Further Reading

1. Britain’s System of Government. – London: Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1993. – 36 p.

2. Focus on Britain. – London: Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1993. – 40 p.

3. Jones B. Politics UK / B. Jones, D. Kavanagh, P. Norton, M. Moran. – [4-th ed.]. – London: Longman, 2000. – 736 p.

4. Kingdom J. Government and Politics in Britain: an introduction / John Kingdom. – [3-d ed.]. – Cambridge: Polity Press, 2003. – 800 p.

5. McLean I. The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Politics / I McLean, A. McMillan. – [2-d ed. revised]. – Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2003. – 624 p.

6. Parliamentary Elections in Britain. – London: Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1993. – 20 p.

7. Sheerin S. Spotlight on Britain [2-d edition] / S. Sheerin, J. Seath, G. White. – Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1990. 140 p.

*Constitutional monarchy is a form of government (Not to be confused with the form of territorial-political organization – unitary state)

** This is a result of a long process of evolution, during which the monarchy’s absolute power has been progressively reduced. William of Orange became the first King-in-Parliament after the Glorious Revolution as a result of which Parliament became more powerful than the king. Its power over the monarch was written into the Bill of Rights in 1689.

*** This is enacted under the Act of Settlement (1701). According to it only a Protestant could inherit a crown. The Act of Settlement was very important and it has remained in force ever since. Even today, if a son or a daughter of the monarch becomes a Catholic, he or she cannot inherit the throne.

**** Signed in 1215 by King John, Magna Carta (or the Great Charter) was a very important symbol of political freedom: the King promised all “freemen” protection from his officers and the right to a fair and legal trial. Hundreds of years later, Magna Carta was used by Parliament to protect itself from a powerful king.

* Hereditary peers are aged 21 years and over. Anyone succeeding to peerage may, within 12 months of succession, disclaim that peerage for his or her lifetime. Disclaimants lose their right to sit in the House but gain the right to vote and stand as candidates at parliamentary elections.

* The official residence of the Prime Minister is at 10 Downing Street, London.

1 Anyone who is a national of the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland or a Commonwealth country, who is legally resident in the United Kingdom, and who is 18 or over on the date of the election is eligible to vote, provided they are on the electoral register, unless they are currently a member of the House of Lords, imprisoned for a criminal offence, declared mentally incapable of making a reasoned judgement, or have been convicted of corrupt or illegal practices in connection with an election within the previous five years. In theory, members of the Royal Family, as well as the Monarch, are eligible to vote, although in practice they do not exercise that right. British citizens residing outside the United Kingdom can register as an overseas voter provided that they were on the electoral roll in the UK within the previous 15 years.