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The Disunited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
For a long time ago the Romans had controlled over Britain. They left around AD 410, and now there were a lot of Angles, Saxons and Jutes. In 700 AD most of Britains Celtic speakers were gathered in the far west (Wales and Cornwell). Here the Roman Empire never came and the Gales were a dominant group. Some years later the Vikings invaded and the Normans brought new culture and linguistic inputs. Even if the Union is gathered, they still feel different from each other. England and Wales got their treaty in 1536 and England and Scotland signed it in 1907. But still, the different countries have different education systems, churches and laws. The Parliament are the same.
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the name given to there four countries, England, Ireland, Wales and Scotland. England is the oldest country, but already in the 13th century, Wales was united with England. In 1707 Scotland were in. 106 years later Ireland joined too. But already in 1922, the major part of Ireland got independence. The United Kingdom is one of the oldest Constitutional democracies in the world. It has been a monarchy since the 13th century, but the monarchy don't have that much power. The most extraordinary is that don't have a written constitution. Only two adoptions is securing the power of the parliament. This is Magna Carta from 1215 and the Bill of Rights. When the labor party came to power in 1997, they brought with them a suggestion they wanted to get through. They wanted a devolution. This means that they wanted to transfer the power from the central government to the regional or the local authorities in the countries.
Great Britain have no longer the same cooperation as before and the inhabitant no longer see themselves as British. Once the English, the Scots, the Welsh and the Irish felt as a part of a common project. What has happened? For a long time ago, the Protestantism were a binding effect between the nations. They have moved towards secularism and on a Sunday morning, there it the Catholic church that has the best attendance. For the secound they have loss their Empire. The colonies are gone and with them, the retrospect and pride. The third reason ca be that our earlier worst allies are now our friends. The French and the Germans, did everything to strengthen British solidarity. The monarchy, that earlier were the binding institution between England and Scotland, is weak. This is because of different scandals, and the soul-searching surrounding the death of Diana. There are also many discussions and doubts about the next heir to the throne.
No one known how this will end, but the next yeas will be wery interesting. There are some questions that need to be answered, if the Union splits up.. 1. The UK's position as a Security Council member of the United Nations. 2. Britain's nuclear deterrent, surrently mounted on submarines hiding in Scottish waters. 3. The British army and the monarchy are the symbols of Britishness. This are some issues that will be in center of debate for years to come.
