The question of who it is exactly who runs the country of England is an interesting one to research.
Many foreign people often think that the Queen and Royalty of England are, naturally, the people in charge. As we shall find out, it’s not quite that simple..
England is run by the British Parliament. England is of course the largest country in Britain. The other countries are Scotland, Wales and Ireland. Parliament is basically a mix of important people and groups who together, run the the country.
England is a parliamentary democracy with a constitutional Monarch as the ‘Head of State’.
English (British) democracy works on the basic principle that the people of England and Britain elect Members of Parliament (known as ‘MPs’).
The Government has some principle officials, namely: The Head of State – Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Then, Prime Minister (Head MP) – The Rt. Hon. Tony Blair, MP. (Rt. Hon. stands for ‘Right Honourable’ and is a mark of respect). So Parliament itself is made up of the House of Commons, together with another ‘House’ called the House of Lords and then the Monarch (currently Queen Elizabeth).
Yes, alright! But what does Parliament actually DO?
Ah, ok ok. Essentially the Parliament has one main job – the creation of Law. Parliament passes new laws, amends laws, discusses laws and then other matters such as taxation. Foreign matters are often discussed along with domestic issues.
The Houses of Parliament sit next to the river Thames, a river that runs right through London. The impressive buildings are the subject of many a tourists photography!
Each MP who sits in the House of Commons (which sits inside the Houses of Parliament) has been elected, as I mentioned. Each individual MP ‘represents’ one of 659 constituencies in the U.K. Each of the constituencies has one ’seat’ in the House of Commons, so called because that is where the MP gets to sit while the House debates the various issues of government.
MPs are also grouped by the particular party they belong to. There are three main political parties in the system; New Labour, The Conservatives and Liberal Democrats. The party that gets the most ’seats’ elected by the people becomes the ruling government.
2001 saw the General Election won by New Labour. They won an impressive 413 ’seats’ (i.e. 413 constituencies voted a New Labour MP into power). By comparison, the Conservatives won 166 ’seats’ and the Liberal Democrats got 52. As it happens, we’re coming up to the next General Election at the moment. May 5th, 2005 will once again see the English people voting for who will run their country.
The Royal Coat of Arms of England has a specific function – it identifies the Head of State. The Head of State today is the Queen of England.
The English Lion supports the shield from the left hand side while the right is upheld by the Unicorn. In this case, the Unicorn is a symbol of Scotland.
Many people often ask why the Unicorn is shackled to the shield – is this to imply something about the relationship between England and Scotland
Alas, no, the Unicorn is chained because in the days when this coat was created, a unicorn unshackled was considered unlucky, as they were mythically very dangerous beasts!
The coat of arms features the motto of England, described below.
The Motto of England
Dieu et mon Droit is written on many things such as money and indeed, the coat of arms. It is French for ‘God and My Right’. This motto was first used by Richard I, King, in 1198. Henry VI adopted it as the motto of England later.
The Coat of Arms also includes another motto:
The Motto of the Order of the Garter:
Honi soit qui mal y pense means ‘Shamed be he who thinks ill of it’.
The shield amidst the coat of arms shows the royal emblems that refer to specific parts of the United Kingdom.
The Three lions of England, the Harp of Northern Island and the Unicorn of Scotland. The shield of England with the three lions is popular now thanks to English football.
Richard the Lionheart used the symbol originally on a scarlet backgroud. It was a symbol of power and the English Throne used extensively during the crusades.
Serials have a way of coming and going with the changing of the times, yet there are certain publications that seem to have a lasting value; proven and tested over time. One of these is definitely Reader’s Digest. For many generations, this publication has been a staple. From doctors’ offices to family coffee tables to libraries – copies of Reader’s Digest can be had for reading pleasure. All over the world, Reader’s Digest has become known as a reliable source of information. The United Kingdom is no exception.
Recently, however, the British arm of Reader’s Digest experienced serious problems. On the 17th of February, the business went under. This was a mere half a year after the United States arm filed for bankruptcy. As can be expected, a considerable number of buyers expressed their interest in buying the company.
Early this month, Jon Moulton’s Better Capital gave the British Reader’s Digest the helping hand that it sorely needed. Moulton bought the publication, with the present management keeping 35 per cent stake.
More than keeping its 500,000 subscribers happy about continuing to receive editions on a regular basis, the move by Moulton has other implications. Reader’s Digest in Britain employs a little over a hundred employees. While the number may not be that huge as compared to other companies, these people’s lives are greatly impacted by the saving of the company. With the £13 million that Moulton’s company is investing in Reader’s Digest, their lives just might be changed for the better despite the bleak economic times.
