United Kingdom
Queen Elizabeth
Queen Elizabeth is for four nations in The United Kingdom, however The United Kingdom has four nations which different therefor i am going to mention some info about the United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland[note 7] (commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK, or Britain) is a country[7][8] and sovereign state[9][10] located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island nation,[11] spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of the island of Ireland, and many smaller islands. Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK with a land border[note 8] with another sovereign state, sharing it with the Republic of Ireland.[12][13] Apart from this land border, the UK is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, the North Sea, the English Channel and the Irish Sea. Great Britain is linked to continental Europe by the Channel Tunnel.
The United Kingdom is a constitutional monarchy and unitary state consisting of four countries: England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.[14] It is governed by a parliamentary system with its seat of government in London, the capital, but with three devolved national administrations of varying powers[15][16] in Belfast, Cardiff and Edinburgh, the capitals of Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland respectively. The Channel Island bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey, and the Isle of Man are Crown Dependencies, which means they are constitutionally tied to the British monarch but are not part of the UK.[17] The UK has fourteen overseas territories that are not constitutionally part of the UK.[18] These territories are remnants of the British Empire, which at its height in 1922 encompassed almost a quarter of the world's land surface, the largest empire in history. British influence can still be observed in the language, culture and legal systems of many of its former colonies.
The UK is a developed country, with the world's sixth largest economy by nominal GDP and the sixth largest by purchasing power parity. It was the world's first industrialised country[19] and the world's foremost power during the 19th and early 20th centuries,[20] but the economic and social cost of two world wars and the decline of its empire in the latter half of the 20th century diminished its leading role in global affairs. The UK nevertheless remains a great power with leading economic, cultural, military, scientific and political influence. It is a recognised nuclear weapons state while its military expenditure ranks third or fourth in the world, depending on the method of calculation.[21] It is a Member State of the European Union, a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, a member of the Commonwealth of Nations, G8, G20, NATO, OECD and the World Trade Organization.
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History
Main article: History of the United Kingdom
In its first century, the United Kingdom played an important role in developing Western ideas of the parliamentary system as well as making significant contributions to literature, the arts, and science.[31] The UK-led Industrial Revolution transformed the country and fuelled the growing British Empire. During this time the UK, like other great powers, was involved in colonial exploitation, including the Atlantic slave trade, although with the passing of the Slave Trade Act in 1807 the UK took a leading role in combating the trade in slaves.[32]
The nation suffered an estimated two and a half million casualties and finished the war with a huge national debt.[36] After the war the United Kingdom received the League of Nations mandate over former German and Ottoman colonies and the British Empire had expanded to its greatest extent, covering a fifth of the world's land surface and a quarter of its population.[37] The Great Depression (1929–32) broke out at a time when the UK was still far from having recovered from the effects of the war and led to hardship and political and social unrest.[38]
The immediate post-war years saw the establishment of the Welfare State, including among the world's first and most comprehensive public health services.[citation needed] Changes in government policy also brought people from all over the Commonwealth to create a multiethnic Britain.[citation needed] Although the new postwar limits of Britain's political role were confirmed by the Suez Crisis of 1956, the international spread of the English language meant the continuing influence of its literature and culture, while from the 1960s its popular culture also found influence abroad. Following a period of global economic slowdown and industrial strife in the 1970s, the 1980s saw the inflow of substantial North Sea oil revenues and economic growth.[citation needed] The premiership of Margaret Thatcher marked a significant change of direction from the post-war political and economic consensus.[citation needed]
Beginning in the 1960's a period of ethno-political conflict began in Northern Ireland known as the Troubles. Increasing pressures from nationalists for reform and from extreme unionists for No surrender led to increased communal strife. The British Army was deployed in 1969 and was, at first, warmly welcomed.[citation needed] However, relationships deteriorated and the emergence of the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) and a campaign of violence by loyalist terror groups like the Ulster Defence Association brought Northern Ireland to the brink of Civil War. Some British politicians advocated British withdrawal from Ireland, but this policy was opposed by successive British and Irish governments, who feared a civil war that could engulf not only Northern Ireland but also the Republic of Ireland and Scotland.[citation needed] Direct Rule was introduced from London starting on 24 March 1972.[citation needed] By the 1990s, the failure of the IRA campaign to win mass public support or achieve its aim by British Withdrawal saw a move away from armed conflict to political engagement. Contacts initiatively been Adams and John Hume, leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party, broadened out into all party negotiations, that in 1998 produced the 'Good Friday Agreement' which was approved by a majority of both communities in Northern Ireland and by the people of the Republic of Ireland. Under this Agreement, properly known as the Belfast Agreement, a new Northern Ireland Assembly was elected to form a Northern Irish parliament, and the constitution of the Republic of Ireland was amended to replace a claim it allegedly made to the territory of Northern Ireland while also acknowledging the nationalist desire for a united Ireland.[citation needed]
