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Essay on monarchies
Practice of constitutional monarchy
Essay on monarchies
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Introduction
When someone becomes a member of the Parliament, he has to swear an oath of allegiance to the Crown, instead of swearing loyalty to the people who elected him. If he rejects to do so, that politician will not be able to take his seat and can also be fined. Same happens with judges and other public servants in the United Kingdom, who are, even if symbolically, servants of the Crown. This, however, is just a small visible end of the real power that the British –constitutional- monarchy holds over public employees.
Since the limitation of powers of the Crown in the XVII century the royals have been using their forceful influence in an unofficial way for their own benefit (Adams, 2010; Booth 2010 and 2011; Wilson, 1989). Taking into account that the United Kingdom has a democratic and constitutional political system, some serious questions arise from this: how the monarchy has been using –and abusing of- its powers? Until what extent they have deliberately interfered with the democratic public life? How politicians have reacted to its demands and why?
This essay reflects about these questions and explores the reasons of this hidden royal influence over the British politicians. Due to the length of the essay, it focuses on the last decades of Elizabeth II’s reign, though other royal personalities have also been considered.
In the first place, this essay briefly defines the slippery concept of constitutional monarchy. It introduces the topic with some notions about the historical background and the scope of powers the Crown enjoys. Secondly, it shows some recent cases where the Royal House has used its influence in an obscure way. The third section reflects about the reasons why the British monarchy has such a great influen...
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...Revolution, 1603-1714. BBC [Online] Last accessed 12th March 2014. Available at http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/civil_war_revolution/overview_civil_war_revolution_01.shtml
Whittam Smith, A. (2014) The row over Prince Charles’ letters is not just legal argument vs public interest. There are real constitutional implications. The Independent [Online] Last accessed 15th March 2014. Available at http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/the-row-over-prince-charles-letters-is-not-just-legal-argument-vs-public-interest-there-are-real-constitutional-implications-9190718.html
Wilkinson, P. (2006) The British Monarchy for Dummies. John Wiley and Sons Ltd. Chichester
Wilson, E. (1989) The Myth of British Monarchy. The Journeyman Press Ltd and Republic, London
Woods, F.A. (1913) The Influence of Monarchs. Steps in a new Science of History. The MacMillan Company, New York
One monarch who faced limited royal power due to his relationship with parliament was Henry IV. This uneasy relationship was mainly down to the fact that Henry was a usurper, and was exacerbated by his long periods of serious illness later in his reign. Parliament was thus able to exercise a large amount of control over royal power, which is evident in the Long Parliament of 1406, in which debates lasted from March until December. The length of these debates shows us that Henry IV’s unstable relationship had allowed parliament to severely limit his royal power, as he was unable to receive his requested taxation. A king with an amiable relationship with parliament, such as Henry V, and later Edward IV, would be much more secure in their power, as taxation was mostly granted, however their power was also supported more by other factors, such as popularity and finances. Like Henry IV, Henry VI also faced severely limited power due to his relationship with parliament.
2.Morgan, Edmund S. The Birth of the Republic, 1763-89. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1992.
A1. England was run by a Parliament and per history had very limited involvement of the monarchy or direct rule by the king. As well as the colonial legislatures; members were elected by property-holding men and governors were given authority to make decisions on behalf of the king. This system our leadership and how it controls its people the reason many
The constitution of the UK is very unique compared to the constitutions in other European countries. In this essay, I will talk about the features of the UK constitution, the sources of the constitution and the principles, which guide it. This essay will also include key points about the uncodified nature of the constitution, and the advantages and disadvantages that come along with it. A topic of discussion has been whether or not the uncodified nature of the constitution of the UK should remain the same, or if, it should be codified. I will further discuss these ideas in this essay and highlight the pros and cons from both sides – codified and uncodified.
Morgan, Edmund S. The birth of the Republic, 1763-89. Chicago London. The University of Chicago Press.1956.
