1. General Characteristics

• The UK – constitutional monarchy

• The largest island in the archipelago, known as the British Isles

• Wales – on the west, Scotland on the north

• Northern Ireland – in the northeast corner of Ireland

• Area – 244.110 sq km (roughly the size of Oregon or Colorado)

• Climate – mild, chilly and often wet. Rein – expected for up to 300 days per year

• Estimated population density -252 persons per sq km in 2008

• Highly developed economically, preeminent in the arts and sciences, sophisticated in technology and highly prosperous and peaceful.

• English comes closer to being a world language

• “Daughter nations” – Canada, Australia, New Zealand

• India – the most important colony

• Many countries have adopted the British system of parliamentary government, often referred to as the Westminster model

• Pioneer in economic measures. The first industrial revolution occurred in Britain in the 18^th and 19^th

• Half of its population living in urban areas

• The richest nation in the world during the reign of queen victoria in the 19^th century

• Spinning machine

2. The relief and borders of the country

- bordered in the south by the English Channel, in the east – by the North Sea and in the west – by the Irish Sea and the Atlantic Ocean

- England is the largest, most populous and wealthiest division of the UK

Scotland – twice as small – 78790 sq km, Wales – 21, Northern Ireland – 14

• England – 53, Scotland – 32, Wales – 8,5, Northern Ireland – 5,8

• A number of small islands

• Anglesey, the Isles of Scilly, The Herbides, the Orkney island, the Shetland Islands

• Dependencies – the Isle of Man, Channel Islands, remains of the former British Empire. Britain assists the territories economically

• Gibraltar

• Highland zone and the lowland zone

• Lowland – south and est – rolling plains of a milder climate and better soils for farming

• Highland zone – Ben Nevis – 1,343 m located in the Highlands, high hills and mountains – the Pennine Chain – the backbone of England

• Western part of Highlands – Scotland’s famous lochs or lakes

• Northern Ireland – hilly highlands – Lough Neagh – 29 long – 18 wide

• Wales – covered by mountains – industrial establishments in Wales – coal mines

3. Climate

• moist climate with much rainfalls, river and lakes

• Severn is the longest

• Lough Neagh largest

• Loch Lomond largest

4. Mineral and energy resources

• Relies upon import from larger, cheaper foreign supplies

• Limestone, sand, gravel, rock, sandstone, clay, chalk, salt, gypsum, potash are quarried

• Has the richest energy sources in the EU, oil and natural gas resources are of vital importance

• Exports oil and natural gas

• Coal is far less important to the British economy nowadays

• Nuclear energy facilities

• Developing biofuels

5. Environmental issues

• Environmental protection is an important issue

• Good record of protecting

• Disposal of radioactive waste

• Another serious EI – the pressure to develop more land

• Restricted urban and suburban development in some areas. Land prices are extremely hign.

UK POLITICAL SYSTEM

1. Government of the UK

• Parliamentary monarchy

• Based on constitution composed of various historical documents, laws and formal customs

• Parliament – House of Lords, House of Commons and the monarch

• The House of Commons is far more influential than the House of Lords

• The CE is the prime minister, who is the member of HC

• The executive branch includes Her Majesty’s Government

• The government is composed of ministers in the Cabinet – members of HC

• Because the HC is involved in both legislative and executive branches of the British government, there is no separation of powers between executive and legislature as there is in the US

2. The constitution

• the written part consists of the Magna Carta, written in 1215, Petition of Right, passed by Parliament in 1628 and the Bill of Right of 1689.

• the entire body of laws enacted by Parliament, precedents established by decisions made in British courts of law and various traditions and customs.

• The democratically elected House of Commons can alter these laws with a majority vote

• C evolves as new laws are passed and judicial decisions are handed down. All laws passed by Parliament are regarded as constitutional.

• Although the crown gives its royal assent to legislation, this is a mere formality

3. The monarchy

4. Prime Minister

• the chief executive is the prime minister

• is the leader of the party that holds the most seats in the HC

• Monarch participates in the election of the prime minister

• PM presides over the cabinet and selects the other Cabinet members

• Acting through the Cabinet and in the name of the monarch, the PM exercises all the theoretical powers of the crown. Gordon Brown=> David Camerom

5. The cabinet

6. Privy Council

• Large ceremonial body 450 mtmbers

• Comprises all current and former cabinet members

• Advises monarch and arrangers for formal handling of documents

7. The legislature: Parliament

• Elected every 5 years

• Dissolved by the crown on the advice of the prime minister

• Sessions are held each year in October or November, at House of Parliament

• Legislated for the entire nation and includes representatives from E, S, W and NI.

