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.
Most people would see different wedding traditions, but if there is one that can be traced from the English style, that is of spreading flowers on the pathway towards the altar before the bride walks towards it. Such a practice stems from the belief that the bride will live through her life happily and lovely.
This practice is usually done by a small girl who dons the same design or dress of the bride herself. This is to avoid being singled out by any jealous evil wishers who might envy her life of happiness in the duration of the ceremonies.
Also, brides are also advised to carry a silver horseshoe to the hem of their wedding dresses. In the olden days, brides were even asked to carry actual horseshoes for good luck. The former is what most brides apply now since good luck is what any newlyweds will always be after.
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.
‘England expects that every man will do his duty.’
These famous words were used by Admiral Nelson to inspire his battle squadron at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. The battle was to be his last.
His death was a great loss to England. His leadership was renown for his compassion towards his men, and he was famous for the respect he gave those under him.
On the flip side, the Admiral was also known to be a glory-seeker,
As a commander he was known for bold action and sometimes disregarding orders.
His occasional defiance garnered him several victories against the Spanish and also at the Battle of Copenhagen where he memorably ignored orders to cease battle by placing his telescope to his one blind eye and pretending he couldnt see the signal from the other ships.
Under his leaderhsip, the Navy proved time and again its supremacy over the French.
To many, the red telephone box is something rather unique on England’s streets. In a modern England where everyone is well equipped with mobile phones, there really isn’t much need to visit a little cubicle and search the pocket for 30p. However, in its heyday the fast disappearing red telephone box was a real beacon of comfort provided you didn’t have to queue for too long.
In the past, it was a true life-saver for people who had no home telephone, and it also offered not only privacy but also shelter for users. Many old English people I know often say it was a kind of public amenity in which you didn’t mind waiting for the rain to stop. Some people also claim to have had their very first kiss in one, much to the entertainment of curious passers-by of course.
There is no doubt that these red boxes are well recognised and appreciated by all countries and they reflect England’s historic development in both architectural achievements and communications. As far as many are concerned, the famous red phone box does play a vital role in English culture and heritage, and has done so for many past decades.
Fortunately enough, the charming red boxes can be found all over England. They have also appeared in countless films and while they are disappearing fast due to new communication technology, an increasing number of people are still preserving them.
As a foreigner, the red telephone box well represents England in many respects to me. I used to live in England and even though I hardly used the phone boxes at all, I spent so much time admiring and appreciating them from a creative point of view. For me, it all started with a red phone box on the beach in Brighton during my half-term visit. The brilliant contrast of the shiny red colour against the beautiful seaside of the Southern English town made a fantastic photo opportunity.
Now back home in Bangkok I’ve still got loads and loads of red telephone box photos on my computer, in the beautiful snow, among green trees, taken from many different angles, mostly with mates crammed inside. To be fair, it’s such a good reminder of my time spent in England as I still remember precisely where and with whom I was, when each picture was taken.
The red phone box is definitely not only a gorgeous piece of English street furniture, globally recognised, it was and till these days still is a priceless life-saver for many people. I reckon that British Telecom should be praised for maintaining all these gorgeous red boxes. I’m certain everyone still remembers the tragedy of the London bombings back in 2005 when all the mobile phones technically went down but good old red phone box worked perfectly fine and helped put many people’s minds at rest.
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!
Every year, the British Royal Family spends Christmas Day walking – no, strolling – to church and back. This year, it was no different. The whole family went to St. Mary Magdalene, which is located in their estate in Norfolk. Naturally, a crowd gathered to see the nobles with their own eyes.
Tradition dictates that the entire family gather at this time of the year in Sandringham, Queen Elizabeth II’s private estate. As they walked to church, around a thousand onlookers extended their Christmas greetings to the Royal Family – either expressly or silently. Some, like Debbie Barlett, got an extra treat. Barlett is a 51-year-old carer who lives near the estate. She got a hug and a kiss from Prince William, who is third in line to the throne.
After church, the family had lunch, which is traditionally served at 1:00 pm. The traditional meal usually features a turkey (the huge kind, of course), which is raised in the estate. After lunch, everyone sits back and relaxes to watch Queen Elizabeth’s Christmas Day broadcast, which is aired at 3:00pm.
Opening of gifts do not happen on Christmas Day but Christmas Eve. This is another thing that the Royal Family does differently from the rest of the nation, which opens gifts on 25 December. Instead, the Royal Family follows in the footsteps of the Germans and open their gifts on Christmas Eve.
Sounds idyllic, doesn’t it? I wonder if they have any secret parties that common folk like us do not hear about?
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
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 Dec 27, 2008 by Jodie in English Cuisine, English Culture, English Places, English Traditions
With a history and culture as rich as it can be, there is no doubt that one can experience a myriad of festivities all throughout the country during the period of Christmas. As diverse as the activities are, one of the most popular is going around visiting various Christmas markets.
Year in and year out, visitors and locals alike look forward to Christmas markets all over the country. Here are some of the popular ones this year.
Bath Christmas Market
This has been a tradition in Bath since 2001. The town itself has a lot of other things to offer, especially the historic Abbey where the market is located. The traditional wooden stalls used as shops in the market add to the ambiance. More so, one can expect a lot of unique items.
Frankfurt Christmas Market
This is being held in Birmingham and is considered the largest Christmas market outside of Germany and Austria – definitely a unique experience!
Manchester Christmas Markets
Manchester is not to be outdone when it comes to markets this Christmas. It has more than one! There is a traditional German market, a European market, and an Arts and Crafts Market.
These are only a few of the on going Christmas markets in Britain today. More than the food, crafts, and other items on sale, visitors can enjoy the festive atmosphere with the entertainment being offered everywhere. This is a good time to feel the English culture at its festive best – wherever in England you may want to go.
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