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The British Isles. England. Wales. Scotland. Northern Ireland. The United Kingdom. Wales conquest by England completed in 1283 - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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The British Isles
England
Wales
Scotland
Northern Ireland
The United Kingdom
Wales conquest by England completed in 1283
Wales was then, in the words of the Statute issued by Edward in 1284, 'united and annexed...to the crown of the realm (of England) as a member of the body of that realm'
Welsh Flag -- Dragon
Act of Union between England and Scotland 1707
Act of Union between England and Ireland 1801
Flags - The Cross of St. George (England)
Flags - The Cross of St. Andrew (Scotland)
Flags - The Cross of St. Patrick (Ireland)
The Union Flag (or Union Jack) - The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Distribution of ethnic groups
Data from 2001 Census
Populationdensity
The "Special Relationship"
Britain and the US were not destined to becomeclose allies: the United States of America emergedafter a bitter struggle for independence from Britain.
The "Special Relationship"
During the Second World War, Churchill and Rooseveltdeveloped a close personal relationship embodyingwhat Churchill called the "Grand Alliance" between theUnited Kingdom and the United States.
The "Special Relationship"
After the war, in his "Sinews of Peace" speechat Fulton Missouri (5 March 1946), Churchill first used theexpression on the international stage.
The "Special Relationship"
This does not mean that there was no friction: there was.But as the Cold War grew colder, the US and the UKworked closely together, because they felt such an alliancewas necessary to guarantee their security and thatof Western Europe.
The "Special Relationship"
In 1956 however US/UK relations became seriously strainedas a result of the Suez crisis.However the relationship recovered quickly;relations between Prime Minister Harold Macmillan andEisenhower were good, and this continued when JFK becamePresident, so much so that people talked of "Mac and Jack".
The "Special Relationship"
During Wilson's Prime Ministership there was tension overBritain's refusal to send troops to Vietnam. Later Edward Heathgave priority to Europe and US/UK relations were at a low ebb.
Thatcher and Reagan were on the contrary very close andthe "special relationship" seemed alive and well.
More recently Blair and Clinton were very close partners,as, more surprisingly, have been Blair and Bush ...
Europe ...
Britain had, immediately after the Second World war, turnedto Europe to form defence alliances. However the Britishbelieved--or soon came to believe--that security wasimpossible in Western Europe without American assistance.
For a whole range of reasons Britain declined tojoin the European Coal and Steel Community when itwas formed in 1952.
Europe ...
When the "Six" discussed further integration at Messinain 1956, Britain refused to get seriously involved andsimply sent an observer. It did not sign the Treaty of Romein 1957.
When the "Six" seemed to be enjoying an economic boom theBritish wondered whether they had not made a mistake.
Europe ...Britain's first response was to set up a European FreeTrade Association (EFTA). It then suggested there couldbe some form of close cooperation. This did not work,and Macmillan's Conservative government decided in 1963to apply for membership.
EFTAUK,Austria,Portugal,Switzerland,Denmark, Sweden, Norway
Europe ...General de Gaulle said "Non!"
Europe ...
In 1967 the Labour under Harold Wilson decided todiscuss whether the time was not ripe for a new application.
Europe ...
General de Gaulle said "Non!"
Europe ...
Nicholas Garland Daily Telegraph 10 Jan 1967. Univ Kent Cartoon Archive site
Europe ...In the wake of the student "events" of May 1968 in Paris,General de Gaulle held a referendum in 1969.
Europe ...
The French electorate said "Non!"
Europe ...
Pompidou was more receptive to a Britishapplication, and in 1973, the UK became a member.
In 1975 a referendum was held to ascertain whether theBritish public wanted Britain to remain part of the EEC
Two-thirds said "yes"
Europe ...Today, Britain has still not adopted the Euro
Britain sometimes seems reluctant to be fully "European"
Britain is influential in Brussels
New Europe vs Old Europe?
The proposed Constitution?
The British Empire
At its height, at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century, the British Empire covered one quarterof the Earth and included one fifth of the population.It was the biggest Empire of all time.
The British Empire
India and Pakistan gained independence in 1947.In the 1950s and 1960s, almost all Britain'scolonies became independent.