The House of lords:

• Place of discussion and debate, passes legislation already approved by the HC

• Members not elected

• Made up of the lords temporal, spiritual, and the law lords

• The lords temporal are either hereditary peers or life peers

• 600 – life peers, appointed by monarch

• Made peers Winston Churchil and Harold Wilson

• Spiritual- archbishops of Canterbury and York, London

• Law lords\appeal assist in the judicial functions of the House of Lords

• Lords have the right to delay legislation, and may delay bills for up to about a year.

House of Commons:

• Real political power

• Elected by democratic voting over the age 18

• Elected from geographical constituencies determined by population

• Review the constituencies every 8-12 years

• Living abroad may vote for up to 20 years after leave

Judiciary:

• No supreme court

• Solicitors and barristers

• S perform everyday work of the law, legal matters – paperwork

• И plead cases in court. In Scotland – advocates. S engage И when they believe a client needs to go to court.

The principles:

• The right to trial by jury

• Right to due process of law

• Freedom from unlawful imprisonment

• The trial system of prosecution and defense

• The presumption that a person is innocent until proven guilty

The political background and Economic

Realities of Modern Britain

1. The post-war consensus policy

Phase 1 – 1945-79

Phase 2 – 79-97

Phase 3 1997-modern

• Labor Government in 1945 under Prime Minister Clement Attlee established what was later called the post war consensus between two parties, the conservative and labor parties

• C on fundamental economic and social matters, so that Britain could rebuild itself economically and socially after WW2.

• Despite ideological differences, both C and L Governments followed the principles for the national economy formulated by great pre-war economist J.M. Keynes.

• Principles: capitalist society could only survive if government a controlled и managed and с planned much of the general shape of its economy.

• The requirements of war had increased the belief in and practice of government planning

• Labor nationalized those industries and services considered central to the national economy (coal, steel, gas, oil, electricity supply, railways)

• Labor also established virtually full employment and a welfare stare

• This policy guaranteed free health and education, pensions and benefits for the old, disabled, sick or unemployed.

• The maintenance of the welfare state and full employment were accepted by the conservatives as fundamental responsibilities of government.

• However, neither principle could be ensured without an expanding economy

• Conservative Prime Minister Harold Macmillan “managing the post-war economy was like juggling four balls in the air” (an expanding economy, full employment, stable prices, strong pound)

• Full employment – government successful

• Keynesian economics – macroeconomic theory based on the ideas of John Keynes

• The general theory of Employment, Interest and Money

• Government policies could be used to increase demand thus increasing economic activities and reducing unemployment and deflation

• Solution to depression – stimulate economy – combination of two approaches – a reduction in the interest rates and government investment in infrastructure. Investment by government injects income, which results in more spending in the general economy, which in turn stimulates more production and investment involving

• Economy – stop-go cycle – periods of inflation followed by crises in the balance of payments, the difference between the value of total imports and exports.

• Doing only half well as other industrial countries

• Decline of the manufacturing industry, once Britain’s proudest assets.

• Consensus beginning to collapse – reasons – the doubling number of the unemployed in two years 1974-75, to exceed 1M; Winter of Discontent – the trade unions refused to accept the pay restraint demanded by the labor government’s economic strategy; labor lost the election of 1979 which was fought over two major issues: the question of union strength and the broader question of national economic decline

• While labor proposed continuing with the same economic policies, the victorious C, under their new leader Margaret Thatcher offered a radical alternative.

2. Thatcher’s age (1979-1990)

1975 she became convinced that the C had implemented basically socialist-type policies since 1945.

She brought an entirely new tone to government. A conviction politician.

She decided to establish a genuinely free-market economy unconstrained by government, which she regarded as true Conservatism

She decided to destroy socialism, which she blaimed for the country’s ills.

He targets were the Labour strongholds:

• Council estates – public housing rented by local government to people on low income

• The trade unions

• The local authorities

• The nationalized industries – coal and steel production, gas, oil and electricity supply, and the railway.

