A Tight Little Island

Tight Little Island, the title of a film about Britain, best describes the physical and cultural characteristics that condition British politics. The smallness of the island, the uniformity of its climate, and the relative concentration of its population in a small portion of the island - England - provide a distinctive setting.

For Americans, the smallness of Britain is quite striking. The continental United States has a territory of more than 3 million square miles. Britain has only 94.216, less than the state of Oregon. Even more startling, England, with 50, 335 square miles of land, is home for more than four-fifth of the entire population. The vast majority of the British population lives in a small area almost exactly the size of the state of New York. More than 46 million persons live in the southeastern portion of Britain; about 12 million of these live in the capital city of London.

The very ‘tightness’ of the British Isles is important to their politics because now, historically, the country has benefited from easy communications. These good communications were important in facilitating economic and social development during the past two centuries. Regional differences within England have traditionally been slight compared with differences within the United States. The differences between England and Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland are more pronounced, but they are not dramatic and involve only about 20 percent of the total population. Probably the best illustration of the ‘tightness’ of Britain is the ‘awayday’ trips offered by British Rail, the state-owned railroad. For a small fare a person can go to even the most remote seaside resort or major city and return the same day.

May be the tightness of the country is the reason for the principal trait of British national character - keeping himself to himself. Britain is a country of reserved and conservative people who like to observe their customs and traditions even if they are completely outdated now.

Great Britain is a parliamentary monarchy. A monarch is the official head of the state, he opens Parliament, completes the process of passing an act by giving the Royal Assent. Parliament which consists of the House of Lords and the House of Commons is the supreme legislative body. The supreme executive body is the Government headed by the Prime Minister. Ministers of the Government represent the political party which has taken office. The Prime Minister is usually the leader of the party in power.

Any M.P. may introduce a bill to the Parliament. Every bill has three readings at the House of Commons, then it is passed to the House of Lords. If it is approved by the House of Lords, it will go to the Monarch for signature.