The brief ontology and traditions of the English parliament

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Izmail state university of humanities

The brief ontology and traditions of the English parliament

Galina Oleinikova,

PhD in philology, associate professor

Abstract

The article provides a brief outline of the history of the English Parliament with its long traditions and customs. The UK Parliament is one of the oldest representative to be established in the world, having its origins in the middle of the 13th century. From the 14th century, parliamentary government in the United Kingdom has been based on a two-chamber system. The House of Lords (the upper house) and the House of Commons (the lower house) which sit separately and are constituted on entirely different principles. The relationship between the two Houses is governed largely by convention but is in part defined by the Parliament Acts. The legislative process involves both Houses of Parliament and the Monarch. In the beginning, Great Britain was an absolute monarchy, but in the 17th century, tensions increased between parliament and monarch. Civil War broke out the following year, leading to the execution of King Charles 1 in January 1649. Following the restoration of the Monarchy in 1660, the role of parliament was enhanced by the events of 1688-89 (the `Glorious Revolution') which established the authority of Parliament over the King. The state political system became to be Parliament monarchy. Nowadays the Monarch is no more but a symbol and tradition of the nation. The British Parliament is often referred to as the «mother of all parliaments» because the legislatures of many countries, especially those of the British Commonwealth, are modeled after it. The traditions of Parliament, which originated hundreds of years ago, are still carefully observed and remembered by all Englishmen.

Key words: parliament, history of the English parliament, political system, traditions.

Анотація

Коротка онтологія та традиції англійського парламенту

Галина Олейнікова кандидат філологічних наук, доцент Ізмаїльський державний гуманітарний університет, Україна

У статті подано короткий нарис історії англійського парламенту з його багаторічними традиціями та звичаями. Парламент Сполученого Королівства Великобританії та Північної Ірландії (англ. ParliamentoftheUnitedKingdomofGreatBritainandNorthernIreland) є найвищим законодавчим органом у Сполученому Королівстві та Королівських заморських територіях. Його очолює британський монарх. Парламент двопалатний, включає верхню палату, яка називається Палата лордів, і нижню палату, звану Палата громад. Парламент Великобританії - один із найстаріших представницьких органів світу, який бере свій початок у середині 13 століття. З 14 століття парламентське правління у Сполученому Королівстві було засноване на двопалатній системі. Палата лордів (верхня палата) і палата громад (нижня палата) засідають окремо і будуються на різних принципах. Відносини між двома палатами переважно регулюються угодою, але частково визначаються актами парламенту. У законодавчому процесі беруть участь як палати парламенту, так і монарх. Спочатку Великобританія була абсолютною монархією, але у 17 столітті напруженість між парламентом та монархом посилилася. Наступного року вибухнула громадянська війна, яка призвела до страти короля Карла I у січні 1649 р. Після відновлення монархії у 1660 р. роль парламенту була посилена подіями 1688-1689 рр. («Славна революція»), які встановили владу парламенту над королем. Державною політичною системою стала парламентська монархія. Нині монарх не більше ніж символ та традиція нації. Британський Парламент часто у народі називають «матір'ю всіх парламентів», оскільки законодавчі органи багатьох країн, а особливо країн-членів Британської Співдружності створені на його зразок. Традиції Парламенту, які виникли сотні років тому, досі ретельно дотримуються та пам «ятаються всіма англійцями.

Ключові слова: парламент, історія англійського парламенту, політична система, традиції.

Main part

Problem Statement. Every country in the world is distinguished not only by its traditions and customs, but also by its legislative framework and organization. Legislative power is a branch of state power, which is engaged in the development and adoption of laws and regulations governing public life, adopts and controls the budget of the country. The most important body of legislative power in modern societies is the parliament.

There are parliaments of interstate unions, parliaments of internationally recognized states, parliaments of dependent and autonomous territories, parliaments of unrecognized and partially recognized states. Each parliament of a particular country has its own history, its own traditions and its own laws. This article deals with the brief history and traditions of the English Parliament.

Analysis of the last scientific research and publications. The study of the issue of parliament is a relatively young source of analysis, as A.I. Shcherbinin, Doctor of Political Sciences, notes «Modern representative government, and accordingly, the parliament is relatively «young» compared to millennia of direct rule by the entire people» (Shcherbinin, 2019). William Anson (1843-1914), professor at Oxford University, member of the House of Commons, in the monograph «The English Parliament, its constitutional laws and customs» reveals the features of the English Parliament, its specifics and functioning. In his book, the need to study the political system is clearly traced, a complete description of the two houses of the English Parliament is presented: the House of Commons and the House of Lords (Anson, 1908). In the book «The Powers of Parliament and Governance of the Security Sector», Theodora Fuyor speaks of the powers of an «ambitious, competent and well-prepared parliament» (Fuyor, 2014).

