The College of Nyíregyháza

Institute of Linguistics and Literary Studies Department of English Language and Culture

Master of Arts

Introduction to

British Culture

Course Notes

Lecture and Seminar

ANO1013 Semester 1

Dr. Granville Pillar

ANO1013 Introduction to British Culture Dr Granville Pillar

Course Outline

Course Objective The objective of this course is to provide you with an understanding of the culture and history of the United Kingdom (Great Britain and Northern Ireland). The course will cover various aspects of this English-speaking country. Topics covered will include geography, history, politics, religion, education, cultural diversity, economy, sport and leisure, the monarchy, media and language. The course aims to give you an appreciation of British society, of the role this country played in establishing a strong colonial presence in a number of regions of the world, and how it has contributed to the modern western and global civilisation. The course is intended to prepare students for further study in English- speaking colonial civilisation. Course Structure

The course comprises one 45-minute lecture and one 45-minute seminar per week over 14 weeks. The outline of topics covered is shown below: Week Lecture Topics Seminar Topics

1-2 The United Kingdom – Overview EU Referendum

3. Scotland – Overview De-United Kingdom

4. Wales – Overview Volunteering and Wellbeing

5. Northern Ireland – Overview Has Anything Really Changed in N. Ireland? 6-7. The British Monarchy and Legal System Why UK Should Abolish its Monarchy

8. British Holidays and Celebrations UK Teachers Scared of Offending Muslims

9. British Education and Economy Britain Lags behind Lithuania and Hungary

10. British Sport and Recreation Racism is Rife in English Football

11. British Media and Politics The Islamic Future for Britain

12. British Literature and Religion Why Students Should Study Literature

13. British Accents and Dialects English Too Easy for Hungarians

14. Review Oral Presentations

Assessment

Your assessment comprises an oral presentation for the seminar and an oral exam for the lecture. For your oral presentation, you will choose a topic related to any of the above list of Seminar Topics. Your presentation should be 10-15 minutes, and you will be required to use a variety of media to enhance your presentation, in particular, PowerPoint, with the acknowledgement of your resources on a separate slide and the end of your presentation. Notes can be used as a guide, but must not be read verbatim. Presentations shorter than 10 minutes will incur a reduction in grade.

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ANO1013 Introduction to British Culture Dr Granville Pillar

The use of a laptop computer, data projector, and video/CD facilities will be made available for your presentation. For the lecture, you will be required to take an oral exam, based on the main Lecture Topics listed above. Assessment Criteria and Grading for Oral Presentations

Criteria Weighting Grading

Oral skills 20 Mark Grade

Delivery 10 90 – 100 5

Content 20 75 – 89 4

Relevance 10 65 – 74 3

Cohesion 10 50 – 64 2

Creativity 10 Below 50 1

Media 10

Clarity 10

Attendance

Please note that in line with college policy on attendance, missing more than three seminars will result in a failure of the subject, unless there are extenuating circumstances. Reading Resources

There are no set texts, but notes and excerpts from books and articles will be provided. References to other resources and internet sites will also be provided.

The course notes are accessible on the web site: http://zeus.nyf.hu~granville.pillar

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ANO1013 Introduction to British Culture Dr Granville Pillar

1. The United Kingdom: Overview Lecture

Facts and Figures Sovereign: Queen Elizabeth II (1952) Prime Minister: David Cameron (2010) Land area: 93,278 sq mi (241,590 sq km); total area: 94,526 sq mi (244,820 sq km) Population (2014 est.): 63,742,977 (growth rate: 0.54%); birth rate: 12.22/1000; infant mortality rate: 4.44/1000; life expectancy: 80.42; density per sq km: 255.6 Capital and largest city (2013 est.): London, 13,614,409 (metro. area), 9,787,426 (city proper) Other large cities: Birmingham, 2.272 million; Manchester, 2.213 million; West Yorkshire, 1.625 million; Glasgow, 1.137 million; Newcastle upon Tyne, 874,000 Monetary unit: Pound sterling (£) Languages: English, Welsh, Scots, Scottish Gaelic Ethnicity/race: White 87.2%, Black/African/Caribbean/ 3%, Asian/Asian British: Indian 2.3%, Asian/Asian British: Pakistani 1.9%, mixed 2%, other 3.7% (2011 est.) Religions: Christian (includes Anglican, Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, Methodist) 59.5%, Muslim 4.4%, Hindu 1.3%, other 2%, none 25.7%, unspecified 7.2% (2011 est.) Literacy rate: 99% (2003 est.)

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ANO1013 Introduction to British Culture Dr Granville Pillar

Geography The United Kingdom, consisting of Great Britain (England, Wales, and Scotland) and Northern Ireland, is twice the size of New York State. England, in the southeast part of the British Isles, is separated from Scotland on the north by the granite Cheviot Hills; from them the Pennine chain of uplands extends south through the centre of England, reaching its highest point in the Lake District in the northwest. To the west along the border of Wales—a land of steep hills and valleys—are the Cambrian Mountains, while the Cotswolds, a range of hills in Gloucestershire, extend into the surrounding shires. Important rivers flowing into the North Sea are the Thames, Humber, Tees, and Tyne. In the west are the Severn and Wye, which empty into the Bristol Channel and are navigable, as are the Mersey and Ribble. Government The United Kingdom is a constitutional monarchy and parliamentary democracy, with a queen and a parliament that has two houses: the House of Lords, with 574 life peers, 92 hereditary peers, and 26 bishops; and the House of Commons, which has 651 popularly elected members. Supreme legislative power is vested in parliament, which sits for five years unless dissolved sooner. The House of Lords was stripped of most of its power in 1911, and now its main function is to revise legislation. In Nov. 1999, hundreds of hereditary peers were expelled in an effort to make the body more democratic. The executive power of the Crown is exercised by the cabinet, headed by the prime minister. England has existed as a unified entity since the 10th century; the union between England and Wales, begun in 1284 with the Statute of Rhuddlan, was not formalized until 1536 with an Act of Union; in another Act of Union in 1707, England and Scotland agreed to permanently join as Great Britain ; the legislative union of Great Britain and Ireland was implemented in 1801, with the adoption of the name the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland; the Anglo- Irish treaty of 1921 formalized a partition of Ireland; six northern Irish counties remained part of the United Kingdom as Northern Ireland and the current name of the country, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, was adopted in 1927. History Stonehenge and other examples of prehistoric culture are all that remain of the earliest inhabitants of Britain. Celtic peoples followed. Roman invasions of the 1st century B.C. brought Britain into contact with continental Europe. When the Roman legions withdrew in the 5th century A.D., Britain fell easy prey to the invading hordes of Angles, Saxons, and Jutes from Scandinavia and the Low Countries. The invasions had little effect on the Celtic peoples of Wales and Scotland. Seven large Anglo-Saxon kingdoms were established, and the original Britons were forced into Wales and Scotland. It was not until the 10th century that the country finally became united under the kings of Wessex. Following the death of Edward the Confessor (1066), a dispute about the succession arose, and William, Duke of Normandy, invaded England, defeating the Saxon king, Harold II, at the Battle of Hastings (1066). The Norman Conquest introduced Norman French law and feudalism.

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ANO1013 Introduction to British Culture Dr Granville Pillar

