Supreme Court of Appeal in both civil and criminal cases.
POLITICAL PARTIES
The Conservative Party (or Tory Party) stands for the monarchy, law and order and free enterprise with a minimum of state interference in business. The Tories oppose heavy taxation and excessive public spending in order to encourage individual work and effort. The party has always enjoyed the regular backing of the middle upper class, but it has also attracted working-class support. The party has encountered problems in recent years due to weak leadership.
The Labour Party was founded in 1900 as a coalition of socialists, Marxists, social democrats and trade unionists. The party’s beliefs have changed over the years but basic beliefs in “progressive” politics, social justice, internationalism and “democratic socialism” have remained constant. At the end of the Second World War, in 1945, Labour took office with an overall majority. In recent years, under Tony Blair, the party has been modernised. It is now more receptive to the free market and the middle classes.
The Liberal Democrats see an important role for the state or community in liberating people from poverty, ignorance and discrimination. In the twentieth century liberal parties have been classified as “centre” or “centre-left” whilst they themselves prefer the label “radical”.