59876623-Spotlight-on-Britain

The House of Lords

The House of Lords has more than 1,000 members, although only about 250 take an active part in the work of the House. There are 26 Anglican bishops, 950 hereditary peers, 11 judges and 185 life peers, and unlike MPs they do not receive a salary. They debate a bill after it has been passed by the House of Commons. Changes may be recommended, and agreement between the two Houses is reached by negotiation. The Lords' main power consists of being able to delay non-financial bills for a period of a year, but they c ~ alson introduce cerrnin types of bill. The House of Lords is the only non-elected second chamber among all the democracies in the world, and some people in Britain would like to abolish it.

The monarchy

The powers of the monarch are not defined precisely. Theoretically every act of government is done in the Queen's name - every letter sent out by a govenunent department is marked 'On Her Majesty's Service'- and she appoints all tbe

Ministers, including the Prime Minister. In reality, everything is done on the advice of the elected Government, and the monarch takes no part in the decision-making process.

Local government

parliament in London is responsible for deciding national policy, but many public services are provided by local government. The United Kingdom is divided into administrative areas known as 'counties' and each county has a 'county town' where the offices of the local govenunenr are located. Local government is responsible for organising such services as education, libraries, police and fire services, roadbuilding and many others.

TALKING POINT

Some people think thatthe monarchy should be abolished because it has no power and it costs the State a lot of money to maintain. How useful do you thinkthe monarchy is in Britain today?

Throughout British history religion has been closely connected with kings, queens and politics. England was a Roman Catholic counny until 1534. Why did this change?

When a king and a pope quarrelled. ..

In 1525 King Henry VIII decided to divorce his queen, Catherine of Aragon who, at the age of forty, was five years older than H e m . Also. she had only ~ v e himn a daughter, and ~ e - & ywanted i s i n . He fell in love with Anne Boleyn who was younger, but when Henry asked the Popc for ocrmission to divorce Catherine. he reh;sed. Henry was so angry with tde Pope that he ended all contact between England and Rome, divorced Catherine of Aragon without the Pope's permission and married Anne Boleyn. In 1534Parliament named

Henry head of the Church of England. This was the beginning of the Anglican Church. This quarrel with Rome was political, not religious. The Anglican Church did not start as a Protestant Church and Henry certainly did not regard himself as a Protestant. In fact, the Pope had given Henry the title of 'Defender of the Faith' in 1521for words he wrote attacking Martin Luther, the German Protestant. (British kings and queens still have this title, and ~o'can seethe letters mDEF or F.D. on British coins today.) However the Protestant movement in Europe was mowina-verv.strona at this time. When Henry quarrelled with Rome and ordered the Bible to be translated into English, the way was open for Protestantism to spread in England. Over the next years many people changed to this new religion.

3 Jane Seymour -

died in cl~ildbirtlz.

In 1553Mary, Henry's daughter by Catherine of Aragon, became Queen of England. Because she was a Roman Catholic, the country re-entered the Roman Church. While Mary was Queen, many Protestants were burned at the stake for their beliefs. She also put her non-Roman Catholic sister, Elizabeth (the daughter of Henry and Anne Boleyn), into prison in the Tower of London. Protestants were glad when Mary died in 1558 and Elizabeth became Queen. Elizabeth also became head of the Anglican Church, like her father, and Roman Catholicism was never again the established (official) religion in England.

The Puritans

After Elizabeth became Queen, a group of Protestants wanted to 'purify' the Church of England of all Roman Catholicinfluence. These people were called Puritansthey were the English Protestants. They dressed very simply and believed that all pleasures,

6 Catherine Pan- - lived lo~zgeltllan. Heniy

such as fine clothes and the theatre, were wicked.

When James I was King(1603-1625) the Puritans were often put in prison and sometimes even killed. Some of them decided to leave England to find freedom in a new country.