The Magna Carta Is Signed and a House of Commons Is Born The reign of Henry II (1154–1189), first of the Plantagenets, saw an increasing centralization of royal power at the expense of the nobles, but in 1215 King John (1199–1216) was forced to sign the Magna Carta, which awarded the people, especially the nobles, certain basic rights. Edward I (1272–1307) continued the conquest of Ireland, reduced Wales to subjection, and made some gains in Scotland. In 1314, however, English forces led by Edward II were ousted from Scotland after the Battle of Bannockburn. The late 13th and early 14th centuries saw the development of a separate House of Commons with tax-raising powers. Edward III's claim to the throne of France led to the Hundred Years' War (1338–1453) and the loss of almost all the large English territory in France. In England, the great poverty and discontent caused by the war were intensified by the Black Death, a plague that reduced the population by about one- third. The Wars of the Roses (1455–1485), a struggle for the throne between the House of York and the House of Lancaster, ended in the victory of Henry Tudor (Henry VII) at Bosworth Field (1485). The Church of England Is Established and Parliament Reigns Supreme During the reign of Henry VIII (1509–1547), the church in England asserted its independence from the Roman Catholic Church. Under Edward VI and Mary, the two extremes of religious fanaticism were reached, and it remained for Henry's daughter, Elizabeth I (1558–1603), to set up the Church of England on a moderate basis. In 1588, the Spanish Armada, a fleet sent out by Catholic King Philip II of Spain, was defeated by the English and destroyed during a storm. During Elizabeth's reign, England became a world power. Elizabeth's heir was a Stuart— James VI of Scotland—who joined the two crowns as James I (1603–1625). The Stuart kings incurred large debts and were forced either to depend on parliament for taxes or to raise money by illegal means. In 1642, war broke out between Charles I and a large segment of the parliament; Charles was defeated and executed in 1649, and the monarchy was then abolished. After the death in 1658 of Oliver Cromwell, the lord protector, the Puritan Commonwealth fell to pieces and Charles II was placed on the throne in 1660. The struggle between the king and parliament continued, but Charles II knew when to compromise. His brother, James II (1685–1688), possessed none of Charles II's ability and was ousted by the Revolution of 1688, which confirmed the primacy of parliament. James's daughter, Mary, and her husband, William of Orange, then ruled. England's Empire Grows While the American Colonies Revolt Queen Anne's reign (1702–1714) was marked by the Duke of Marlborough's victories over France at Blenheim, Oudenarde, and Malplaquet in the War of the Spanish Succession. England and Scotland meanwhile were joined by the Act of Union (1707). Upon the death of Anne, the distant claims of the elector of Hanover were recognized, and he became king of Great Britain and Ireland as George I. The unwillingness of the Hanoverian kings to rule resulted in the formation by the royal ministers of a cabinet, headed by a prime minister, which directed all public business. Abroad, the constant wars with France expanded the British Empire all over the globe, particularly in North America and India. This imperial growth was checked by the revolt of the American colonies (1775–1781). Struggles with France broke out again in 1793 and during the Napoleonic Wars, which ended at Waterloo in 1815.

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ANO1013 Introduction to British Culture Dr Granville Pillar

Democratic Government Emerges The Victorian era, named after Queen Victoria (1837–1901), saw the growth of a democratic system of government that had begun with the Reform Bill of 1832. The two important wars in Victoria's reign were the Crimean War against Russia (1854–1856) and the Boer War (1899– 1902), the latter enormously extending Britain's influence in Africa. Increasing uneasiness at home and abroad marked the reign of Edward VII (1901–1910). Within four years of the accession of George V in 1910, Britain entered World War I when Germany invaded Belgium. The nation was led by coalition cabinets, headed first by Herbert Asquith and then, starting in 1916, by the Welsh statesman David Lloyd George. Post-war labour unrest culminated in the general strike of 1926. King Edward VIII succeeded to the throne on Jan. 20, 1936, at his father's death, but he abdicated on Dec. 11, 1936 (in order to marry an American divorcée, Wallis Warfield Simpson), in favour of his brother, who became George VI. Britain Enters WWII The efforts of Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain to stem the rising threat of Nazism in Germany failed with the German invasion of Poland on Sept. 1, 1939, which was followed by Britain's entry into World War II on Sept. 3. The King’s Speech https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zxew7HJS_Zo Allied reverses in the spring of 1940 led to Chamberlain's resignation and the formation of another coalition war cabinet by the Conservative leader, Winston Churchill, who led Britain through most of World War II. Churchill resigned shortly after V-E Day, May 8, 1945, but then formed a “caretaker” government that remained in office until after the parliamentary elections in July, which the Labour Party won overwhelmingly. The new government, formed by Clement R. Attlee, began a moderate socialist program. Britain Enters European Community and Margaret Thatcher Becomes First Female Prime Minister In 1951, Churchill again became prime minister at the head of a Conservative government. George VI died on Feb. 6, 1952, and was succeeded by his daughter, Elizabeth II. Churchill stepped down in 1955 in favour of Sir Anthony Eden, who resigned on grounds of ill health in 1957 and was succeeded by Harold Macmillan and Sir Alec Douglas-Home. In 1964, Harold Wilson led the Labour Party to victory. A lagging economy brought the Conservatives back to power in 1970. Prime Minister Edward Heath won Britain's admission to the European Community. Margaret Thatcher became Britain's first woman prime minister as the Conservatives won 339 seats on May 3, 1979. An Argentine invasion of the Falkland Islands on April 2, 1982, involved Britain in a war 8,000 mi from the home islands. Argentina had long claimed the Falklands, known as the Malvinas in Spanish, which had been occupied by the British since 1832. Britain won a decisive victory within six weeks when more than 11,000 Argentine troops on the Falklands surrendered on June 14, 1982.

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ANO1013 Introduction to British Culture Dr Granville Pillar

Britain Supports Post-September 11 America, Enters the Iraq War Britain became the staunchest ally of the U.S. after the Sept. 11 attacks. British troops joined the U.S. in the bombing campaign against Afghanistan in Oct. 2001, after the Taliban-led government refused to turn over the prime suspect in the terrorist attacks, Osama bin Laden. Blair again proved himself to be the strongest international supporter of the U.S. in Sept. 2002, becoming President Bush's major ally in calling for a war against Iraq. Blair maintained that military action was justified because Iraq was developing weapons of mass destruction that were a direct threat. He supported the Bush administration's hawkish policies despite significant opposition in his own party and the British public. In March 2003, a London Times newspaper poll indicated that only 19% of respondents approved of military action without a UN mandate. As the inevitability of the U.S. strike on Iraq grew nearer, Blair announced that he would join the U.S. in fighting Iraq with or without a second UN resolution. Three of his ministers resigned as a result. Britain entered the war on March 20, supplying 45,000 troops. In the aftermath of the war, Blair came under fire from government officials for allegedly exaggerating Iraq's possession of weapons of mass destruction. In July 2003, Blair announced that “history would forgive” the UK and U.S. “if we are wrong” and that the end to the “inhuman carnage and suffering” caused by Saddam Hussein was justification enough for the war. The arguments about the war grew so vociferous between the Blair government and the BBC that a prominent weapons scientist, David Kelly, who was caught in the middle, committed suicide. In Jan. 2004, the Hutton Report asserted that the Blair administration had not “sexed-up” the intelligence dossier, an accusation put forth by BBC reporter Andrew Gilligan. The report strongly criticized the BBC for its “defective” editorial policies, and as a consequence, the BBC's top management resigned. In July 2004, the Butler Report on pre– Iraq war British intelligence was released. It echoed the findings of the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee of the week before that the intelligence had vastly exaggerated Saddam Hussein's threat. The famous claim that Iraq's chemical and biological weapons “are deployable within 45 minutes of an order to use them” was especially singled out as highly misleading. But like the U.S. report, it cleared the government of any role in manipulating the intelligence. On May 5, 2005, Blair won a historic third term as the country's prime minister. Despite this victory, Blair's party was severely hurt in the elections. The Labour Party won just 36% of the national vote, the lowest percentage by a ruling party in British history. The Conservative Party won 33%, and the Liberal Democrats 22%. Blair acknowledged that the reason for the poor showing was Britain's involvement in the war in Iraq. David Cameron Wins a Second Term in a Resounding Victory Cameron's Conservative Party breezed to victory over Labour in the May 2015 general election. The Conservatives won enough seats to secure an outright majority in Parliament, and Cameron earned a second five-year term as prime minister. It was a stunning loss for Labour's Ed Miliband, who resigned the day after the election. Polls indicated a close race, but it turned out to be a rout for Labour. The Conservatives took 331 of 650 seats in the House of Commons, an increase of 24 seats from the 2010 race. Labour won 232 seats, 26 fewer than in 2010. Nick Clegg's Liberal Democrats, who joined the Conservatives in a coalition government after the 2010 election, also fared poorly, taking just eight seats. They secured 57 in the previous election. He also resigned as party leader.

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ANO1013 Introduction to British Culture Dr Granville Pillar

Seminar Discuss the following article:

EU referendum: Farage says immigration will be key 1 September 2015 Nigel Farage has said immigration must be a key issue in the EU referendum campaign, claiming Europe's asylum policy has "opened the door to an exodus of biblical proportions". The UKIP (UK Independent Party) leader said those wanting to downplay the subject in the run-up to the vote, fearing it would strike too divisive a tone, were wrong. The EU had "sent a message" that millions of migrants were welcome. UKIP will launch its own campaign to leave the EU, not join other groups. His comments come as record numbers try to enter Europe and in the wake of the deaths of 71 people in a lorry in Austria last week - most of whom were thought to be Syrians fleeing the country's civil war. The tragedy has prompted calls both for more rights for migrants and for border controls to be tightened up across Europe. 'Opened the door' Mr Farage said the authorities should be making it "more difficult" for people to cross borders, and said the EU had "lost sight" of the difference between genuine refugees fleeing from war and persecution and economic migrants wishing to better their lives. "The problem we have now is if you look at the definition of the EU's asylum policy, it includes anybody who comes from a war-torn country and it even includes people leaving extreme poverty," he told Radio 4's Today programme. "The EU have sent a message that anybody who comes across the Mediterranean or comes through Turkey, once they have set foot in an EU country they will be accepted. That's sent a message to hundreds of thousands of people that they can come. "The problem we've got is potentially we've opened the door to an exodus of biblical proportions, meaning millions and millions of people," he added. Also speaking on Monday, Labour leadership campaigner Yvette Cooper said EU nations had failed to work together to respond to the challenge of the current crisis and had a responsibility to separate asylum policy from debates about managing immigration. Mr Farage said UKIP would play a "unique role" in the referendum on the UK's future in the EU, to be held by the end of 2017, but again insisted he would not lead the official No campaign urging withdrawal.