The United Kingdom was one of the 12 founding members of the European Union at its launch in 1992 with the signing of the Maastricht Treaty. Prior to that, it had been a member of the EU's forerunner, the European Economic Community (EEC), from 1973. The end of the 20th century saw major changes to the governance of the UK with the establishment of devolved national administrations for Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales following pre-legislative referenda.[40]
Government and politics
Main articles: Monarchy of the United Kingdom, Politics of the United Kingdom, and Elections in the United Kingdom
The United Kingdom has an uncodified constitution,[41] as do only three other countries in the world.[42] The Constitution of the United Kingdom thus consists mostly of a collection of disparate written sources, including statutes, judge-made case law, and international treaties. As there is no technical difference between ordinary statutes and "constitutional law," the UK Parliament can perform "constitutional reform" simply by passing Acts of Parliament and thus has the political power to change or abolish almost any written or unwritten element of the constitution. However, no Parliament can pass laws that future Parliaments cannot change.[43]
The UK has a parliamentary government based on the Westminster system that has been emulated around the world—a legacy of the British Empire. The Parliament of the United Kingdom that meets in the Palace of Westminster has two houses: an elected House of Commons and an appointed House of Lords, and any Bill passed requires Royal Assent to become law. It is the ultimate legislative authority in the United Kingdom since the devolved parliament in Scotland and devolved assemblies in Northern Ireland, and Wales are not sovereign bodies and could be abolished by the UK parliament.
The position of Prime Minister, the UK's head of government,[44] belongs to the Member of Parliament who can obtain the confidence of a majority in the House of Commons, usually the current leader of the largest political party in that chamber. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are formally appointed by the Monarch to form Her Majesty's Government, though the Prime Minister chooses the Cabinet, and by convention HM The Queen respects the Prime Minister's choices.[45]
The UK's three major political parties are the Conservative Party, the Labour Party, and the Liberal Democrats, who won between them 622 out of 650 seats available in the House of Commons: 621 seats at the 2010 general election[47] and 1 more at the delayed by-election in Thirsk and Malton.[48] Most of the remaining seats were won by minor parties that only contest elections in one part of the UK such as the Scottish National Party (Scotland only), Plaid Cymru (Wales only), and the Democratic Unionist Party, Social Democratic and Labour Party, Ulster Unionist Party, and Sinn Féin (Northern Ireland only, though Sinn Féin also contests elections in Ireland). In accordance with party policy, no elected Sinn Féin Member of Parliament has ever attended the House of Commons to speak in the House on behalf of their constituents as Members of Parliament are required to take an oath of allegiance to the Monarch. However, the current five Sinn Féin MPs have since 2002 made use of the offices and other facilities available at Westminster.[49]
For elections to the European Parliament, the UK currently has 72 MEPs, elected in 12 multi-member constituencies.[50] Questions over sovereignty have been brought forward because of the UK's membership of the European Union.[51]
Devolved national administrations
The Scottish Government and Parliament have wide ranging powers over any matter that has not been specifically 'reserved' to the UK parliament, including education, healthcare, Scots law and local government.[54] Following their victory at the 2007 elections, the pro-independence Scottish National Party (SNP) formed a minority government with its leader, Alex Salmond, becoming First Minister of Scotland.[55] The pro-union parties responded to the electoral success of the SNP by creating a Commission on Scottish Devolution[56] which reported in 2009, recommending that additional powers should be devolved, including control of half the income tax raised in Scotland.[57]
The Welsh Assembly Government and the National Assembly for Wales have more limited powers than those devolved to Scotland,[58] although following the passing of the Government of Wales Act 2006, the Assembly can now legislate in some areas through Assembly Measures passed within clearly defined areas based upon, Legislative Competence Orders which can be granted on a case by case basis.[59] The current Welsh Assembly Government was formed several weeks after the 2007 elections, following a brief period of minority administration, when Plaid Cymru joined Labour in a coalition government under the leadership of First Minister Rhodri Morgan until December 2009,[60] after which Carwyn Jones became First Minister.[61]
The Northern Ireland Executive and Assembly have powers closer to those already devolved to Scotland. The Northern Ireland Executive is led by a diarchy, currently First Minister Peter Robinson (Democratic Unionist Party) and deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness (Sinn Féin).[62]
Law and criminal justice
Main article: Law of the United Kingdom
The United Kingdom does not have a single legal system since it was created by the political union of previously independent countries, with Article 19 of the Treaty of Union guaranteeing the continued existence of Scotland's separate legal system.[63] Today the UK has three distinct systems of law: English law, Northern Ireland law and Scots law. Recent constitutional changes saw a new Supreme Court of the United Kingdom come into being in October 2009 to take on the appellate functions of the Appellate Committee of the House of Lords.[64][65] The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, including the same members as the Supreme Court, is the highest court of appeal for several independent Commonwealth countries, the UK overseas territories, and the British crown dependencies.