They sailed from Plymouth in 1620in a ship called the 'MayBower', and these 'Pilgrim Fathers' - as they were calledstarted a new life in America. The senice which they held to thank God for their arrival, became a traditional annual festival in America, called 'Thanksgiving'.

Under the rule of James 1's son, Charles I, the Puritans were treated even worse. Many people sympathized with the Puritans, and the Court was unpopular because it was suspected of being a centre of Roman Catholicism. (This was because Charles's

*Therenreno picrurrr ofcnrherine Howurd. This was once bought to hehm.

wife was a Roman Catholic.) This religious split between the Puritans and the Court was one cause of the outbreak of civil war in 1628and [he e~,cnrwlexecution of Charles I.

Followinr this. from 1649 to 1660. Brirain

'

was a republic for a short while.

A 'typical' British family used to consist of mother, father and two children, but in recent years there have been many changes in family life. Some of these have been caused by new laws and others are the result of changes in society. For example, since the law made it easier to get a divorce, the number of divorces has increased. In fact one marriage in every three now ends in divorce. This means that there are a lot of one-parent families. Society is now more tolerant than it used to be of unmarried people, unmarried couples and single parents.

Another change bas been caused by the fact that people are living longer nowadays, and many old people live alone following the death of their partners. As a result of these changes in the pattern of people's lives, there are many households which consist of only one person or one adult and children.

You might think that marriage and the family are not so popular as they once were. However, the majority of divorced people marry again, and they sometimes take responsibility for a second family.

Members of a family-grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins - keep in touch, but they see less of each other than they used to. This is because people often move away from their home town to work, and so the family becomes scattered. Christmas is the traditional season for reunions. Although the family group is smaller nowadays than it used to be, relatives often travel many miles in order to spend the holiday together.

In general, each generation is keen to become independent of parents in establishing its own family unit, and this fact can lead to social as well as geographical differences within the larger family group.

Who looks after the older generation?

There are about 10 million old-age pensioners in Britain, of whom about 750,000 cannot live entirely independently. The government gives financial help in the form of a pension but in the future it will be

more and more m c u l t for the national economy to support the increasing number of elderly. At the present time, more than half of all old people are looked after at home. Many others live in Old Peoples' Homes, which may be private or stateowned.

The individual and the family

Relationships within the family are different now. Parents treat their children more as equals than they used to, and children have more freedom to make their own decisions. The father is more involved with bringing up children, often because the mother goes out to work. Increased leisure facilitiesand more money mean that there are greater opportunities for the individual to take part in activitiesoutside the home. Although the family holiday is still an important part of family life (usually taken in August, and often abroad) many children have holidays away from their parents, often with a school party or other organized group.

TALKING POINT

People say that children today grow up more quickly. The law sometimes makes this possible. Look atthe information below -how is the law differentin your country?

youNG PEOPLE AND

THE LAW

~g~ 19 may be employed partdime. ~g~ 14 allowed in bars but not to

drink alcohol.

Age 15 legany a 'young person' and not a 'child'.

kge 16 school leaving age, Can leave home, drive a moped, marry with parents' consent (not

needed in scotland),buy beer

--

with a meal.

~g~ 17 can drive a car or motorbike. ~g~ 18 age of majority - can Vote, get

married without p~rents' consent, own property, get tattooed, drink in pubs . . .

On New Year's Eve, people traditionally take a shower in the fountains in Trafalgar Square! The Christmas tree is an annual gift from Norway

I'm in love!

On 14th February, St Valentine's Day, many people send a card to the one they love or someone whom they have fallen in love with. People usually do not sign these cards and a lot of time is spent uying to guess who has sent them!