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ANO1013 Introduction to British Culture Dr Granville Pillar

The Electoral Commission has yet to decide which group to designate as the official No campaign for the referendum, with two groups currently vying for the role. Designation brings with it the benefits of higher spending limits, television broadcasts and a grant. 'Ground campaign' Mr Farage said UKIP, which will launch its own campaign on Friday, would work alongside whichever "umbrella" group was chosen as well as Eurosceptics in other parties. "The unique role that UKIP can play within this is that we have 50,000 members, hundreds of branches across the country and we can do the ground campaign." Mr Farage suggested UKIP's performance in the 2014 European elections, when it topped the polls in the UK, showed it could deliver nearly two thirds of the votes needed to win a referendum on EU membership. He added: "It is no different to the Yes campaign... already the SNP have said they will do their own thing and not join up with anybody and do their own thing. It is the same on both sides." Nigel Farage believes UKIP has the structure in place to mobilise thousands of activists that could prove invaluable to any No campaign, placing his party is at the heart of the effort. Mr Farage also thinks the other No camps lack his combination of political nous and reach outside of Westminster. Nonetheless he paints a picture of harmony on the No side. He says he speaks to senior figures in the other camps several times a week. He is also inviting them to UKIP's conference in Doncaster at the end of September. He wants to see them up on the stage addressing his faithful. What of the Yes camp? Easyjet chief executive Carolyn McCall had been thought to be the person being eyed up to front the campaign - but Business for New Europe have now said she will not lead it. Behind the scenes, early funding is coming from Lord Sainsbury and there is already a cross- party consensus in place with Peter Mandelson, Danny Alexander and Damian Green the self- appointed political figures. Strategy is quite advanced. University students arriving for the start of term are likely to face a concerted effort from a Yes campaign that wants to take advantage of political activists already in place on campuses across the country. But the decision risks muddying the water on the No side, with effectively three rival campaigns in existence - the Business for Britain group featuring well-known Westminster figures, UKIP donor Aaron Banks' group The Know.eu, as well as UKIP. Mr Farage said he hoped the two other groups would come together to fight the No campaign as one, which he suggested could be fronted by a non-politician, such as someone from the worlds of business and entertainment. He added: "What I do know is the Yes campaign is very active. Over the course of the last few months we have seen Richard Branson, Tony Blair and Lord Mandelson. They are out there campaigning and we need to get cracking."

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ANO1013 Introduction to British Culture Dr Granville Pillar

2. Scotland: Overview Lecture

Facts and Figures Status: Part of United Kingdom First Minister: Alex Salmond (2007) Land area: 30,414 sq mi (78,772 sq km) Population (2013 est.): 5,327,700; density per sq mi: 174.1 Capital (2013 est.): Edinburgh, 487,500 Largest city: Glasgow, 2,850,000 (metro. area), 1,750,000 (city proper) Monetary unit: British pound sterling (£) Languages: English, Scots Gaelic Religions: Church of Scotland (established church—Presbyterian), Roman Catholic, Scottish Episcopal Church, Baptist, Methodist

Geography Scotland occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain. It is bounded by England in the south and on the other three sides by water: by the Atlantic Ocean on the west and north and by the North Sea on the east. Scotland is divided into three physical regions—the Highlands; the Central Lowlands, containing two-thirds of the population; and the Southern Uplands. The western Highland coast is intersected throughout by long, narrow sea lochs, or fjords. Scotland also includes the Outer and Inner Hebrides and other islands off the west coast and the Orkney and Shetland Islands off the north coast. Government England and Scotland have shared a monarch since 1603 and a parliament since 1707, but in May 1999, Scotland elected its own parliament for the first time in three centuries. The new Scottish legislature was in part the result of British Prime Minister Tony Blair's campaign promise to permit devolution, the transfer of local powers from London to Edinburgh. In a Sept. 1997 referendum, 74% of Scotland voted in favour of their own parliament, which controls most domestic affairs, including health, education, and transportation, and has powers to legislate and raise taxes. Queen Elizabeth opened the new parliament on July 2, 1999. History The first inhabitants of Scotland were the Picts, a Celtic tribe. Between A.D. 82 and A.D. 208, the Romans invaded Scotland, naming it Caledonia. Roman influence over the land, however, was minimal. The Scots, a Celtic tribe from Ireland, migrated to the west coast of Scotland in about 500. Kenneth McAlpin, king of the Scots, ascended the throne of the Pictish kingdom in about 843, thereby uniting the various Scots and Pictish tribes under one kingdom called Dal Riada. By the 11th century, the monarchy had extended its borders to include much of what is Scotland today. English influence in the region expanded when Malcolm III, king of Scotland from 1057–1093, married an English princess. England's appetite for Scottish land began to grow over the 12th and 13th centuries, and in 1296 King Edward I of England successfully invaded Scotland. The

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ANO1013 Introduction to British Culture Dr Granville Pillar following year Robert the Bruce led a revolt for independence, was crowned king of Scotland (Robert I) in 1306, and after years of war defeated the English in 1314 at the Battle of Bannockburn. In 1328 the English finally recognized Scottish independence. In the 16th century John Knox introduced the Scottish reformation, and the Presbyterian Church replaced Catholicism as the official religion. In 1567, Mary, queen of Scots, a Catholic, was forced to abdicate the Scottish throne and was later executed by Elizabeth I of England. Mary's son, James VI, was raised as a Protestant, and in 1603 he succeeded Elizabeth on the English throne as King James I of England. James thus became ruler of both Scotland and England, though the countries remained separate. In 1707, after a century of turmoil, Scotland and England passed the Act of Union, which united Scotland, England, and Wales under one rule as the Kingdom of Great Britain. The House of Hanover replaced the Stuart lineage on the throne in 1714, which caused a rebellion among Scots who still supported the Stuarts. The Jacobites, as the rebels were called, led two uprisings, in 1715 and again in 1745. With the advent of the Industrial Revolution, Scotland, whose chief product had been textiles, began developing the industries of shipbuilding, coal mining, iron, and steel. In the late 20th century, Scotland concentrated on electronics and high-tech industries. The North Sea has also become an important source of oil and gas. In May 1999, Scotland elected its first separate parliament in three centuries. Labour won the largest number of seats, defeating the Scottish National Party (SNP), which supports Scotland's independence from Britain. The SNP dealt Labour a stunning blow in parliamentary elections in May 2007, taking 47 out of 129 seats. The Labour Party won 46 seats. Prior to the election, the SNP held 25 seats. In 2007, Alex Salmond took over as First Minister, succeeding Jack McConnell. From 2007 to 2011, the government Salmond headed was a Scottish minority. In the 2011 Scottish Parliament election, the party Salmond leads, the Scottish Nationalist Party, won the majority. Salmond began calling for a referendum on Scotland's independence. On September 18, 2014, an independence referendum was held. Scottish voters opted, 55% to 45%, to remain part of the United Kingdom. More than 4.2 million voters (86% turnout) took to the polls in record numbers to vote on the referendum question: "Should Scotland be an independent country?" When the votes were tallied, it was 2,001,926 (55.3%) for No to 1,617,989 (44.7%) for Yes. Moving forward, the Westminster powers that be would have to take a hard look at the very structure of the United Kingdom. Even though the 10% margin of victory was decisive, British leaders have promised to listen to the 1.6 million who voted for independence.