• Keynesian economics were fundamental wrong headed

• That all controls and regulations of the economy, except regulation of money supply, should be removed

• Government borrowing should be limited by reducing expenditure in the public sector

• High interest rates should be set to discourage everyone from borrowing

• This, according to her philosophy, would create a stable economic climate with low rates of inflation and taxation.

• This in turn would allow a market economy to recover

• The government role in economic revival would be minimal beyond securing these stable conditions and cutting public expenditure.

Mrs Thatcher free-market agenda and conviction politics paralyzed the country in a number of ways

• High interest rates made it impossible for many manufacturers to borrow money

• Her refusal to assist struggling industries led to dramatic changes

• Decline in total output in one year since the Depression of 1931 and the biggest collapse in industrial production in one year since 1921.

• Britain’s share of world trade fell by 15% between 17979 and 1986, a larger fall than in any other industrialized country during that period. In 1983 the import of manufactured goods exceeded exports for the first time in 200 years.

Unexpected social consequences – may 1979 – 1,2M unemployed. 1983 – 3M

Stress created by the government policies began to divide the nation.

Growing gulf between the richest and the poorest all over the country.

Mrs Thatcher was determined to break with the past and did not look back. She began to sell into private hands many publicly owned production and service companies, and even the regional water authorities. She had two basic interests:

• To free these areas from government control

• To persuade ordinary individuals to buy a stake in these enterprises

Government began to turn Britain into a share-owning democracy

Between 1979 and 1992 proportion of the population owining shares rose from 7to 24%

1980 – personal wealth rather than public ownership.

She set about controlling government spending. She failed to reduce government expenditure significantly

She undermined local authorities (or councils) by limiting their ability to raise money, by reducing their authority in some areas like education, training, research.

Margaret Thatcher resigned in 1990, when she lost the confidence of 1\3 of her party colleagues.

Her measures were considered not to be effective.

She faced major increases in costs: pensioners were living longer, unemployment figures stayed high, the cost of the health service and the armed forces rose rapidly.

By the 1990s Britain shares fell by 6%

The commitment to reduce government spending conflicted with the need for investment in education, training, research and development in order to produce long-term improvements in the economy.

3. John Major’s Period (1990-1997)

Valued the idea of consensus. More highly

• 1992 won the conservative election – worst period of recession since 1930s

• Administration was never successful

• Raised taxes

• Deep split between the growing right wing and the center left of the party

• Government’s majority in P was so reduced that it had to depend on vote of Ulster Unionist members of P

4. Tony Blair (1997-2007)

Labor party, youthful vigour

Long-term issues its priority – raising educational standards

Argued for constitutional reform

Decentralize power and be more openly accountable than any previous G

Labor promised to rejuvenate Britain

Gordon Brown – labor party, prime Min (2007-2010)

5. Modern Period

6. Economic overview

Industry:

Centers:

• Coventry – automobile production, tractors, airplanes, machine tools, synthetic textiles, electrical equipment and engineering products

• Birmingham – water, road and rail transportation, manufacture of autos and bicycles and their components, electrical equipments, guns and all kinds of metal products

• Liverpool – food processing (flour and sugar), electrical equipment, chemivals and rubbers

• Leeds - communication

• Newport

• Cardiff – coal-shipping port, oil and gasoline distribution

• Glasgow - leading seaport, chemicals, tobacco, tourist business

Agriculture:

• Arable

• Pastoral

• Mixed farming

• Horticulture

• Market gardening

• Viticulture

Symbols:

• England – St.George’s cross, red rose and three lions crest (bage)

• The Union flag – Union Jack – symbolizes the administrative union of the countries of the United Kingdom

• Named after James I

• The flag is flown (birthdays of royal family, Commonwealth day, Coronation day, the Queen’s official birthday, Rememberance day, State opening and prorogation of parliament, St david’s day, Georges’ day, Andrews, Patricks)

• Ireland – saint Patrick and Shamrock – the holy trinity

• Scotland – St Andrew, thistle – symbol of defense and bluebell

• Wales – Saint David – daffodil - leek

Oak tree – symbol of England

Three Lion crest – Crusades

Coat of Arms – Lion, Unicorn of Scotland – chained

God and my Right

Evil to him who evil thinks’

Wales is not represented on the shield, because it was not it’s part

National anthem – several songs which are used on special occasions

God, Save the queen

Wales – Land of my Fathers

Scotland – Flower of S and S the Brave

England – Jerusalem and Swing Low Land of Hope and Glory