STATES AND SYSTEMS OF ENGLAND

UK parliament: tradition and change

In the 14^th century, the British parliament split into two divisions, the House of Lords, which included the bishops and the aristocracy (or ‘peers’), and the House of Commons, which included representatives of the ordinary people.

The Lords, whose members are not elected and who traditionally inherited their seat in the House from their fathers, no longer have the automatic right to block new laws. The British parliament is the one of the oldest parliamentary systems in the world, and the foreigners are often puzzled by some of its ancient customs. During debates in the House of Commons, for example, members are not permitted to refer to each other by name, but must use the title “The Honorable Member”. This is just one of radical changes that have been imposed on the 700-year-old parliament in recent years, including the creation of separate Scottish Parliament and Welsh and Northern Irish Assemblies.

The ups and downs of the British monarchy

The British people have had a monarchy for rover a thousand years. The relationship between the monarch and the people has suffered some serious crises in the country’s history, but the monarchy always seems to recover.

The biggest crisis in the monarchy’s history came in 1649 when the king was actually condemned to death by parliament. In 1642 a Civil War broke out between the Royalists and the supporters of parliaments, the Roundheads under Oliver Cromwell. The Roundheads won, Charles I, who wanted the monarchy to have more power, was beheaded and the monarchy abolished. But in 1660 the age of the Restoration began when Charles’s son, Charles II, was made king.

When Queen Victoria’s husband, Prince Albert, died in 1861, the Queen suffered a terrible depression. She withdrew from public life and spent more time at her palace in Scotland. For over 20 years she performed no national duties. People became critical of the monarchy and in a time of huge industrial and scientific progress, members of parliament began to talk about republicanism.

When George V died in January 1936, his heir Edward was in love with a twice-divorce American women, Wallis Simpson. His family and the government disapproved of Mrs. Simpson, but Edward wanted to marry her. In the end he was forced to choose between his love and the throne, and he chose to abandon the throne.

In modern times, people began to see the monarchy outdated, but the royal family was given a tremendous boost in 1981, when Prince Charles married the popular Princess Diana. Diana became an international superstar, more popular than her husband from whom she divorced in 1996. When she died in a car crash in 1997 many people accused the royal family of treating her badly during her marriage and abandoning her after her divorce. Celebrations for the Queen’s Golden Jubilee in 2002 were deliberately kept low-key, as the organizers feared that the public would not be interested.

DOWNLOAD LENGKAP

Posted in: Article - English