Monarchy in Britain ancient institution

What are the major symbols of Britain?

What are the patron saints of England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland?

What is the national emblem and legend of each part of the UK?

What is the national anthem of England?

What part of the UK is not represented in Union Jack? Describe its own flag.

Why did Union Jack get this name?

What symbols does the British flag contain? Describe it.

Questions

Lecture 4.

State System of Great Britain.

Monarchy. Monarchy and democracy.

British Parliament.

The House of Commons.

The House of Lords.

The work of Parliament.

Government.

BRITISH STATE SYSTEM

British polity (state system) is complex and unique as it is the product of a long period of historical development which resulted in the «Glorious Revolution* and establishment of the Crowned Republic in 1688. The absence of a revolutionary upheaval since then, i.e. for more than 300 years, the lack of a document known as a written constitution, the tendency to preserve outward forms when the inner substance is changed — all this makes the English polity both complex and unique.

Officially Great Britain is a state of the constitutional monarchy. That means that at the head of the state is monarch (Queen or King). But the power of the Queen is not absolute, it is greatly limited by parliament.

British polity comprises three main ruling bodies — Monarchy, Parliament and Government. The oldest of the three institutions is Monarchy.

The monarchy is the most ancient secular institution in the United Kingdom, going back at least to the 9^th century. The Queen can trace her descent from the Saxon King Egbert, who united all England under his sovereignty in 829. The continuity of the monarchy has been broken only once by a republic that lasted only 11 years (1649—1660). Monarchy is founded on the hereditary principle and it has never been abandoned. The succession passed automatically to the oldest male child, or in the absence of males, to the oldest female offspring of the monarch. Quite recently the rules of descent have been changed. Now the succession passes to the oldest child irrespective of its sex.

The Coronation of the Sovereign follows some months or a year after the accession. The ceremony has remained much the same in substance for over 1000 years. It consists of recognition and acceptance of the new monarch by the people; the taking by the monarch of an oath of royal duties; the anointing and crowning (after communion); and the rendering of homage by the Lords Spiritual and Temporal.

The coronation service, conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury, is held at Westminster Abby in the presence of representatives of the Lords, the Commons and all the great public interests in the United Kingdom, the Prime Minister and leading members of the Commonwealth countries, and representatives of foreign states.

By Act of Parliament, the monarch must be a Protestant.

The Queen's title in the United Kingdom 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».

For several centuries the monarch personally exercised supreme executive, legislative and judicial powers but with the growth of Parliament and the courts the direct exercise of these functions progressively decreased. The 17^th-century struggle between Crown and Parliament led to the establishment of a constitutional monarchy.

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