The last substantial possession to go was Hong Kong,in 1997.
One of the legacies of Empire is the immigration fromformer colonies which has had a substantialeffect on the population of Britain. Britain has becomea more multi-ethnic society.
The MonarchyThe United Kingdom has a constitutional (or parliamentary) monarchy:
The sovereign has limited powers, defined by the constitution
The Queen "reigns but does not rule"
The process in which power gradually moved from the Crownto Parliament took a substantial step forward in 1688,when Parliament invited William of Orange to reign - and atthe same time ensured that he accepted the power of Parliament.
The MonarchyIn his 19th c. work The English Constitution, Walter Bagehotdescribed in the British political system a distinctionbetween the "efficient parts" - the real power of thegovernment - and the "dignified parts"with which public opinion could identify. There was "magic"and "mystery" which was best kept out of the light ...
But what does the Queen really do?
She has the right to be consulted to advise and to warn.
She reads her "boxes" and meets the PM usually once a week.
The Monarchy"Since the beginning of the eighteenth century,the monarch has become a constitutional monarch,which means that he or she is bound by rules andconventions and remains politically impartial.
On almost all matters he or she acts on the adviceof ministers. While acting constitutionally, theSovereign retains an important political role asHead of State, formally appointing prime ministers,approving certain legislation and bestowing honours.
The Queen also has important roles to play in otherorganisations, including the Armed Forces and theChurch of England." www.royal.gov.uk
The MonarchyThe Queen is the Head of State.The PM is the Head of Government.
The Queen appoints the PM. Usually this is somethingof a formality: she appoints the leader of the partywhich is able to command a majority in the Houseof Commons. Today the Labour and Conservativeparties both have formal procedures for electing theirleaders. There can however be circumstanceswhere the appointment may be problematic.
The MonarchyThe Queen is Commander-in-Chief of Britain's armedforces.
She appoints judges.
She confers honours.
She is temporal head of the Church of England.
In actual fact almost all decisions in these areasare taken by the Prime Minister: the Queen"acts on the advice of the PM".
The MonarchyNo Bill can become law (an Act of Parliament) unlessit is signed by the Queen (who signs La Reyne le Veult).
The Queen represents the UK abroad.
She is Head of the Commonwealth, a role she takesvery seriously.
But she has little real power, except perhaps inexceptional circumstances. Power is exercised inher name.
Some have argued that this gives the Executive toomuch power.
The MonarchyQueen Elizabeth is undoubtedly respected, especiallyby older people.
The rest of the so-called "Royal Family" have hadsome difficult times. Queen Elizabeth herselfdescribed 1992 as her "annus horribilis" when Charlesand Diana separated and Windsor Castle wasdamaged by fire.
Critics of the monarchy say it encourages a backward-looking society and embodies inequality.
Supporters say it favours continuity. A majority feel itis better to leave it alone." If it ain't broke, don't fix it."
The MonarchyDespite recent difficulties opinion polls show mostpeople want to keep the monarchy.
Topical: Charles and Camilla.
The MonarchyChurch and State
There is no separation of Church and State in Britain.
The Queen is temporal Head of the Church of England
The Church of England has in the past beendescribed as "the Conservative party at prayer", butover the last ten or twenty years the Church of Englandhas been critical of the "Establishment" on a numberof occasions.
The Establishment
Is there such a thing?
The term was probably made popular by such writers asAnthony Sampson in the 1960s. Since then the"ruling classes" have lost power and influence.
Anthony Sampson now claims that Britain'sEstablishment has been taken over by ambitiouspoliticians, and that the values of the Establishmenthave given way to society which is only interested inmoney. In his latest book on the "New Elite", he writes:
The Establishment"Today the circles of Britain's power centres lookvery different from the pattern of 40 years ago.The palace, the universities and the diplomats havedrifted towards the edge. Many institutions - including Parliament, the Cabinet, trade unions an industry - look smaller. The Prime Minister, theTreasury and Ministry of Defence loom larger atthe centre. The bankers are more dominant while thenationalised industries have almost disappeared asseparate entities. The media are more pervasive,seeping everywhere into the vacuum left by theshrinking of the old powers."
The Establishment?
The Economist, Dec 5 2002 (economist.com)