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ANO1013 Introduction to British Culture Dr Granville Pillar

Seminar Discuss the following article: Why Scotland Might Break Away From the United Kingdom National Geographic Dis-United Kingdom Scotland has always been, in some sense, another country, preserving its own legal system, vernacular, and cultural traditions. In recent years the U.K. has increasingly become the dis-united kingdom, its constituent parts beginning to spin away from the centre—London and the so-called Home Counties of southern England—like atoms in a centrifuge. In 1997, Prime Minister Tony Blair's government, reacting to rising nationalism in Scotland and Wales, set in motion a process known as devolution. Scotland was allowed to establish its own parliament and take control of some social policies, such as health and education. But key powers such as taxation and welfare remained in the hands of Westminster. Scotland has long had high unemployment and chronic social problems, so when Prime Minister Cameron imposed austerity measures in response to the recent recession, many Scots felt even more alienated than before. Golf—a proud Scottish invention, like the steam engine, tarmac, and penicillin—is still "the people's game" in its motherland. Here golfers putt in the shadow of Grangemouth, Scotland's only crude oil refinery. "I started as a No voter," says 32-year-old poet and events organizer Jenny Lindsey. "What put me off the Yes voters were all these Braveheart fanatics covered in saltires." Now she's on the other side. "For me it's a purely democratic argument. The U.K. is going in a different political direction to Scotland. There are particular social problems here, particularly in health. We're an extremely unhealthy country. We have a deeper divide between rich and poor than the rest of the U.K. And unless we have control of our own country, we won't be able to address these issues." David Greig, Scotland's best known playwright and a passionate Yes Scotland campaigner, says, "For me it's an issue of principle. The British state was built for a small class of people to maintain an empire. It did very well at that, but it's not any longer, to my mind, the kind of modern, functional democracy we need in Scotland."

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"Nessie," on show at the Loch Ness Centre in Drumnadrochit, is a powerful emblem of Scottish identity, like whiskey and heather. The legend of the Loch Ness monster dates back to early Christian missionary Saint Columba, in the sixth century. From Bonny Prince Charlie to North Sea Oil Economics, as much as politics and nationalism, have galvanized the modern debate—the economics, that is, of North Sea oil, seen as the jewel in the crown of any independent Scottish state. Since oil first came ashore, in 1975, from the North Sea, it has fed billions of pounds into the U.K.'s Treasury: £4.7 billion (about U.S. $7.5 billion) in 2013-14 alone. Because the vast majority of the oil lies in Scottish waters, London has returned some of the wealth to Scotland by granting higher levels of spending on welfare. Oil rigs in the deep harbour of the Cromarty Firth at Nigg, within striking distance of the North Sea oil fields, wait to be repaired or decommissioned. How much oil remains since it was first piped ashore in 1975, and what it will be worth to an independent Scotland, are hot-button issues in the referendum debate. "It's Scotland's oil!" is one of the pro-independence slogans. But, as Salmond argues, that's small potatoes compared to the estimated 91 percent of oil revenue an independent Scotland would collect, based on an internationally accepted median line drawn out to sea between Scotland and England. "It's Scotland's oil!" is one of the SNP's loudest rallying cries. As the referendum approaches, both sides have sharpened their rhetoric, invoking numbers to make their case. How many barrels of crude are left? How much is it worth? When will it run out? Speaking in a televised debate at the end of August, Salmond, himself a former oil economist, said that 30 billion barrels remain, worth £1.5 trillion (about U.S. $2.4 trillion). Independent estimates say the resource is more likely to be between 12 billion and 24 billion barrels. When he assured voters that North Sea oil and gas "will be with us way beyond 2050," that claim was immediately challenged by the Aberdeen-based oil services billionaire Sir Ian Wood, the leading expert on North Sea oil, who suggested there would be a sharp drop in output after 2030.

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ANO1013 Introduction to British Culture Dr Granville Pillar

Better Together? Or Apart? Scotland's Better Together campaign, spearheaded by Alistair Darling, chancellor of the exchequer under former Prime Minister Gordon Brown, has mostly tapped into Scottish fears and doubts rather than Scottish hopes and dreams: Independence will make Scotland more vulnerable to terrorism, less attractive to business, poorer. The Yes Scotland campaign offers a vision of a Scotland that will be fairer, more compassionate, and more representative. Salmond's battle cry—"A Scotland run by Scots"— always gets a rousing cheer.

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ANO1013 Introduction to British Culture Dr Granville Pillar

3. Wales: Overview Lecture

Facts and Figures Status: Part of United Kingdom First Minister: Carwyn Jones (2009) Land area: 8,019 sq mi (20,768 sq km) Population (2011 census):3,063,456 Capital and largest city (2011 census): Cardiff, 1,097,000 (metro. area), 346,100 (city proper) Monetary unit: British pound sterling (£) Languages: English, Welsh Religions: Calvinistic Methodist, Church of Wales (disestablished— Anglican), Roman Catholic

Geography Wales lies west of England and is separated from England by the Cambrian Mountains. It is bordered on the northwest, west, and south by the Irish Sea and on the northeast and east by England. Wales is generally hilly; the Snowdon range in the northern part culminates in Mount Snowdon (3,560 ft, 1,085 m), Wales's highest peak. Government Until 1999, Wales was ruled solely by the UK government and a secretary of state. In the referendum of Sept. 18, 1997, Welsh citizens voted to establish a national assembly. Wales will remain part of the UK, and the secretary of state for Wales and members of parliament from Welsh constituencies will continue to have seats in parliament. Unlike Scotland, which in 1999 voted to have its own parliament, the national assembly will not be able to legislate and raise taxes. Wales will, however, control most of its local affairs. The Welsh national assembly officially opened on July 1, 1999. History The prehistoric peoples of Wales left behind megaliths and other impressive monuments. They were followed by settlements of Celts in the region. The Romans occupied the region from the 1st to the 5th century A.D. Thereafter Angles, Saxons, and Jutes invaded the British island, but they left Wales virtually untouched. Beginning in the 8th century, the various Welsh tribes fought with their Anglo-Saxon neighbours to the east, but the Welsh were able to thwart attempted invasions. After William the Conqueror subdued England in 1066, however, his Norman armies marched into Wales in 1093 and occupied portions of it. By 1282, the English conquest of Wales was complete, and in 1284, the Statute of Rhuddlan formalized England's sovereignty over Wales. In 1301, King Edward I gave his son, who later became Edward II, the title Prince of Wales, a gesture meant to indicate the unity and relationship between the two lands. With the exception of Edward II, all subsequent British monarchs have given this title to their eldest son. In 1400, the Welsh prince Owen Glendower led a revolt against the English, expelling them from much of Wales in just four years. By 1410, however, his rebellion was crushed. In 1485, Henry VII became king of England. A Welshman and the first in the Tudor line, Henry's reign,

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ANO1013 Introduction to British Culture Dr Granville Pillar and those of subsequent Tudors, made English rule more palatable to the Welsh. His son, King Henry VIII, joined England and Wales under the Act of Union in 1536. The Industrial Revolution transformed Wales and threatened the traditional livelihood of farmers and shepherds. In the 20th century, the economy of Wales was based primarily on coal production. After World War I, coal prices dropped; this, coupled with the Great Depression, fuelled high unemployment rates and economic uncertainty. In recent years, a resurgence of the Welsh language and culture has demonstrated a stronger national identity among the Welsh, and politically the country moved toward greater self- government (devolution). In 1999, with the strong support of Britain's Prime Minister, Tony Blair, Wales opened the Welsh national assembly, the first real self-government Wales has had in more than 600 years. National Symbols The national symbols of Wales include the red dragon, the leek (which is worn on St David’s day each 1 March), and the daffodil as a national flower (which is also worn on St David’s day). St David is a patron saint of Wales. The non-official anthem of Wales is “Land of My Fathers” from 1860. It is often sung at football and rugby matches. The greatest matches are held at the Twickenham Stadium. The other “sport” in Wales is singing. The Welsh are very musical – one of the symbols of Wales is the Welsh triple harp – and singing is a kind of national art. Each year a festival called Eisteddfod is held for several days, where there are competitions in poetry, music and singing with the participation of Welsh “bards.” (Remember Arany János’s poem?) The origin of the festival goes back to the Romantic revival – which turned to more “exotic” themes and elements – at the end of the 18th century. The real origins go back to the Middle Ages, when competitions were held to win the title of the “bard.” A bard was a poet and singer of the Celtic tribes that accompanied himself with a harp. A bard can take a seat on a throne called eisteddfa (bardic chair) and is crowned a Chief Bard (Y Prifardd) by the Arch Druid, a “priest” of Celtic nations. The songs are performed in Welsh.

Welsh Boy’s Choir: Only Boys Aloud – Britain’s Got Talent https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AARrVAHnkdY

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Seminar Discuss the following article: Volunteering and Wellbeing August 2015 The language of wellbeing has crept into our vocabulary over recent years, and looks like it is here to stay. Welsh government reform of social services and planning for sustainable development, for example, all adopt the language of wellbeing. The good news is that it gives us a new vocabulary for proclaiming loud and clear the benefits of volunteering. For so long we have tended to talk about numbers of volunteers, hours of volunteering and perhaps even the value of volunteering in financial terms. None of which really touches the heart of the matter, which is the difference that volunteering makes to lives and to communities... to the wellbeing of the population of Wales. At our recent conference on The Language of Volunteering, Dafydd Thomas, Director of the Wellbeing Planner (www.wellbeingplanner.co.uk), introduced the concept and its significance. You can see Dafydd’s presentation slides here. True wealth Many politicians get hung up about measuring a country’s fortunes using its Gross Domestic Product, or GDP, but as Bobby Kennedy said almost 50 years ago, this measures everything, in short, except that which makes life worthwhile.

