Great Britain is the term used for the island containing the neighboring
nations¹ of England, Scotland and Wales. Great Britain is used to distinguish
Britain from Brittania Minor, or Brittany, in France. The term "Great
Britain" was officially used only after King James I (who was also James VI
of Scotland) acceded to the throne of England and Wales in 1603, styling
himself King of Great Britain, although legislative union between Scotland
and England did not take place until 1707.
England, Scotland and Wales together with the province of
Northern Ireland, form the country officially known as "The
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland" or
simply the United Kingdom.
Ireland
The United Kingdom came into being in 1801 following the
Irish Union, although the greater part of Ireland gained
independence in 1921 to form the Irish Republic (or Eire). The
majority of the people in Northern Ireland have wished to
remain part of the U.K., although a minority wish unification
with the Irish Republic.
The term "England" is sometimes erroneously used by both natives of England (the English) and those outside our country
to refer to the United Kingdom. Natives of the other constituent nations of the U.K. find such usage offensive, so it is best
avoided! Although there is no adjective for the "United Kingdom" the term "British" is acceptable, although has to be
used with care and sensitivity in Northern Ireland, where one section of the community would be happy being sodescribed, whereas the other would most definitely regard themselves as "Irish".
The United Kingdom does not include the Isle of Man (which lies
between Great Britain and the island of Ireland) and the Channel Islands
(which lie off the North coast of France). These are direct dependencies
of the British Crown, maintaining their own legislative, monetary and
taxation systems. Each have their own parliaments and a Governor,
appointed by the Crown.
The British Isles is used more loosely to describe the main island of Great
Britain together with its associated islands (including the Isle of Man). It
has no legal significance.
The Channel Islands, which include the independent States of Jersey,
Guernsey, Alderney and Sark, are the only remaining components of the
"Duchy of Normandy" which still belong to the British Crown.
The United Kingdom (including the Channel Islands, but without the Isle
of Man) is a member of the European Union. The Isle of Man maintains
free-trade agreements with the European Union, but is not a member.
¹ Where a "nation" is defined as "a body of people marked off by common descent, language, culture or historical tradition"
The United Kingdom is a parliamentary democracy: the government is voted into power by the people, to act in the
interests of the people. Every adult has the right to vote - known as 'universal suffrage' (suffrage = voting)
Alongside this system, the UK is also a constitutional monarchy. This is a situation where there is an established
monarch (currently Queen Elizabeth II), who remains politically independent and with limited powers.
What happens in Parliament?
British Parliament, is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, similar to the United States Congress. The
main work of Parliament is to make laws, debate issues, and look at how taxes are spent to help run the country. The
issues that are discussed in Parliament are wide reaching: health, the environment, transport, jobs, schools, crime. For
instance, Parliament has recently debated and voted on how long people arrested on suspicion of terrorism can be held
without being charged.
Who gets to work in Parliament?
The United Kingdom is a democratic country, which means all citizens have a say in how the country is run. Citizens do
this by electing Members of Parliament (MPs) to represent their views in the House of Commons, which is the lower
house of Parliament. This part of Parliament has the greatest political power. The second part of Parliament is the House
of Lords, whose unelected members complement the work of the House of Commons. The House of Lords is known as
the upper house of Parliament. The members of the House of Lords are appointed either through their association with the
Church of England (archbishops, bishops, abbots) or through hereditary peerage (dukes, marquesses, earls, viscounts,
barons, etc). The third and final part of Parliament is the Monarch, the Queen, who signs the laws that Parliament votes
for.
Where is Parliament?
The Houses of Parliament, also known as the Palace of
Westminster, is in the centre of London. As well as the home of
the UK Parliament, it is also a royal palace and former residence
of great kings. The Palace comprises many famous sites
including the green-colored House of Commons Chamber and the
red-colored House of Lords Chamber where political decisions
are made to this day. It also includes the famous Clock Tower,
popularly known as Big Ben.
To give the people of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland more
say over what happens in their countries, the UK Parliament has
given away some of its powers to other national and regional
bodies. In Scotland, for example, there is the Scottish Parliament
which has elected members who make some decisions for
Scotland. Wales and Northern Ireland have their own assemblies
and there is also a London Assembly.
Government vs. Parliament
The government is in charge of managing the country and deciding how our taxes are spent. Different government
departments run different things. For example, there is a department in charge of health and another in charge of transport.
Led by the prime minister, the UK government is formed by the political party with the greatest representation in the
House of Commons. The prime minister selects a team of MPs and members of the House of Lords to help run the
country. These MPs selected by the prime minister are called government ministers. He or she doesn't select every
member of the Commons or Lords to join the government. All the other MPs and members of the House of Lords carry
out the work of Parliament.
Citizens of the United Kingdom can see government ministers sitting next to the prime minister in the House of
Commons at prime minister’s question time which happens every Wednesday and is shown on the television and the web.
Every government minister has to hold a question and answer session in Parliament on a regular basis. This is usually
once every month rather than every week like the prime minister. Members of Parliament (MPs) can use these question
times to find out what the government is doing or suggest ways of doing things better.
Parliament and government both play a part in forming the laws of the United Kingdom. They are separate institutions
that work closely together, so it's easy to mix-up exactly what each one is responsible for.
 Government: The government runs the country. It has responsibility for developing and implementing laws
and for drafting laws. It is also known as the Executive.
 Parliament: Parliament is the highest legislative authority in the UK. It has responsibility for checking the
work of government and examining, debating and approving new laws. It is also known as the Legislature.
Forming a Government
The political party that wins the most seats in a general election forms the new government (or Executive), led by their
party leader - who becomes Prime Minister. The Prime Minister appoints those government ministers to run and develop
public services and policies.
Parliament's parts: The UK Parliament can be found in Westminster, London. It has three parts:



The House of Commons is made up of 650 Members of Parliament (MPs). British citizens vote for MPs and
whoever wins represents everyone in a local area (called a constituency).
The House of Lords has over 700 members, who are not elected but who have been selected by the prime
minister and appointed by the Queen.
The monarch, the Queen, opens and closes Parliament every year, asks the winning party in a general election to
become the government and officially signs all the laws that Parliament votes for.
Prime Minister
David Cameron
Queen Elizabeth II
Name: ____________________________________________________ Due Date: ___________________
After reading the article on the United Kingdom, please answer the following comprehension questions.
1. What lands make up the United Kingdom?
2. When did the United Kingdom come into being? What led to the creation of the UK?
3. What two Islands are dependencies on the British Crown?
4. The United Kingdom technically has two forms of government; name them.
5. What responsibilities does the British Parliament hold?
6. What are the two houses of Parliament referred to as?
7. How are members of the lower house placed into Parliament?
8. How are members of the upper house placed into Parliament?
9. What is the third component of Parliament? What is the responsibility of this component?
10. Where is Parliament located? (city and building)
11. Explain the difference between the British government and parliament.
12. Who is the head of the British government?
13. How does the head of the British government actually go about forming the government?
14. Which part of the United Kingdom’s political system is referred to as the Executive?
a. In the United States, who/what is our Executive? (You may need to access an outside source to
find out this answer.)
15. Which part of the United Kingdom’s political system is referred to as the Legislature?
a. In the United States, who/what is our Legislature? (You may need to access an outside source to
find out this answer.)