Fraser, Rebecca. The. George III (1727-1760) " The Story of Britain. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2003.
The government within the monarchical society was populated by the aristocracy. It was they who were depended upon for directing the course of governmental affairs. The controls of all co...
Stanhope, Philip Dormer. The Best Letters of Lord Chesterfield: Letters to His Son, and Letters to His Godson (Classic Reprint). Oxford: Oxford University Press, USA, 2012. Print.
From different contextual standpoints, both William Shakespeare’s King henry IV part 1(1597) and Barry Levinson Man of the year (2006) both represent a unique similarity in discussing power rather than truth. Shakespeare invokes an appreciation of strategic manipulation for both King Henry IV and prince Hal. King Henry struggles of breaking divine lineage whilst Prince Hal appearance vs reality allows Shakespeare to explore the political strategies upheld by politicians within the Elizabethan era. Similarly, in Man of the year, Tom Dobbs use of short and verbose colloquial language exhibit his demagoguery approach to candidacy epitomizing political succession within the 21st century.
An issue that has remained debatable since the Jackson litigation was what ought to be the ultimate controlling factor in the British constitution: parliamentary sovereignty or the rule of law. This essay sets out to consider the reputedly irreconcilable tension between the two fundamental constitutional principles by analysing the extensive obiter dicta in Jackson and relating it to judicial review which upholds the rule of law. The contention of this essay is that despite the courts' deferential attitude towards the sovereignty of the laws of Parliament, the rule of law may potentially gain dominance and surpass parliamentary sovereignty to become the ultimate controlling factor in the British constitution.
The United Kingdom as one of the remaining monarchies of the world, which head of it, the Queen Elizabeth II, has powers that provide an essential evolution of the country. These powers, are called Royal Prerogative powers. Obviously, British people respect the Royal family and additionally the queen, nevertheless they could have their own beliefs as seen on their references. According to the Royal Prerogative (“RP”), it is definitely the most historically and continuing tradition of Britain. In some situations, circumstances tend to disappear them and replaced them by other recent means. In this essay, it will define the RP and how can preserve the separation of powers. Therefore, it should explain how these powers dying to a democratic environment.
The monarchy symbolizes unity and traditions, which is unique and treasured to the nation. The monarch universally known as head of the Commonwealth, she is voluntarily recognised as the Head of State to 54 independent countries (The British Monarchy, 2013) The Queen to modern Britain, is an icon, who cannot simply be swapped for an elected politician. The British monarchy has played huge importance in British history, which is integral to our national identity. The Queen reined for 61 years and she provides an existing connection between the past, present and future. This is exactly what a politician could not offer to the public; for instance, Tony Blair, prior to 1997 was unknown on a state level, as he had done nothing significant for the British public. The monarchy’s traditions are famous not only in the United Kingdom but throughout the world. Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II is the ruler of sixteen other countries including Britain. Whilst the queen receives many privileges as head of state, it does come at a personal cost. Her privacy is limited as she is consistently scrutinized from t...
The extent to which the judiciary and the legislature are able to regulate the exercise of prerogative powers by the executive has increased. However, there are still some who are concerned by the lack of control that can be exerted by the other constitutional bodies. The challenges to the power of the Monarch was by the reign of James I (1603-25) the monarch was faced with an increasingly effective Parliament, culminating in the temporary abolition of the monarchy in (1625). Consequently, the monarchy’s powers were eroded by both revolution and by legal challenges, which included the case of Proclamations (1611), the monarchy could not change the law by proclamation. The law of the land, which required that the law be made by Parliament, limited the prerogative.
In a constitutional monarchy, a directly or indirectly-elected prime minister will serve as the head of government and will exercise poli...
The British Monarchy. “The Queen in Parliament.” The Royal Household. Accessed May 4, 2014. https://www.royal.gov.uk/MonarchUK/QueenandGovernment/QueeninParliament.aspx.