“ Yet the gross national product does not allow for the health of our children, the quality of their education or the joy of their play. It does not include the beauty of our poetry or the strength of our marriages, the intelligence of our public debate or the integrity of our public officials. It measures neither our wit nor our courage, neither our wisdom now our learning, neither our compassion nor our devotion to our country, it measures everything in short, except that which makes life worthwhile.” Bobby Kennedy, University of Kansas March 18,

1968

Wellbeing, on the other hand, is about individuals and communities. It is a different kind of wealth. It is “A positive physical, social and mental state; it is not just the absence of pain, discomfort and incapacity. It requires that basic needs are met, that individuals have a sense of purpose, that they feel able to achieve important personal goals and participate in society. It is enhanced by conditions that include supportive personal relationships, strong and inclusive communities, good health, financial and personal security, rewarding employment and a healthy and attractive environment” Together for Mental Health - A Strategy for Mental health and Wellbeing in Wales October 2012. Hallmarks of wellbeing The New Economics Foundation has identified five ways to wellbeing based on the work of Foresight Commission on Mental Capital and Wellbeing in 2008. Similar to the Five a Day message about healthy eating, the Five Ways to Wellbeing take academic research and make it a bit more memorable. They are: Connect, Be active, Take notice, Keep Learning and Give.

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Volunteering and the five ways to wellbeing Anyone who has experience of working with volunteers will recognise straight away that the five marks of wellbeing above have an obvious link with what we see time and time again as the fruits of volunteering. Volunteering connects people by bringing them together. Often volunteers comment that through volunteering they come to know and make friends with people who they woudl never otherwise cross paths with. For some it is a vital social contact. For those in particular who are older or who are unemployed, volunteering is a reason to get out of the house and to be physically active. In some cases, such as for Elan Môn Gilford, one of this year’s young Volunteers of the Year it involves being very active indeed Through volunteering people may be encouraged to give attention to that which they would not perhaps otherwise do – whether it be other people’s needs or stories, to a creative task in hand or to the environment around them. Most volunteering involves learning – doing something new. Many volunteer roles bring the opportunity to attend training and maybe to gain accreditation or other certification of skills and competences gained. And last but by no means least, ‘give’. The core principles of volunteering are that it is undertaken without financial reward, that it is done of one’s own free will and that it benefits others. That is giving! Evidencing the impact of volunteering In his workshop on wellbeing measures, Dafydd Thomas discussed with participants what contributed to their own wellbeing and of those factors, which were most relevant to their organisation's volunteers. These included some of the Five Ways to Wellbeing. The workshop explored issues like flexibility of hours and tasks, and having a sense of purpose when volunteering, as being important ‘wellbeing drivers’ for those who volunteer. In a time of scarce resources for all Third Sector organisations, there is increasing need to demonstrate the effectiveness of our interventions. What better way of understanding that impact than by measuring the wellbeing impact of what voluntary organisations do on services users and the volunteers themselves? The Third Sector's activities in Wales are central to the nation's fortunes and full of examples that, according to Bobby Kennedy, make life worthwhile.

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4. Northern Ireland: Overview Lecture

Facts and Figures Status: Part of United Kingdom First Minister: (Peter Robinson) Land area: 5,452 sq mi (14,121 sq km) Population (1998 est.): 1,688,600 Capital and largest city (2003 est.): Belfast, 484,800 (metro. area), 246,200 (city proper) Monetary unit: British pound sterling (£) Language: English Religions: Presbyterian, Church of Ireland, Roman Catholic, Methodist.

Geography Northern Ireland is composed of 26 districts, derived from the boroughs of Belfast and Londonderry and the counties of Antrim, Armagh, Down, Fermanagh, Londonderry, and Tyrone. Together they are commonly called Ulster, though the territory does not include the entire ancient province of Ulster. It is slightly larger than Connecticut. Government Northern Ireland was an integral part of the United Kingdom, but under the terms of the Government of Ireland Act in 1920, it had a semiautonomous government. In 1972, however, after three years of sectarian violence between Protestants and Catholics that resulted in more than 400 dead and thousands injured, Britain suspended the Ulster parliament. The Ulster counties were governed directly from London after an attempt to return certain powers to an elected assembly in Belfast. As a result of the Good Friday Agreement of 1998, a new coalition government was formed on Dec. 2, 1999, with the British government formally transferring governing power to the Northern Irish parliament. David Trimble, Protestant leader of the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) and winner of the 1998 Nobel Peace Prize, became first minister. The government has been suspended four times since then; it has remained suspended since Oct. 14, 2002. History Ulster was part of Catholic Ireland until the reign of Elizabeth I (1558–1603) when, after suppressing three Irish rebellions, the Crown confiscated lands in Ireland and settled the Scots Presbyterians in Ulster. Another rebellion in 1641–1651, brutally crushed by Oliver Cromwell, resulted in the settlement of Anglican Englishmen in Ulster. Subsequent political policy favouring Protestants and disadvantaging Catholics encouraged further Protestant settlement in Northern Ireland. Northern Ireland did not separate from the South until William Gladstone presented, in 1886, his proposal for home rule in Ireland. The Protestants in the North feared domination by the Catholic majority. Industry, moreover, was concentrated in the North and dependent on the British market. When World War I began, civil war threatened between the regions. Northern Ireland, however, did not become a political entity until the six counties accepted the Home

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Rule Bill of 1920. This set up a semiautonomous parliament in Belfast and a Crown-appointed governor advised by a cabinet of the prime minister and 8 ministers, as well as a 12-member representation in the House of Commons in London. Hostilities between Catholic and Protestant Communities Mount When the Republic of Ireland gained sovereignty in 1922, relations improved between North and South, although the Irish Republican Army (IRA), outlawed in recent years, continued the struggle to end the partition of Ireland. In 1966–1969, rioting and street fighting between Protestants and Catholics occurred in Londonderry, fomented by extremist nationalist Protestants, who feared the Catholics might attain a local majority, and by Catholics demonstrating for civil rights. These confrontations became known as “the Troubles.” The religious communities, Catholic and Protestant, became hostile armed camps. British troops were brought in to separate them but themselves became a target of Catholics, particularly by the IRA, which by this time had turned into a full-fledged terrorist movement. The goal of the IRA was to eject the British and unify Northern Ireland with the Irish Republic to the south. The Protestants remained tenaciously loyal to the United Kingdom, and various Protestant terrorist organizations pursued the Unionist cause through violence. Various attempts at representational government and power-sharing foundered during the 1970s, and both sides were further polarized. Direct rule from London and the presence of British troops failed to stop the violence. Steps toward Peace In Oct. 1977, the 1976 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Mairead Corrigan and Betty Williams, founders of the Community of Peace People, a non-sectarian organization dedicated to creating peace in Northern Ireland. Intermittent violence continued, however, and on Aug. 27, 1979, an IRA bomb killed Lord Mountbatten as he was sailing off southern Ireland. This incident heightened tensions. Catholic protests over the death of IRA hunger striker Bobby Sands in 1981 fuelled more violence. Riots, sniper fire, and terrorist attacks killed more than 3,200 people between 1969 and 1998. Among the attempts at reconciliation undertaken during the 1980s was the Anglo-Irish Agreement (1985), which, to the dismay of Unionists, marked the first time the Republic of Ireland had been given an official consultative role in the affairs of the province. In 1997, Northern Ireland made a significant step in the direction of stemming sectarian strife. The first formal peace talks began on Oct. 6 with representatives of eight major Northern Irish political parties participating, a feat that in itself required three years of negotiations. Two smaller Protestant parties, including extremist Ian Paisley's Democratic Unionists, boycotted the talks. For the first time, Sinn Fein, the political wing of the IRA, won two seats in the British parliament, which went to Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams and his second-in-command, Martin McGuinness. Although the election strengthened the IRA's political legitimacy, it was the IRA's resumption of the 17-month cease-fire, which had collapsed in February 1996 that gained them a place at the negotiating table.

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A landmark settlement, the Good Friday Agreement of April 10, 1998, came after 19 months of intensive negotiations. The accord called for Protestants to share political power with the minority Catholics, and it gave the Republic of Ireland a voice in Northern Irish affairs. In turn, Catholics were to suspend the goal of a united Ireland—a territorial claim that was the raison d'être of the IRA and was written into the Irish Republic's constitution—unless the largely Protestant North voted in favour of such an arrangement, an unlikely occurrence. The resounding commitment to the settlement was demonstrated in a dual referendum on May 22, 1998: the North approved the accord by a vote of 71% to 29%, and in the Irish Republic 94% favoured it. In October, the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to John Hume and David Trimble, leaders of the largest Catholic and Protestant political parties, an incentive for all sides to ensure that this time the peace would last. Peace walls were erected to divide Catholic and Protestant areas.