Pancake Day

Ash Wednesday is the day in February when the Christian period of Lent begins. This refers to the time when Christ went into the desert and fasted for forty days. Although not many people acmally give up eating during this period, on Pancake Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday, they eat lots of pancakes. These are made from flour, milk and eggs, and fried in a hot

3 X 3 3 ~ @ 3 ~ - . 1 & - ~ - 3 3 3

Easter eggs

At Easter time, the British celebrate the idea of new birth by giving each other chocolate Easter eggs which are opened and eaten on Easter Sunday. On Good Friday bakers sell hot cross buns, which are toasted and eaten with butter. Easter Monday is a holiday and many people travel to the seaside for the day or go and watch one of the many sporting events, such as football or horse-racing.

M a y is here

As summer comes, Britain likes to celebrate the end of the winter. In England on 1st May, Morris men may be seen in country areas celebrating traditional dances, waving their white handkerchiefs to drive away the evil spirits and welcome in the new ones. At school and in smaller village communities children may dance traditional spring dances such as the Maypole, when they weave their brightly coloured scarves into a beautirul pattern around a long pole.

Ghosts a n d witches

Hallowe'en means'holy evening', and takes place on 31st October. Although it is a much more important festival in the United States than Britain, it is celebrated by many people in the UK. It is particularly connected with witches and ghosts.

At parties people dress up in strange costumes and pretend they are witches. They cut horrible faces in potatoes and other vegetables and put a candle inside, which shines through the eyes. Peoplemay play difficult games such as trying to eat an apple from a bucket of water without using their hands.

In recent years children dressed in white

sheets knock on doors at Hallowe'en and ask if you would like a 'trick' or 'treat'. If you give them something nice, a 'treat', they go away. However, ifyou don't they play a 'uick' on you, such as making a lot of noise or spilling flour on your front doorstep!

G u y Fawkes Night

In 1605 King James I was on the throne. As a Protestant, he was very unpopular with Roman Catholics. Some of them planned to blow up the Houses of Parliament on 5th November of that year, when the King was going to open Parliament. Under the House of Lords they had stored thirty-six barrels of gun powder, which were to be exploded by a man called Guy Fawkes. However one of the plotters spoke about these plans and Fawkes was discovered, arrested and later hanged. Since that day the British traditionally celebrate 5th November by burning a dummy, made of straw and old clothes, on a b o d r e , whilst at the same time letting off fireworks.

This dummy is called a 'guy' (like Guy Fawkes) and children can often be seen on the pavements before 5th November saying, 'Penny for the guy.' If they collect enough money they can buy some fireworks.

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Christmas

If you uy to catch a main on 24th December you may have difficulty in iinding a seat. This is the day when many people are travelling home to be with their families on Christmas Day, 25th December. For most British families, this is the most important festival of the year, it combines the Christian celebration of the birth of Christ with the traditional festivities of winter.

There are a lot of traditions connected with-~ Christmas but perhaps the most important one is the giving of presents. Family members wrap u p their gifts and leave them at the bottom of the Christmas tree to be found on Christmas morning. Children leave a long sock or stocking at the end of their bed on Christmas Eve, 24th December, hoping that Father Christmas will come down the chimney during the night and bring them small presents, fruit and nuts. They are usually not disappointed! At some time on Christmas Day the family will sit down to a big turkey dinner followed by Christmas pudding. They will probably pull a cracker with another member of the family. It will make a loud crack and a coloured hat, small toy and joke will fall out1

Later in the afternoon they may watch the Queen on television as she delivers her rnditional Christmas message ro [he Unired Kingdom and the Commonwealth. If they have room for even more food they may enjoy a piece of Christmas cake or eat a hot mince pie. 26th December is also a public holiday, Boxing Day, and this is the rime to visit friends and relatives or be a spectator at one of the

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1Who was the mother of Queen Elizabeth I?

2From which group of invadersdid Englandgets its name?

3What happens to a bill after it has been passed by the Houseof Commons?

4Where would you find a kirk?

5What do families usuallygive each other on Easter Sunday?

6What is the name of Britain's highest mountain?

7Nametwo areas in Britainwhere a lot of immigrants live.