Both English law, which applies in England and Wales, and Northern Ireland law are based on common-law principles.[citation needed] The essence of common law is that, subject to statute, the law is developed by judges in court, applying statute, precedent and common sense to the facts before them, to give explanatory judgements of the relevant legal principles, which are reported and binding in future similar cases (stare decisis).[citation needed] The courts of England and Wales are headed by the Senior Courts of England and Wales, consisting of the Court of Appeal, the High Court of Justice (for civil cases) and the Crown Court (for criminal cases). The Supreme Court is the highest court in the land for both criminal and civil appeal cases in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland and any decision it makes is binding on every other court in the same jurisdiction, and often has persuasive effect in its other jurisdictions.[citation needed]
Crime in England and Wales increased in the period between 1981 and 1995, though since that peak there has been an overall fall of 48% in crime from 1995 to 2007/08,[71] according to crime statistics. The prison population of England and Wales has almost doubled over the same period, to over 80,000, giving England and Wales the highest rate of incarceration in Western Europe at 147 per 100,000.[72] Her Majesty's Prison Service, which reports to the Ministry of Justice, manages most of the prisons within England and Wales. In Scotland although the level of recorded crime in 2007/08 has fallen to the lowest for 25 years,[73] the prison population, at over 8,000,[74] is hitting record levels and is well above design capacity.[75]
Administrative geography
Main article: Administrative geography of the United Kingdom
The organisation of local government in England is complex, with the distribution of functions varying according to the local arrangements. Legislation concerning local government in England is decided by the UK parliament and the government of the United Kingdom, because England does not have a devolved parliament. The upper-tier subdivisions of England are the nine Government office regions or European Union government office regions.[78] One region, Greater London, has had a directly elected assembly and mayor since 2000 following popular support for the proposal in a referendum.[79] It was intended that other regions would also be given their own elected regional assemblies, but a rejection by a referendum in 2004 of a proposed assembly in the North East region stopped this idea in its tracks.[80] Below the region level, London consists of 32 London boroughs and the rest of England has either county councils and district councils or unitary authorities. Councillors are elected by First Past The Post in single member wards or by the multi-member plurality system in multi-member wards.[81]
Local government in Northern Ireland has, since 1973, been organised into 26 district councils, each elected by single transferable vote with powers limited to services like collecting waste, controlling dogs, and maintaining parks and cemeteries.[82] However, on 13 March 2008, the Executive agreed on proposals to create 11 new councils to replace the present system[83] and the next local elections will be postponed until 2011 to facilitate this.[84]
Local government in Scotland is divided on a basis of 32 council areas, with wide variation in both size and population. The cities of Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Dundee are separate council areas as also is Highland Council, which includes a third of Scotland's area but just over 200,000 people. The power invested in local authorities is administered by elected councillors, of which there are currently 1,222[85] who are each paid a part-time salary. Elections are conducted by single transferable vote in multi-member wards that elect either three or four councillors. Each council elects a Provost or Convenor to chair meetings of the council and to act as a figurehead for the area. Councillors are subject to a code of conduct enforced by the Standards Commission for Scotland.[86] The representative association of Scotland's local authorities is the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA).[87]
Local government in Wales consists of 22 unitary authorities, including the cities of Cardiff, Swansea and Newport, which are separate unitary authorities in their own right.[88] Elections are held every four years by First Past The Post[89] with the most recent elections being in May 2008. The Welsh Local Government Association represents the interests of local authorities in Wales.[90]
British overseas territories
Main article: British overseas territories
The British Overseas Territories are fourteen territories of the United Kingdom which do not form part of the United Kingdom itself.[91] They are the remnants of the British Empire that have not acquired independence or have voted to remain British territories.The fourteen territories are Anguilla, Bermuda, the British Antarctic Territory, the British Indian Ocean Territory, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, the Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Montserrat, Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, the Turks and Caicos Islands, the Pitcairn Islands, South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands, and the Sovereign Base Areas on Cyprus.[92] Claims in Antarctica, including that of Britain, are not recognised by all nations.[93] Collectively Britain's overseas territories encompass an approximate land area of 667,018 square miles (1,728,000 km2) and a population of approximately 260,000 people.[94]
In the end this is some info about Great of Britain.