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Seminar Discuss the following articles: Has anything really changed? The Troubles have claimed the lives of more than 3,000 people in Northern Ireland since 1969 and left large parts of communities in Ulster polarised, with hate and suspicion engrained for a generation. So 15 years on from the Good Friday agreement has anything really changed? It’s clear that Northern Ireland is changing. This is all the more apparent when you look at the results of the 2011 Census, which was published late last year. The population as a whole rose by 7.5 per cent to 1.81m since 2001 but more intriguingly was the data provided on religion and identity. The gap between the once Catholic minority has narrowed greatly with 45 per cent of people saying they were Catholic while 48 per cent being classed as Protestant. Also a new question about identity was introduced over what nationality people classed themselves as. A total of 40 per cent said British only, while 25 per cent said Irish only. Those that felt they were Northern Irish only was 21 per cent – showing a growing feeling of greater collective identity. This shows the change in society according to Dr Norton. “Northern Ireland has changed for Catholics hugely. There is more parity, no discrimination and cultural recognition. They are doing very well out of the peace process. They haven’t abandoned their nationalism. They feel that they can feel Irish within Northern Ireland. “In a recent Belfast Telegraph survey a majority of people said a united Ireland wasn’t a preferred option and 38 per cent of those were Catholic. “Partly this could be down to factors such as the collapse of the Irish economy in the south. This all leads to any chance of a united Ireland being extremely unlikely.” For Dr O’Kane, Northern Ireland has mirrored the change in wider society. “Northern Ireland’s politics makes sense in and of itself. “The ideologies of the past are no longer as enticing, as generally, the violence and problems are no longer there. “Ingredients such as the civil rights movement followed by the end of the Cold War coincided with the end of the IRA’s military campaign and you can observe a positive trajectory for the republican movement towards the peace process and beyond but it can be argued that the foundation for that had already been laid.” We do look back to make sense of the present – particularly in politics. The argument that the ballot box has won the day against the rhetoric of separation seems compelling. But has that come at the expense of the soul of what made Northern Irish politics stand out from the crowd as unabandoned, passionate and terribly tribal? In short, has Northern Irish politics become a bit boring? Not necessarily according to Dr Norton: “When you look back on what many may see as the colourfulness of politics during the Troubles many others would see as statements of bigotry. The politicians of the day were shocking and meant to shock. They were negative and bigoted.

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“Fortunately there seems to be a healthy cynicism among young people today where they are not moved by the rhetoric and in fact are much more likely to question views. “Stability and democratic politics may be boring to some but they still deal with serious issues and maybe the fault of politics becoming dull is the fault of the actual politicians.” Dr O’Kane said: “George Mitchell (The US Senator who helped facilitate the GFA) once said his hope for the future of politics in Northern Ireland was that he would return and it would be boring. On his return some years later the debates were all about water rates and public health. I don’t think you’ll not see the likes of an Ian Paisley again. “There will always be interesting characters in politics that have shone due to the backdrop of tragedy and destruction. Most of the politics when you examine it were negative but that is very much a human coping strategy. “One of the political issues is that there is no opposition, all parties are in the cabinet – it would liven things up if there was some form of opposition outside of the cabinet which may encourage difficult decisions to be taken. “Britain took the difficult decisions in the past but now power has been devolved, it’s led to internal problems and Gordon Brown and now David Cameron are far less receptive to requests for intervention from Stormont.” The move towards a democratic and relatively peaceful society in Ulster is something that people in the main seem to have embraced. However the shadow of dissident groups always remains on the horizon. This constant shadow along with the difficulty in unshackling itself from its past is something that Northern Ireland has to contend with as it looks towards the future, according to Dr Norton. He said: “The legacy of violence is more significant than the reality. Many suffered terribly and will never forget that, and that’s always going to be a big issue in Northern Ireland. “Dissidents continue to be involved in violence that shocks, such as murders and attacks on the police or armed forces, but this is on a very low scale compared to before and is somewhat sporadic. “They do remain a threat. The thing you notice about Northern Ireland today is the absence of any obvious signs of security forces or police in normal day-to-day life. “But the shadow remains and that is the legacy of violence – there has been no reconciliation on that score and no-one, neither the DUP nor Sinn Fein has really addressed that problem, maybe because it is just too difficult. “Tony Blair undoubtedly won the prize and resolved the Northern Ireland question but since that time Northern Ireland is not seen as a major issue anymore in Westminster. “The truth of the matter is no-one in the rest of the UK is really interested in Northern Ireland.” 15 years on, Northern Ireland has certainly come a long way since the Good Friday Agreement. Democratic politics is mainly the order of the day but there are still problems, there still remains a divided society. Reconciliation for some will never come. Peace exists and for the majority, day-to-day life in Northern Ireland is so much better.

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But there remain elements in society who are disenfranchised, who wish to continue the old war for the fourth province of Ireland or resist the rise of Catholics into power and retain the union – depending on which side of the Shankhill Road you sit on. The Troubles will never be forgotten and the hope must be that we continue to look at the lessons of the past to ensure continued peace in the future.

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Northern Irish preacher in court for calling Islam 'satanic' A legal action against an evangelical preacher who branded Islam 'satanic' is among the most bizarre cases to come to court, a judge has heard. Pastor James McConnell appeared before Belfast Magistrates Court charged with two offences connected to a controversial sermon he gave last year. The 78-year-old from Shore Road, Newtownabbey Co Antrim is being prosecuted under the 2003 Communications Act after remarks made from the pulpit of his Whitewell Metropolitan Tabernacle in north Belfast were streamed online. Defence solicitor Joe Rice told District Judge Amanda Henderson his client was strenuously contesting the case. He said: "We are pleading not guilty. Very candidly not guilty." Up to 1,000 people with banners and placards turned out to support Pastor McConnell who was cheered and applauded as he entered and exited courtroom number nine of the Laganside complex. The elderly preacher, who was dressed in a navy suit, white shirt and purple tie, did not enter the dock for the brief hearing. Instead, he sat in the public gallery behind his wife Margaret, supported by friends and other family members. The judge was told that the defence team intended to lodge an abuse of process application to have the case thrown out of court. Mr Rice added: "This is one of the most bizarre and peculiar cases I have ever seen before the court." The court also heard how Pastor McConnell had rejected a lesser punishment and was taking a "principled stance" on the issue of freedom of expression. He "strenuously denied" any moral or legal culpability, it was claimed. Mr Rice said: "The Pastor has waited a long time for this to come to court. He did not incite hatred or encourage violence against Muslims. "He expressed views about another religion, not in a personalised manner but in a generalised way. "He has every right to criticise Islam, as Islamic clerics have the right to criticise him. "This is a principled stance that the pastor has taken." Meanwhile, the defence team also slammed prosecutors for an apparent lack of action on disclosure. "This is not the PPS's finest hour, this case," Mr Rice said. Outside, Pastor McConnell addressed a large crowd of Christian supporters who cheered and sang hymns as he left the court building.

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He said: "They were nervous in that court, very nervous. I thank God for my solicitor who presented a brilliant case. I will not go back on what I preached. I am not guilty. "I want to be exonerated, I want acquitted, I want rid of all this. But when I am rid of all this I will be back preaching the same." The pastor accused prosecutors of wasting public funds and said he did not hate anyone. He added: "They are spending thousands. They are running about that court like headless chickens, it is ridiculous, it is stupid. What is wrong with this country? "I do not hate anybody." Among those who turned out to show their support were Democratic Unionist MP Sammy Wilson and his DUP colleague William Humphrey. Mr Wilson, a longstanding member of the Whitewell Metropolitan Tabernacle, church said: "I think this is an important issue of freedom of speech. "I believe a prosecution like this introduces a chill factor into society where people feel that if they speak out on something that they believe passionately they could end up being dragged through the courts." The case has been adjourned until September 3.