The purpose of this article is to consider the historical origin of Parliament in England, its historical traditions and customs. The interest in studying the existence of the English Parliament is primarily due to the fact that the Parliament, which represents the nation and is vested with a legislative function, is the cornerstone of the political structure of most democratic states, and the British, without any doubt, are proud that it was the oldest English Parliament in Europe that became «mother» of such institutions not only on this continent, but also outside it: in the USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, India, which directly borrowed the experience of the former metropolis - the British Monarchy (Schevchenko, 2008).

Presentation of the main material. In most countries of the world, the supreme body of legislative power is the parliament.

The word «parliament» (parliament) was born in medieval England, but in etymology and spelling is French, derived from parler (speaking).

The fact is that after the Norman conquest, which began with the victory of William the Conqueror at the Battle of Hastings on October 14, 1066, we can see the domination not only of the Normans, but also the domination of the Frenchization of the Anglo-Saxon civilization. At the beginning of the XVIth century English laws were written in French. In the first centuries after the conquest, the kings, the military-political nobility were French. Moreover, even the middle class gradually mastered the French language, the elements of French culture and the way of life. This provision explains the fact of the dense presence of the French language and its influence on all spheres of the English society. Not surprisingly, kings took oaths in French. In fact, this language became the political language of England.

But let us return to the history of the English Parliament. It arose as a result of a long struggle and a series of compromises between the king, the nobility and the communes (urban communities that achieved the rights of self-government from the feudal lords) (Schevchenko, 2008). The most famous stages of this struggle was the conflict of 1215 between King John - John Lackland, brother of Richard the Lionheart, and the barons, which ended with the adoption of the Magna Carta. No less significant was the civil war that broke out during the reign of Henry III (1258-1267), which led to the emergence of parliament (1265). It was this year when at the initiative of Simon de Montfort, Count of Leicester, an assembly was convened, which included two knights from each county and two representatives from large urban communes.

This situation is confirmed by the fact that in England the first parliament in 1265 was convened not at will, but against the will of the king by the leader of the baronial opposition Simon de Montfort, whom the English still call «the father of English freedom», and the way of government fixed by him in the «Form of sovereign-king and kingdom» (1264) - the beginning of constitutional government. The emergence of class representation in England is not at all the merit of the king, but the result of the opposition to royal power.

Since 1295, the parliament in this composition began to meet regularly. It was the representation of the largest secular and spiritual feudal lords - barons and prelates (who were called to parliament meetings by personal letters of the king), chivalry and the city elite (whose representatives were chosen at local meetings). Serfs, most of the free peasantry and townspeople were not represented in parliament.

The emergence of Parliament marked the formation of the so-called estate monarchy in England and was a reflection of the economic and social changes that took place in the 12th and 13th centuries. It was the expression and instrument of a political compromise reached between the main factions of the feudal class (with the participation of the tops of the cities) as a result of the struggle for power.

In 1343, the structure of Parliament was finally fixed by dividing it into the House of Lords and the House of Commons. Membership in the «House of Lords» from the end of the 14th century became hereditary, called the right of the peerage. Representatives of the «House of Commons» were from the chivalry and the cities. It is worth noting that the union of the knights and townsfolk in the same chamber, as well as the lack of special representation from the clergy as a class in the English parliament, constituted its important feature compared to other class assemblies of the Middle Ages (Kulachynskyi, 2013).

In 1297 parliament received the right to authorize major taxes, in 1322 - the right to authorize the most important laws. Since the end of the 14th century parliament already had the legislative initiative: parliamentary laws, statutes were passed on petitions of the House of Commons with the approval of the House of Lords and the king.

In the same century, the position of speaker appears, whose duties included conducting a meeting of the lower house, representative functions on its behalf in negotiations with the king and the upper house. Documents speak of the first speaker Peter de la Mare, who, in 1376, spoke out with sharp criticism of the king. It is clear that such speeches against the king and the nobility exposed members of the House of Commons to the risk of being arrested arbitrarily, so the House sought the adoption of a law on parliamentary immunity (Heorhitsa, 1999).

In the XVth century the English Parliament acquired a permanent residence in Westminster Abbey in London.

The emergence of Parliament and especially its functions and composition, were reflected in certain traditions and in the spiritual life of English society. Thus, many of the traditions associated with the British Parliament are rooted in the mists of time and from the point of view of modernity seem rather strange. Let's consider the most popular traditions associated with parliament.

Every year in London there is a solemn opening ceremony of parliament. There are an incredible number of traditions associated with this event, which have long history though it lost their practical significance, but are still important from a ritual point of view. For example, before the opening of Parliament, the cellar of the Palace of Westminster is necessarily inspected by the personal guard of the monarch.

This is due to the fact that in the early 17th century, Guy Fawkes and his accomplices planned to blow up Parliament just when King James I was inside its walls. Their intentions failed and the monarch remained unharmed. Nevertheless, since then, the opening ceremony cannot begin until it is established that there are no bags of gunpowder in the basement.

