On February 21, 1868, the president and secretary of the Manchester and Salford Trades Council sent out a letter calling trades councils all over Britain to a congress. This was the birth of the Trades Union Congress (TUC). That first congress represented 118,000 workers. Delegates discussed the “probability of an attempt being made during the […]
In the 19th century the Diplomatic Service was recruited almost exclusively from the landed aristocracy. Up to 1918, what is now known as the Foreign Service was divided into two separate organisations: the Foreign Office, corlsisting of Civil servants at Whitehall, and the larger Diplomatic Service — the embassy staffs abroad, from ambassadors downward. To […]
In Britain the result of the election usually becomes clear early on Friday morning, and by Friday afternoon the new Prime Minister is calling at the Palace and moving into Downing Street. The fact that many Cabinet Ministers now live “above the shop’’ makes the transition more fierce, for overnight they lose not only their […]
The most important job of the political parties is to provide Cabinet ministers. For whatever Parliament may do, it is on these twenty men that the week-to-week running of the country depends. The Cabinet has no legal existence, beyond the powers of the ministers of the Crown. It is merely a Committee, whose very existence […]
Each session of Parliament is usually opened in the House of Lords by the Queen (King), who is attended by heralds, officers of the Court and,mempbers of the Diplomatic Corps. The Commons are “summbned’’ to the Chamber by Black Rod (the Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod, whose title derives from the black staff with […]
The Lords and Commons began to meget, separately some five centuries ago and the Commons were allotted St Stephen’s Chapel of the Palace of Westminster, built on a marshy island in the Thames. MPs sat in the,choir stalls facing each other, with the Speaker’s, chair on a dais’‘in front of the altar. Some MPs sat […]
Great Britain is one of the biggest and highly developed countries in the world. Britain’s democratic system of government is long established and well tried, and has provided a remarkable political stability. Britain’s overseas relations including its membership in the European Economic Community and its links with Commonwealth countries, enable it to realize international cooperation. […]
Great importance is attached in Britain to human rights. Respect for individual freedoms forms a cornerstone of Britain’s democratic system. British public opinion is concerned about violations of human rights throughout the world. The British Government regards the observation of human rights and their protection as an important element of its foreign policy. These rights […]
Mankind long believed that, whatever we did, the Earth would remain much the same. We know now that is untrue. Nature is under threat. One country’s pollution can be every country’s problem. So we all need to work together to safeguard our environment. We have a moral duty to look after our planet and hand […]
Great Britain is a monarchy, but the Queen of Great Britain is not absolute, but constitutional. Her powers are limited by Parliament. But the power is hereditary, and not elective. The Prime Minister is usually the leader of the party that has a majority in the House of Commons. All the affairs of the state […]