Young people today probably do not know who P.T. Barnum is, but those from an older generation will still remember how he thrilled America AND England with his freak shows. P.T. Barnum made a name for himself in both countries by showcasing the most freakish things you’ve ever seen – during those times, at least. The funny thing is that many – if not most – of his “features” were merely tricks!
No one can deny his genius, though. And, to celebrate his life and work, an exhibit is being held at the Western Bank Library Exhibition Gallery until the 27th of May. More information from the Seattle PI blog:
The exhibit, Humbug! Celebrating 200 Years of P.T Barnum, showcases original posters, handbills, and memorabilia used by the famed entertainer to promote his shows over 100 years ago. It celebrates the trickster who took America and England by storm with his collection of real and invented freakish attractions. The curator of the exhibit, Professor Vanessa Toulmin, Director of the NFA, is pleased to have the chance to show off many one-of-a-kind items from her collection: “The archive material on display is usually all in boxes behind the scenes, so it’s a fantastic opportunity to see around 100 items from the depths of our archive.” When asked to explain the magic of Barnum she replies: “He’s probably the world’s greatest showman. He created what we know today as PR/marketing and showmanship. Everything I’ve ever thought of, he did it!”
Indeed, P.T. Barnum’s skill and talent as a showman has probably not been surpassed by anyone in this century. Taking the era and the extent of his achievements into consideration, this is no mean feat! So if you find yourself in the area between now and May, do go and take a look at the collection; and, discover P.T. Barnum and why he captured the people of his time.
This is a big thing in the world of libraries: none other than The British Library has joined in the fray of making the most of the World Wide Web! On February 25, culture minister Margaret Hodge announced the launch of National Web Archive. This online archive is to hold ALL of the free web sites of the UK including such material as the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, the 2009 swine flu outbreak advice, and more.
The Web Archive has been developed – and is being developed – in conjunction with other entities such as IBM, the national libraries of Scotland and Wales, Jisc, and the Wellcome Library. Information Week tells us more:
According to the British Library, the average life expectancy of a Web site is between 44 and 75 days and every six months, 10% of .uk Web pages vanish or are replaced by new material.
“With so much material now published online, and considering the growing influence of the Internet on British culture and society, the Web is now a key part of the nation’s memory,” said Margaret Hodge, the U.K.’s Minister of Culture and Tourism, in a statement. “A failure to record and preserve the UK domain would not just be detrimental to future research but leave a significant gap in our digital heritage.”
The .uk Internet domain currently consists of about 8 million Web pages and is expected to reach 11 million by 2011. The British Library currently has 10 people manually archiving the 5 terabytes of U.K. Web page data.
It is comforting to know that our children – and their children – will be able to access the very same web pages that we are accessing today. Or, NOT. 
If you’ve ever celebrated Christmas in Britain, or with a British family, then you probably have had some experience with Christmas crackers. These are traditionally part of the Christmas dinner. These days, Christmas crackers comes in various designs but in the simplest form, a cracker is made of a cardboard tube with festive wrapping twisted in such a way that there are two ends. Two people have to pull at each end, and then it pops (cracks) to reveal the surprise inside. The pop is due to some chemically treated strip of paper inside the tube; the surprise usually a party hat or some other treat. The aim is to get the longer end of the cracker in order to “win” the treat.
Obviously, people would be wanting to get the longer end of the Christmas cracker all the time. This has led British researchers to come up with a formula that will ensure success at the table. AFP reports:
Diners are guaranteed success if they follow the formula O=11xC/L+5xQ which is based on the angle, grip and quality of the cracker. You must first multiply the circumference of the cracker in inches (C) by 11 before dividing that number by the length (L) of the barrel.
Take that total and add it to the figure you get when you multiply the quality (Q) — either 1, 2 or 3 depending on whether the cracker is cheap, standard or premium — by five, the Daily Mail said. The formula ought to produce a figure between 20 and 55 degrees, which is the optimum pulling angle (O). The cracker should also be pulled one inch from the end of the tail, newspapers said.
Too much trouble, don’t you think? Then again, if you want bragging rights, it wouldn’t hurt to practice and get it perfect for next year!
I don’t know if you have noticed it, but Google’s home page is showing some really cute images. I think they started doing it yesterday or the day before. What are these cute images? Everyone recognises them – character from Sesame Street!
