The Conservative party of Great Britain (the official name The National Union of Conservative and Unionist Associations) — was officially organized in 1867 on the basis of political groups of the English landed aristocracy. The origins of the party go down to the 17th century, when it was called the Tory party. The Tories (formed […]

The Communist party was the first political party based on socialism directly voicing the real interests of the working class and the true interests of the vast majority of the nation. The Communist Party of Great Britian was founded on July 31 — August 1, 1920 on the basis of amalgamated socialist organizations (the left […]

The existence in Britain of organized political parties each laying its own policies before the electorate has led to well-developed political divisions in Parliament. The party system has existed in one form or another since the seventeenth century, and began to assume its modern shape towards the end of the nineteenth century. Whenever there is […]

For a law to be enacted it must be approved by the Queen in Parliament. That is a Bill (a draft law) must be presented and go through all the necessary stages in both Houses of Parliament and the Queen must signify her approval (which is a formality). The Bill then becomes an Act and […]

During the session the House of Lords meets on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 2.30 p.m. and on Thursdays at 3 p.m. Monday sittings at 2.30 and Friday sittings at 11 a.m. take place as business demands. Not all peers with a right to sit in the House of Lords attend the sittings. Average daily attendance […]

Parliament is the supreme legislative authority in Britain. The three elements of Parliament — the Queen and the two Houses of Parliament (the House of Lords and the elected House of Commons) are outwardly separate, are constituted on different principles, and they meet together only on occasions of symbolic significance, such as a coronation, or […]

When they speak of the British Parliament they usually mean the House of Commons. It is this House that is elected at a Parliamentary election. This reflects the leading role of the House of Commons though there is the other House in Westminster Palace, the House of Lords. Westminster is often referred to as ‘Mother […]

Although the Queen is deprived of actual power, she has retained many important, though formal, functions. These include summoning, proroguing and dissolving Parliament; giving royal assent to Bills passed by both Houses of Parliament; appointing every important office holder, including government ministers, judges, officers in the armed forces, governors, diplomats and bishops and some other […]

The United Kingdom is one of the few developed countries of capitalism where a constitutional monarchy has survived with its ages-old customs, traditions and ceremonies. The British constitution, unlike that of most other countries, is not contained in any single document: there is no written constitution. It was formed partly by statute, partly by common […]

The people who now inhabit the British Isles are descended mainly from the people who inhabited them nearly 9 centuries ago. The English nation was formed as a result of the amalgamation of the native population of the British Isles — the pre-Celts and the Celts with the invaders: the Germanic tribes of the Angles, […]