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ABRIEFINTRODUCTIONOFTHEUNITEDKINGDOMTHEFULLNAMEOFTHECOUNTRYISTHEUNITEDKINGDOMOFGREATBRITAINANDNORTHERNIRELANDITISACOMPLICATEDNAMEFORWHATISINMANYWAYSACOMPLICATEDCOUNTRYTHEREREFOURPARTS,ENGLAND,SCOTLAND,WALESANDNORTHERNIRELAND,WHICHCOMPLETETOTHESETHERE,ASFOLLOWS,AREAFEWASPECTSOFTHEUNITEDKINGDOM1POLITICSTHEGOVERNMENTOFTHEUNITEDKINGDOM1THEMONARCHYTHEOLDESTINSTITUTIONOFGOVERNMENTISTHEMONARCHYCRUELBYTHEKINGTHISDATESBACKTOTHESAXONWHORULEDFROMTHE5THCENTURYADUNTILTHENORMANCONGUESTIN1066THEPOWEROFTHEMONARCHYWASLARGELYDERIVEDFORMTHEANCIENTDOCTRINEOFTHEDIVINERIGHTOFKINGS”ITWASHELDTHATTHESOVEREIGNDERIVEDHISAUTHORITYFROMGOD,NOTFROMHISSUBJECTSWHILETHEKINGINTHEORYHADGODONHISSIDE,INPRACTICEEVENINMEDIEVALTIMESITWASTHOUGHTTHATHESHOULDNOTEXERCISEABSOLUTEPOWER2THEPARLIAMENTTHEWORD“PARLIAMENT”COMESFROMTHEVERB“THEPARLEY”,THATISTODISCUSSORTALKTHETERMWASFIRSTUSEDOFFICIALLYIN1236TODESCRIBETHEGATHERINGOFFEUDALBARONSANDREPRESENTATIVESFROMCOUNTRIESANDTOWNSWHICHTHEOCCASIONALLYSUMMONEDIFHEWANTEDTORAISEMONEYTHEGREATCOUNCILCAMETOINCLUDEBOTHTHOSEWHOWERESUMMONED“BYNAME”THEHOUSEOFLORDSANDREPRESENTATIVESOFCOMMUNITIESTHEHOUSEOFCOMMONSTHESETWOHOUSESEXISTTODAYANDCOLLECTIVELYWECALLTHEMTHEPARLIAMENTTHECOMMONSQUICKLYGAINEDINPOLITICALSTRENGTHTHEYWEREWILLINGTOHELPTHEKINGBYRAISINGTAXESANDPASSINGLAWS,BUTINRETURNTHEYWANTEDANINCREASINGSAYINWHATTHEKINGWASDOINGTHEPARLIAMENTBECAMETHEMOSTPOWERFULINSTITUTEINBRITAINWASAFTERTHEREVOLUTIONALWARPARLIAMENTHASANUMBEROFDIFFERENTFUNCTIONSFIRSTANDFOREMOST,ITPASSESLAWSANOTHERIMPORTANTFUNCTIONISTHATITPROVIDESTHEMEANSOFCARRYINGONTHEWORKOFGOVERNMENTBYVOTINGFORTAXATIONITSOTHERROLESARETOSCRUTINIZEGOVERNMENTPOLICY,ADMINISTRATIONANDEXPENDITUREANDTODEBATETHEMAJORITYISSUESOFTHEDAYPARLIAMENTISSUPREMEINTHEBRITISHSTATEBECAUSEITALONEHASTHEPOWERTOCHANGETHETERMSOFTHECONSTITUTIONTHEREARENOLEGALRESTRAINTSUPONPARLIAMENTITCANMAKEORCHANGELAWSCHANGEOROVERTURNESTABLISHEDCONVENTIONSOREVENPROLONGITSOWNLIFEWITHOUTCONSULTINGTHEELECTORATEHOWEVER,ITDOESNOTASSERTITSSUPREMACY,BUTBEARSTHECOMMONLAWINMINDANDACTSACCORDINGTOPRECEDENTEACHPARLIAMENTLASTSFOR5YEARSTHEUPPERHOUSEHASNORIGHTTODECIDE,ITONLYHASTHERIGHTTOPASSTHEBILLSPASSEDBYTHELOWERHOUSETHEPARTYWHICHHOLDSAMAJORITYOFTHOSE“SEATS”INPARLIAMENTFORMSTHEGOVERNMENT,WITHITSPARTYLEADERASTHEPRIMEMINISTERAFTERAGOVERNMENTHASBEENINPOWERFOR5YEARSITHASTORESIGNANDHOLDA“GENERALELECTION”,INWHICHALBRITISHADULTSAREGIVETHECHANCETOVOTEAGAINFORTHEIRCONSTITUENCYSMPAGOVERNMENTCANNOTSTANDFORLONGERTHAN5YEARSEXCEPTINEXCEPTIONALCIRCUMSTANCESHOWEVER,THEPRIMEMINISTERCANCALLANELECTIONSOONERTHAN5YEARSTHISCANHAPPENWHENTHEGOVERNMENTLOSESA“VOTEOFNOCONFIDENCE”INTHEHOUSEOFCOMMONSTHATIS,ANMPPUTSFORWARDASTATEMENTFORTHEMPSTOVOTEONSAYINGTHAT“THISHOUSENOLONGERHACONFIDENCEINTHEGOVERNMENT”3THEPOLITICALPARTIESTHEREARETHREEMAJORNATIONALPARTIESTHECONSERVATIVEPARTYANDTHELABOURPARTYARETHETWOBIGGEST,ANDANYGENERALELECTIONISREALLYABOUTWHICHOFTHOSETWOISGOINGTOGOVERNBUTTHERESATHIRDIMPORTANTPARTY,THELIBERALDEMOCRATS,WHOUSUALLYRECEIVEUPTOABOUT20OFTHEVOTESNOTENOUGHTOFORMAGOVERNMENT,BUTENOUGHTOHAVEABIGIMPACTONWHICHOFTHEOTHERTWOPARTIESDOESSOTHELABOURPARTYISTHENEWESTOFTHESETHREE,CREATEDBYTHEGROWINGTRADEUNIONMOVEMENTATTHEENDOFNINETEENTHCENTURYITQUICKLYREPLACEDTHELABERALPARTYASONEOFTHETWOBIGGESTPARTIESLABOURISASOCIALISTPARTYTHATISTOSAYTHATTHEYBELIEVEASOCIETYSHOULDBERELATIVELYEQUALINECONOMICTERMS,ANDTHEPARTOFTHEROLEOFGOVERNMENTISTOACTASA“REDISTRIBUTIVE”AGENTTHECONSERVATIVEPARTYISTHEPARTYTHATSPENTMOSTTIMEINPOWER,BASICALLYTHECONSERVATIVEARESEENASTHEPARTYOFTHEINDIVIDUAL,PROTECTINGTHEINDIVIDUALSRIGHTTOACQUIREWEALTHANDTOSPENDITHOWTHEYCHOOSE,ANDSOFAVOURINGECONOMICPOLICIESWHICHBUSINESSMENPREFER,SUCHASLOWTAXESTHEYRECEIVEALOTOFTHEIRPARTYFUNDINGFROMBIGCOMPANIES2RELIGION1QUEENORKINGISTHELEADERASWELLASTHEBISHOPOFTHEHIGHCHURCH220OFBRITISHCITIZENCLAIMSTOBEROMANCATHOLICS340OFSCOTLANDCITIZENBELIEVEINROMANCATHOLIC4TWOESTABLISHEDCHURCHESCHURCHOFLONDONCHURCHOFSCOTLAND5ROMANCATHOLICCHURCHES6FREECHURCHES3CULTUREHERE,IWILLEMPHASISONONEASPECTOFBRITAINSARTISTICOUTPUT,THATFORWHICHITISPERHAPSBESTKNOWNLITERATUREEARLYWRITINGMUCHEARLYBRITISHWRITINGWASCONCERNEDWITHCHRISTIANITYANGLOSAXONSPRODUCEDBEAUTIFULLYILLUSTRATEDVERSIONSOFTHEBIBLETHEMOSTFAMOUSOFTHESEISTHEBOOKOFKEELS,PARTYWRITTENONTHESCOTTISHISLANDOFLONAELIZABETHANDRAMATHEREWASAGENERALFLOWERINGOFCULTURALANDINTELLECTUALLIFEINEUROPEDURINGTHE15THAND16THCENTURIESWHICHISKNOWNAS“THERENAISSANCE”,INBRITISHCULTUREONEOFTHEMOSTSUCCESSFULANDLONGLASTINGEXPRESSIONSOFTHISDEVELOPMENTLAYINDRAMA318THCENTURYENGLISHLITERATUREISMARKEDBYARATHERLARGESHIFTFROMTHEMOODANDTONEOF17THCENTURYLITERATURE4THEROMANTICPERIODROUGHLYTHEFIRSTTHIRDOFTHE19THCENTURYMAKESUPENGLISHLITERATURESROMANTICPERIODWRITERSOFROMANTICLITERATUREAREMORECONCERNEDWITHIMAGINATIONANDFEELINGTHANTHEPOWEROFREASON,WHICHMARKEDTHE18THCENTURY520THCENTURYLITERATURETHE20THCENTURYMARKEDTHEENDOFTHEBRITISHEUROPE,WHICHWASREPLACEDBYTHECOMMONWEALTHOFNATIONSYETENGLISHCIVILIZATIONANDCULTURECONTINUETOHAVEASTRONGINFLUENCEONTHERESTOFTHEWORLDTHEHERITAGEOFENGLISHLITERATUREFORMSANOUTSTANDINGPARTOFTHATCULTURE20THCENTURYLIT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