People of all ages around the world are joining forces to celebrate the 40th anniversary of iconic children’s show, but would you believe that Britons are not as excited as the rest of the world? The BBC recently ran a feature on why Britain fell out of love with the show, and the reason is that because it is “dangerous:”
The show crossed the Atlantic 18 months after its US launch, but the BBC rejected it because of its “authoritarian aims” in trying to change children’s behaviour. “This sounds like indoctrination, and a dangerous extension of the use of television,” said the head of children’s programmes at the time, Monica Sims.
TV critic Barry Norman, writing in The Times in November 1971, said it was “neither good enough nor bad enough” to justify all the fuss, adding that the BBC had no need for it because it already broadcast Blue Peter and Play School.
Indeed, cultural differences may play a big role in the story. With successful children’s shows being shown in the UK, Sesame Street has a lot of competition. We also have to consider the bias that the British have for their cousins across the sea. Still, the show is shown on Five.
So today, while Sesame Street continues to be shown in more than a hundred countries, the children of Britain are not particularly affected by the hullaballoo. That does not mean that they are not getting the “telly education” that other children are not getting, though, does it?
The red poppy was first used as a symbol to remember those who have died in war. Its use is attributed to Moina Bell Michael, an American teacher who raised funds for those who used to be in the military by selling silk poppies. The United States officially dubbed the silk poppy as the emblem for remembrance in 1920, and the UK followed suit a year after.
In about a week’s time, the nation will be celebrating Remembrance Day, and poppies will be all over the place yet again. Did you know that while red is the predominant colour that is used, poppies can also be worn in white and purple? White poppies trace their roots to 1933, thanks to the Women’s Cooperative Guild. The colour white stands for an end to all wars – peace. Purple poppies on the other hand are worn to commemorate animals which have fallen victim to wars.
Whichever colour of poppy you choose to wear, you should know that there is a time to wear the emblem. The norm is to wear poppies from 1 November until 11 November, which is Armistice Day. However, there are those who believe that poppies should only be worn until Remembrance Sunday.
Another thing you ought to take into consideration is where to wear your poppy – left or right? You will hear differing opinions, but the Royal British Legion maintains the stand that no place is right or wrong. What matters is that you wear that poppy with pride.
So, go ahead and get yourself a poppy and remind yourself – and everyone around you – what others have gone through and what you have to be thankful for.
Photo courtesy of The Daily Mail
It may be hard to imagine – impossible almost – but a three-year old boy is now considered to be the youngest criminal in all of Britain. His name is, of course, kept confidential, but there is no doubt that the toddler is being investigated in relation to a case regarding damage to household property.
It is almost incomprehensible, really. After all, children at that age DO have the capacity to wreak havoc, especially at home. They do not know any better. So makes this toddler different from any other toddler who gets mischievous every now and then?
According to Chris Grayling, the shadow home secretary:
“This is a clear manifestation of the first signs of offending. These instances underline the very deep social problems we have in some parts of the country. It is part of the very complex picture we call broken Britain.”
Not to offend anyone, but in any nation where children as young as three can be considered criminals, there really is something broken! And this is actually the least of it. The Telegraph, in its report about the boy, cited many other cases wherein children as young as eight and nine have been accused of rape! Offenses such as theft, possession of knives, and assaults are also apparently not unheard of.
I blame the parents. Children below 10 (and even beyond this age, actually!) are in their formative years – years in which their values and perspectives are shaped. Where were the parents when the children were committing these crimes? The kids may not be prosecuted as adults because of the law, but the parents should be held accountable, don’t you think?
Looks like I can’t seem to stop myself from writing about food…
Today, the 2009 British Food Fair opened in Taipei, Taiwan. The food fair is being overseen by the British Trade and Cultural Office, in cooperation with City’Super, a well known high end supermarket in the country. The features of the food fair are, according to BTCO Director David Campbell, “sweet and savoury products specially sourced from the United Kingdom to bring local customers the taste of traditional British culinary culture.”
Naturally, the British tradition of tea and biscuits is the focal point of the food fair. In fact, Clare Lear of the British Assistance and Services Section of BTCO gave a demonstration on how to whip up a British afternoon tea using some of the products on display in the food fair. Some of these products include tea, biscuits, sauces, and chocolate.
The food fair will run until 4 September and is being hosted by three branches of the supermarket in the city. People who visit the food fair will be in for a treat – not only because of the UK food products being presented but also because they have the chance to win a round trip ticket to the UK, a Brompton Baby Pink bicycle, and a Dyson vacuum cleaner. In addition to these, entrance tickets to the Pixar 20th anniversary exhibition are also up for grabs.
While majority of the British might not have had the chance to visit Taipei, it does give you a sense of pride to know that people on the other side of the world are interested in your culture, doesn’t it?
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Posted on Aug 26, 2010 by