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5. The British Monarchy and Legal System Lecture The British Monarchy The Role of the Monarchy Monarchy is the oldest form of government in the United Kingdom. In a monarchy, a king or queen is Head of State. The British monarchy is known as a constitutional monarchy. This means that, while The Sovereign is Head of State, the ability to make and pass legislation resides with an elected Parliament. Although the British Sovereign no longer has a political or executive role, he or she continues to play an important part in the life of the nation. As Head of State, The Monarch undertakes constitutional and representational duties which have developed over one thousand years of history. In addition to these State duties, The Monarch has a less formal role as 'Head of Nation'. The Sovereign acts as a focus for national identity, unity and pride; gives a sense of stability and continuity; officially recognises success and excellence; and supports the ideal of voluntary service. In all these roles The Sovereign is supported by members of their immediate family. Constitutional Monarchy: History and Background The origins of constitutional monarchy in Britain go back a long way. Until the end of the seventeenth century, British monarchs were executive monarchs, which means that they had the right to make and pass legislation. But even in early times there were occasions when the Sovereign had to act in accordance with the law and take into account the will of his people. With the signing of the Magna Carta in 1215, for example, the leading noblemen of England succeeded in forcing King John to accept that they and other freemen had rights against the Crown. In the seventeenth century, the Stuart kings propagated the theory of the divine right of kings, claiming that the Sovereign was subject only to God and not to the law. Widespread unrest against their rule led to civil war in the second half of the seventeenth century. In 1688-9 Parliamentarians drew up a Bill of Rights, which established basic tenets such as the supremacy of Parliament. The constitutional monarchy we know today really developed in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, as day-to-day power came to be exercised by Ministers in Cabinet, and by Parliaments elected by a steadily-widening electorate. One of the most important writers on the subject of constitutional monarchy was a Victorian economist and writer called Walter Bagehot (1826-77).

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His book, 'The English Constitution', first published in 1867, provided an analysis of the role of monarchy which remains relevant today. For example, Bagehot describes the way in which monarchy symbolises the unity of the national community. He wrote: "The nation is divided into parties, but the crown is of no party. Its apparent separation from business is that which removes it both from enmities and from desecration, which preserves its mystery, which enables it to combine the affection of conflicting parties.” Bagehot also noticed the importance of the Royal Family. "A family on the throne is an interesting idea also. It brings down the pride of sovereignty to the level of petty life." From the point of view of political power, according to Bagehot, the main influence of the Sovereign was during a political ministry, for the Sovereign had three rights: "the right to be consulted, the right to encourage, the right to warn". According to Bagehot, a Sovereign would, over the course of a long reign, accumulate far more knowledge and experience than any minister. Bagehot's views of how monarchy works proved influential, and by the reign of King George V, the principle of constitutional monarchy was firmly established in Britain. The Bill of Rights Act 1689 set out the foundations of constitutional monarchy. Rights obtained by Parliament included: Freedom from Royal interference with the law; Freedom from taxation by Royal prerogative; Freedom to petition the King; Freedom to elect members of Parliament without interference from the Sovereign. The Act of Settlement The Act of Settlement of 1701 was designed to secure the Protestant succession to the throne, and to strengthen the guarantees for ensuring a parliamentary system of government. The Act also strengthened the Bill of Rights (1689), which had previously established the order of succession for Mary II’s heirs. Mary’s father, James II, had fled England in 1688 during events described as the ‘Glorious Revolution’. James’s Roman Catholic sympathies and belief in the divine right of the Crown, resulted in disgruntled parliamentarians offering the throne to his eldest Protestant daughter, Mary. She accepted it on condition that she could reign jointly with her Dutch husband, William of Orange, who became William III. From this time onwards the Bill of Rights proved to be of fundamental importance for the evolution of constitutional monarchy. The Act of Settlement reinforced the Bill of Rights, in that it strengthened the principle that government was undertaken by the Sovereign and his or her constitutional advisers (i.e. his or her Ministers), not by the Sovereign and any personal advisers whom he or she happened to choose. Although the Bill of Rights had established the order of succession with the heirs of Mary II, Anne and William III, neither of James II’s daughters had surviving heirs, casting uncertainty on the future of succession. Mary had died of smallpox in 1694, aged 32, and by 1700 William was dying. Anne's only surviving child (out of 17 children), the Duke of Gloucester, died that

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ANO1013 Introduction to British Culture Dr Granville Pillar same year at the age of 11. Without a confirmed heir the decision was made by Parliament to ensure that the succession of future sovereigns remained within the Protestant faith. According to the 1701 Act, succession to the throne went to Princess Sophia, Electress of Hanover (James I's granddaughter) and her Protestant heirs. However, Sophia died before Queen Anne, therefore the succession passed to her son, George, Elector of Hanover, who in 1714 became King George I. The act was later extended to Scotland as a result of the Treaty of Union enacted in the Acts of Union of 1707. The Act also laid down the conditions under which the Crown could be held. No Roman Catholic, nor anyone married to a Roman Catholic, could hold the Crown. The Sovereign now had to swear to maintain the Church of England (and after 1707, the Church of Scotland). The Act of Settlement not only addressed the dynastic and religious aspects of succession, it also further restricted the powers and prerogatives of the Crown. Under the Act, parliamentary consent had to be given for the Sovereign to engage in war or leave the country, and judges were to hold office on good conduct and not at Royal pleasure - thus establishing judicial independence. The Succession to the Crown Act (2013) amended the provisions of the Bill of Rights and the Act of Settlement to end the system of male primogeniture, under which a younger son can displace an elder daughter in the line of succession. The Act applies to those born after 28 October 2011. The Act also ended the provisions by which those who marry Roman Catholics are disqualified from the line of succession. The changes came into force in all sixteen Realms in March 2015). The Role of the Sovereign The British Sovereign can be seen as having two roles: Head of State, and 'Head of the Nation'. As Head of State, The Queen undertakes constitutional and representational duties which have developed over one thousand years of history. There are inward duties, with The Queen playing a part in State functions in Britain. Parliament must be opened, Orders in Council have to be approved, Acts of Parliament must be signed, and meetings with the Prime Minister must be held. There are also outward duties of State, when The Queen represents Britain to the rest of the world. For example, The Queen receives foreign ambassadors and high commissioners, entertains visiting Heads of State, and makes State visits overseas to other countries, in support of diplomatic and economic relations. As 'Head of Nation', The Queen's role is less formal, but no less important for the social and cultural functions it fulfils. These include: providing a focus for national identity, unity and pride; giving a sense of stability and continuity; recognising success, achievement and excellence; and supporting service to others, particularly through public service and the voluntary sector. These roles are performed through different types of engagement. By means of regular visits through every part of the United Kingdom, The Queen is able to act as a focus for national unity and identity.

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Through her engagements and walkabouts, The Queen is able to meet people from every walk of life. The Queen's unifying role as Sovereign is also shown in her special relationships with the devolved assemblies in Scotland and Wales. In addition, at times of national celebration or tragedy, The Queen publicly represents the nation's mood - for example, at annual commemoration of the war dead on Remembrance Sunday, or at celebrations for a national sporting victory. The Queen also has an essential role in providing a sense of stability and continuity in times of political and social change. The system of constitutional monarchy bridges the discontinuity of party politics. While political parties change constantly, the Sovereign continues as Head of State, providing a stable framework within which a government can introduce wide-ranging reforms. With more than five decades of reading State papers, meeting Heads of State and ambassadors and holding a weekly audience with the Prime Minister, The Queen has an unequalled store of experience upon which successive Prime Ministers have been able to draw. The Queen is able to recognise success and achievement in a personal way. These include honours, awards, visits, patronage and sponsorship. At Investitures, for example, The Queen honours individuals for public service or outstanding achievement. The Queen's role is to: Perform the ceremonial and official duties of Head of State, including representing Britain to the rest of the world; Provide a focus for national identity and unity; Provide stability and continuity in times of change; Recognise achievement and excellence; Encourage public and voluntary service.

The Queen also hosts garden parties to which guests from all backgrounds are invited, most of whom are nominated by charities and public sector organisations for their service to their communities. In the thousands of messages sent by The Queen each year to people celebrating their 100th birthdays or diamond weddings, Her Majesty is able to give special and personal recognition of remarkable individuals. The Queen also supports service to others, through close relationships with the voluntary and charitable sector. About 3,000 organisations list a member of the Royal Family as patron or president. The Queen has over 600 patronages and The Duke of Edinburgh over 700. In all these roles, The Queen is supported by members of the Royal Family, who carry out many of the engagements which Her Majesty cannot undertake in person.

