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Magna Carta and its role in the life of the Great Britain

The political profile of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

The history of the British Empire versus the current situation in the UK

Magna Carta and its role in the life of the Great Britain

Fundamental continuity of British political system explains the nature of its system. There has not been any revolution and British has not been occupied for almost 1,000 years. That is the reason why Britain does not have written constitution.

Although there has been (1688) a struggle to shift political power and accountability from the all-powerful King to the national parliament that was increasingly representative of and accountable to ordinary people.

It is a well-known fact that Britain has had a few milestones on the road to full democracy. The first one was in 1215 when King John was forced to sign Magna Carta which involved him sharing power with the barons. Magna Carta clauses 63 articles which are about legality, law and order and guarantees of individual rights within ‘common law’. One of the most important clause is the 39^th as it forbad any punishment before a person comes before the court. Afterwards, this has been regarded as the first statement of citizen rights in the world.

Moreover, in 1295 the so-called Model Parliament was summoned by King Edward I and is regarded as the first representative assembly.

Then, the next milestone occurs in 1341 when the bicameral structure of the British Parliament (Commons and Lords) emerged.

Another significant fact about Britain relates to extending franchise. It was made gradually. The first step was in 1832 with the great Reform Act, which broadened the vote from 400,000 citizens to 600,000. The second one was in 1918 and the last one – in 1970 (to 18-21 years old).

As for its political history, it’s essential to mention that three parts of the UK – Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland – have a special status and local administrations with wide ranges of responsibilities. Nevertheless, its political system does not have anything equivalent to the federal system of the USA.

Nowadays British political system is limited in some respects because the UK is a member of EU. Thus, certain areas of policy or decision-making are a matter of EU.

Presently the UK is a constitutional monarchy but the powers of the monarch as a head of state are essentially ceremonial. The most important practical power is the choice of the Member of Parliament. Regarding monarch, one is determined on the hereditary and primogeniture principles; the oldest male child of a monarch is the next in the line to the throne.

It is interesting but the classical concept of separation of powers’ is not the case for the UK. For example, all ministers are members of the legislature, some senior judges are in the upper house and the formal head of judiciary is a senior minister. This illustrates how pragmatic and flexible the British political system is.

In conclusion, the British political system is known as the most stable in the world because of its gradual changes in political, economic and social spheres. The UK is a successful example of a mix of traditions and modernization.