Károly Pintér

Introduction to Britain


The Political Role of Monarch – Theory and Practice

The position of the monarch in a modern constitutional monarchy is contradictory, because there is a huge difference between legal theory and political practice. In legal theory, the monarch has enormous powers: she is head of the executive (that is, the government) and of the judiciary (that is, the system of justice), Supreme Governor of the Church of England, and commander-in-chief of the armed forces. Besides all these functions, she is also the head of the Commonwealth,98 and head of state of 16 other states, including Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. When Queen Elizabeth opens Parliament every autumn (since 2012 early summer), she makes a speech (the so-called Queen’s Speech) about what ‘her government’ wants to do in the following year. In theory, she could appoint anybody to any of the Cabinet positions: there is no law which would tie her hands. She summons and dissolves Parliament, and no bill passed by Parliament can become law until she has signed it. Thousands of things in Britain, from prisons to warships, have ‘Her Majesty’s’ (in short, HM) in their name: theoretically, they are all ‘owned’ by the monarch. When somebody is accused of a crime at court in Britain, they are accused by ‘the Crown,’ because the monarch embodies the authority of the law.

Introduction to Britain

Tartalomjegyzék


Kiadó: Akadémiai Kiadó

Online megjelenés éve: 2018

ISBN: 978 963 454 262 9

This book attempts to establish a basic knowledge of British politics, society and culture among its readers. It is aimed primarily at students, and is intended to enrich their knowledge of the English language with an understanding of the history and key features of this society.

The book systematically explores Britain. Beginning with its geography, it divides the United Kingdom into its overarching countries- England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland- and explores the main regions, as well as political, social and linguistic background of each. This is followed by outlines of politics, the legal system, as well as education, healthcare and religion in the UK as a whole.

This book is distinguished by its scope; intended for a Hungarian audience and written through the lens of Hungarian culture, with so called Think of Hungary First sections at the beginning of chapters to compare historical and societal developments to those that have taken place here, and allow readers to better understand these. There are also lists of Key Concepts at the end of chapters, and explanations of these which also promote the reader’s understanding.

Thus, this book is a comprehensive and systematic guide, introducing Hungarian students to Britain’s history, culture and people.

Hivatkozás: https://mersz.hu/pinter-introduction-to-britain//

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