8What is the connection between the 'Mayflower'and the United States of America?

9 At what age can you drive a car in Britain?

10 What is the maximum length- of a Parliament?

11 What happens on St Valentine's Day?

12Describetwo of the three flags which make up the UnionJack.

13Which countrv is sometimes called Ulster?

14When do the British opentheir Christmas presents?

15Why do some MPs want to changethe electoral system?

16A red dragon is the symbol of which country?

(Youwill find the answers on page 138.)

A FESTIVAL CROSSWORD

Across

1 You may see them at Hallowe'en.

5'Trick.. .treat'.

6...James I.

9 You can't buy muchwith this.

10Send a card on Valentine'sDay if you are.. . love.

11The eleventh month.

Down

2A lot of people go there at Christmas.

3The English eat it on Christmas Day.

4Would you liketo ...some carols?

7Fireworks make a lot of this!

8People dance.. .May 1st.

9You cook pancakes in this.

I I I I I I I I I

(Youwill find the answers on page 138.)

abbreviate to make short abolish to end

Anglican of the Church of England annoying causinganger or irritation appoint to choose

armed struggle fighting with weapons bid the specialname for a proposalbefore

it becomes law

blow up to explode

break down (a) not to worlc broadly approximately bun a sweet bread roll carol a Christmashymn

caughtup with involvedwith the Civil Service government

administration

the Commonwealth an organization of independent states which were part of the British empire

continental Europe the part of Europe that excludes the British Isles

coronation a ceremony when a new monarch is crowned

correspond to to represent criticize to 6nd faults with cruelty pleasure in causing pain debate (u) to discuss formally

devolution giving part of the power of government to a smaller area or country

diagonal a line going from one corner of a rectangle to the opposite comer

discrimination treating someone differently because of their colour, race, religion or sex

dragon a mythical animal

dreadlocks long strands of tightly-curled hau- a style typical of Rastafarian men dummy an object made to look like a real

person

elderly old (people)

election campaign an organized attempt to persuade people to vote for a particular political party

enrich make richer or more interesting evil had

execute to kill

the Faith Christianity fast (a) to stop eating festivity a celebration ghost a spirit

glitter .to shine

hanged killed by hanging from a rope tied round the neck

harmful causing harm or injury hereditarypeer a lord who has aained- his

title b y birth

Hindu a member of an Indian religion hoUy a plant with prickly leaves hymn a song- sunn- in Church

&migrate to come and live in a new country

life peer a lord whose title will not be inherited hv his children

maintain to keep

mince-pie a small pie filled with dried fruit and spices

moped a motorized bicycle Morris men traditional dancers multiracial having many races

Muslim a member of the Islamic religion negotiation discussion

neutral not belonging to any one party old-age pensioner a woman over 60 or a

man over 65, receiving a state pension outbreak (n) the start

patron saint a saint who is strongly associated with a particular country

political party a group of people united in politics

prejudice (n) thinking badly of people without really knowing them

Protestantism a form of Christianity started by Martin Luther in the 16th cennuy, when be 'protested' against Roman Catholicism

public holiday a day when nobody goes to work

range a line

Rastafarian a member of a West Indian religion

referendum a vote 'yes' or 'no' on one question only

reggae West Indian pop music with a strong rhythm

reign (u) (of a monarch) to rule reunion a meeting, usually after a long

period of separation m a 1 of or in the counuy

scattered in different places

Sikh a member of an Indian religion social worker a person employed to give

help or advice

staff (u) to supply an institution (e.g. a school or a department) with workers

stake (71) a piece of wood to which people were tied to be Idled, especially by burning

suburb an area on the edge of a city tattoo (a) to mark skin with words or

pictures

tolerant accepting (different ideas or

people)

in touch in contact

trade union an organization of a group of worlcers

turkey a big bud wave (n) a period wicked bad

witch a woman who uses magic working class people who work, for

example, in factories (contrast upper class and middle class)