The annual opening of Parliament is the main ceremonial event of the parliamentary calendar and has a very ancient tradition.

For more than 500 years, this ceremony has been a symbolic reminder of the unity of the three branches of British power: the monarch, the House of Lords and the House of Commons. The ceremony takes place in the House of Lords, but is not included in its official functions. The Lords only provide the seat, not the leadership.

Before leaving Buckingham Palace, the queen hosts the treasurer, counselor, and vicechancellor of the court.

All are members of parliament and are appointed by the government. The vice-chancellor remains a hostage to ensure the monarch's safe return from Parliament to the palace. And this is one more tradition of British Parliament, when the vice-chancellor of the royal court must remain as a hostage at Buckingham Palace on the opening day of Parliament. He must remain there until the monarch returns from Parliament. This ritual was devised so that no king or queen would repeat the sad story of Charles I, who was put on trial in Parliament and executed in 1649.

Today it is a tribute to this tradition, but in the dressing room where the queen puts on her ceremonial dress, a copy of the death warrant against King Charles is still on display - as a reminder of what can happen to the monarch if he (or she) goes against the will of Parliament.

The Queen arrives at Parliament in a horse-drawn carriage and enters through the entrance reserved exclusively for the reigning monarch, which is called the «Sovereign's Entrance». She is accompanied by her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, sometimes replaced by Prince Charles of Wales. As soon as the Queen enters Parliament, the British flag is lowered and instead the Royal Standard is raised, which remains on the steeple while Her Majesty is in the Palace of Westminster.

The Lord Chamberlain signals to the King of Arms, known as the «Black Rod», indicating that he must now go and call the members of the House of Commons.

The «Black Rod», accompanied by the doorkeeper of the House of Lords and the police inspector, who, addressing all the people he meets, loudly says: «Take off your hats, strangers!», approaches the doors of the House of Commons. The «Black Rod» knocks on the door three times, after which he is let inside. On the threshold, the King of Arms stops and, turning to the Speaker, utters the following phrase, verified over the centuries: «Mr. (or Mrs.) Speaker! The Queen orders the Honorable Chamber, at this point the King of Arms pauses and bows on both sides of the House of Commons - both to the government and the opposition, to appear immediately before her in the House of Lords!».

The speaker and members of the lower house obediently and without delay go to the Lords.

Traditionally, the procession is led by the prime minister and the leader of the opposition. Even if they can't stand each other, and, again, according to tradition, they are supposed to joke and laugh along the way, and not act in pairs with bestial seriousness on their faces. The Lord Chancellor, kneeling down, gives the Queen the text of the speech. After that, he is supposed to retreat on the steps of the throne elevation with his back forward, not taking his eyes off the face of the monarch.

In the House of Commons of the British Parliament there is one more tradition. It is a strict ban on all alcoholic beverages. There is, however, even an exception to this rule. The Chancellor of the Exchequer can enjoy privileges: when he is presenting the draft budget for the coming year, he is allowed to drink whatever he wants. This tradition, like all parliamentary rituals, did not arise by chance. When telling deputies about the draft budget, the Chancellor of the Exchequer has the right to use everything that is in the Despatch box. This is the name of the boxes for carrying official documents, which are located on both sides of the speaker's seat. It turns out that if a carefully prepared alcoholic drink is waiting for him in the box, then the chancellor can «use» it with a clear conscience.

An equally interesting tradition of the Parliament of England is the tradition with a bag of wool. Until 2005, the Lord Chancellor in the House of Lords had to sit on a sack stuffed with wool. Now this place of honor is given to the Lord Speaker. This tradition dates back to the Middle Ages: at that time England was considered one of the leading exporters of wool. That is why the wool bag acted as a national symbol. Today, one can observe slight changes in this tradition: now not only British-made material is placed in the ceremonial bag, but also the wool made in the Commonwealth countries.

Today, the British Parliament is made up of the House of Lords and House of Commons, and includes the Crown. Its main features are at the moment there are not only legislative and representative. It votes for the state budget and controls its implementation, controls the activities of the executive branch and is directly involved in its formation. The Parliament of England is located in Palace of Westminster in London, so it is often called Westminster Parliament.

The current British Parliament has 646 members. All members who have reached the age of 18 have the right to vote. Parliamentary elections take place after each dissolution.

Conclusions. The emergence of parliament changed the political form of the English feudal state. Next to the king's power and the central governmental institutions created by him in the previous period, a new political body-Parliament emerged, which from the very beginning had specific political functions untypical of other English state institutions of that time. These changes in the political structure of the feudal state reflected the economic and social shifts that took place in English society in the XII-XIII centuries. Parliament appeared in the course of a long political struggle between different groups of the ruling feudal class, in which townsfolk and the top of free peasantry also acted as allies. The history of the English Parliament is filled with various traditions, which are preserved and honored in today's society.

Джерела і література

monarch kingdom political parliament

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