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The Role of the Royal Family Members of the Royal Family support The Queen in her many State and national duties, as well as carrying out important work in the areas of public and charitable service, and helping to strengthen national unity and stability. Those who undertake official duties are members of The Queen's close family: her children, grandchildren and their spouses, and The Queen's cousins (the children of King George VI's brothers) and their spouses. Every year the Royal Family as a whole carries out over 2,000 official engagements throughout the UK and worldwide. These engagements may include official State responsibilities. Members of the Royal Family often carry out official duties in the UK and abroad where The Queen cannot be present in person. The Prince of Wales and The Princess Royal, for example, may present members of the public with their honours at an Investiture. When official events such as receptions, State banquets and garden parties are held, the Royal Family supports The Queen in making her guests welcome. Members of the Royal Family also often represent The Queen and the nation in Commonwealth or other countries, at events such as State funerals or national festivities, or through longer visits to strengthen Britain's diplomatic and economic relations. The Royal Family also plays an important role in supporting and encouraging the public and charity sectors. About 3,000 organisations list a member of the Royal Family as patron or president. The huge range of these organisations - covering every subject from education to the environment, hospitals to housing - allows members of the Royal Family to meet people from a wide spectrum of national and local life, and to understand their interests, problems and concerns. 2,000: the number of official engagements carried out by the Royal Family each year in the UK and overseas. 70,000: the number of people entertained each year to dinners, lunches, receptions and garden parties at the Royal residences 100,000: the number of letters received and answered each year by the Royal Family. Some members of the Royal Family have also established their own charities - for example, The Prince's Trust, The Duke of Edinburgh's Award Scheme and The Princess Royal Trust for Carers, a charity which provides advice and support for people acting as carers. The Royal Family also plays an important role in recognising and supporting the work of the Armed Services. Members of the Royal Family have official relationships with many units of the Forces, paying regular visits to soldiers, sailors and airmen serving at home and abroad. Finally, the Royal Family as a whole plays a role in strengthening national unity. Members of the Royal Family are able to recognise and participate in community and local events in every part of the UK, from the opening of new buildings to celebrations or acts of commemoration.

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The Queen working by herself would be unable to attend every engagement to which she is invited. Members of the Royal Family can undertake local or specialist engagements which would otherwise have to be declined. Queen and Government As Head of State The Queen has to remain strictly neutral with respect to political matters, unable to vote or stand for election. But The Queen does have important ceremonial and formal roles in relation to the Government of the UK. The formal phrase 'Queen in Parliament' is used to describe the British legislature, which consists of the Sovereign, the House of Lords and the House of Commons. The Queen's duties include opening each new session of Parliament, granting Royal Assent to legislation, and approving Orders and Proclamations through the Privy Council. The Queen also has a special relationship with the Prime Minister, retaining the right to appoint and also meeting with him or her on a regular basis. In addition to playing a specific role in the UK Parliament based in London, The Queen has formal roles with relation to the devolved assemblies of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Queen and the Law In the earliest times the Sovereign was a key figure in the enforcement of law and the establishment of legal systems in different areas of the UK. As such the Sovereign became known as the 'Fount of Justice'. While no longer administering justice in a practical way, the Sovereign today still retains an important symbolic role as the figure in whose name justice is carried out, and law and order is maintained. Although civil and criminal proceedings cannot be taken against the Sovereign as a person under UK law, The Queen is careful to ensure that all her activities in her personal capacity are carried out in strict accordance with the law. Queen and the Church In the United Kingdom, The Queen's title includes the words 'Defender of the Faith'. This means Her Majesty has a specific role in both the Church of England and the Church of Scotland. As established Churches, they are recognised by law as the official Churches of England and Scotland, respectively. In both England and Scotland, the established Churches are subject to the regulation of law. The principle of religious toleration is fully recognised both for those of other creeds and for those without any religious beliefs. There are no established Churches in Northern Ireland nor in Wales. They were disestablished in 1869 in Northern Ireland and 1920 in Wales. There is no established Church in any Commonwealth country of which The Queen is monarch (i.e. a realm). In addition to playing a role in the Churches of England and Scotland, The Queen recognises and supports the various other faiths practised in the UK and Commonweal

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Queen and the Armed Forces The Queen as Sovereign is Head of the Armed Forces. She is also the wife, mother and grandmother of individuals either having served, or are currently serving, in the Armed Forces. The Queen is the only person to declare war and peace. This dates back from when the Monarch was responsible for raising, maintaining and equipping the Army and Navy. On enlistment, the Army and Air Force Acts require members of the Army, Royal Air Force and Royal Marines to take an oath of allegiance to the Monarchy as Head of the Armed Forces. Members of the Royal Navy have never been required to swear an oath – the service was formed hundreds of years ago and its existence stems from the Sovereign’s prerogative. The Queen takes a keen interest in all the Armed Forces, both in the United Kingdom and in the Commonwealth. She undertakes regular visits to Service Establishments and ships, to meet servicemen and women of all ranks, and their families, both at home and overseas. The Queen and other members of the Royal Family hold various appointments and honorary ranks in the Armed Forces. Such appointments include special relationships with certain ships, and honorary colonels (known as Royal Colonels) in Army regiments and Corps, and honorary ranks connected with Royal Air Force stations. The Queen meets regularly with the Chief of the Defence Staff and the Single Service Chiefs. Her Majesty also keeps in touch with the work and interests of the Services through her Defence Services Secretary, a serving officer who is also a member of the Royal Household, who acts as the official link. Armed Forces Day, 27 June 2009 To mark the first ever Armed Forces Day honouring serving members of the Armed Forces and veterans, The Queen visited the The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards at Redford Barracks in Edinburgh and The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester attended the Armed Forces Day National event at Chatham Historic Dockyard, Chatham, Kent. Queen and Her Dependencies The Channel Islands and the Isle of Man are not part of the United Kingdom, but are dependent territories of the English Crown. Both have their own forms of self-administration, although the United Kingdom government is responsible for certain areas of policy. The Queen has a special relationship with both Crown dependencies, and is known there by unique titles. The Channel Islands Situated 10 to 30 miles off the north-west coast of France, the Channel Islands are not part of the United Kingdom. They are dependent territories of the English Crown, as successor to the Dukes of Normandy. The Channel Islands have two main administrative units, or Bailiwicks, of Jersey and Guernsey.

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In each Bailiwick The Queen's personal representative is the Lieutenant Governor, who since the mid-eighteenth century has acted as the channel of communication between the Sovereign and the Channel Islands' government. The islands have their own legislative assemblies, as well as their own administrative, fiscal and legal systems. They have wide powers of self-government, although primary legislation passed by the assemblies requires approval by The Queen in Council (Privy Council). The United Kingdom government is responsible for the defence and international relations of the Islands, and the Crown is ultimately responsible for their good government. In fulfilling its responsibilities to the Islands, the Crown acts through the Privy Council. The Secretary of State for Justice and Lord Chancellor is the Privy Counsellor primarily concerned with the affairs of the Channel Islands. In the Channel Islands The Queen is known as The Duke of Normandy. At official functions, islanders raise the loyal toast to 'The Duke of Normandy, our Queen'. The Queen has visited the islands on various occasions - most recently, in May 2005 to mark the 60th anniversary of their liberation from German occupation. History and Background The Channel Islands were part of the Duchy of Normandy when Duke William, following his conquest of England in 1066, became William I. In 1106, William's youngest son Henry I seized the Duchy of Normandy from his brother Robert; since that time, the English Sovereign has always held the title Duke of Normandy. By 1205, England had lost most of its French lands, including Normandy. However, the Channel Islands, part of the lost Duchy, remained a self-governing possession of the English Crown. While the islands today retain autonomy in government, they owe allegiance to The Queen in her role as Duke of Normandy. Isle of Man The Isle of Man lies in the Irish Sea, roughly the same distance from England, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The Crown's personal representative today is the Lieutenant Governor, who is appointed by The Queen and who has delegated power to grant Royal Assent to legislation dealing with domestic matters. The Government, known as Tynwald, consists of two branches: the Legislative Council (mostly chosen by the House of Keys) and the House of Keys (which has 24 elected members). However, the Crown, acting through the Privy Council, is the ultimate authority, with the Secretary of State for Justice and Lord Chancellor having prime responsibility as Privy Counsellor for Manx affairs. The United Kingdom government is responsible for the defence and international relations of the Island.

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On 5 July each year Tynwald Court assembles in the open air on Tynwald Hill at St John's. During The Queen's most recent visit in July 2003, Her Majesty presided over the outdoor Tynwald ceremony at St. John's. The Queen is known in the Isle of Man as Lord of Man. The Queen has visited the Isle of Man on various occasions, most recently in 2003. History and Background It has the oldest representative government in the Commonwealth. The legislative system was introduced around 800 AD when the Isle was part of the Norwegian kingdom of the Hebrides. The original government, the Tynwald, consisted of the King, two advisers, the chief officials and council, and the Keys, which was a representative group 'of the worthiest men in the Island'. In 1266 the island was ceded to Scotland, and England later acquired it by treaty under Edward I. The lordship of Man was handed over to English lords in return for regular payments to successive monarchs. From 1405 to 1765 the island was ruled by the Earls of Derby, and later the Dukes of Atholl, as Lords of Man. The use of the island as a secure base for smugglers became such a problem that, in 1765, the British government gave the island its own legislature but required all customs and taxes to be paid into the British exchequer. The lordship reverted to the Crown, and George III became Lord of Man. Queen and Honours Honours are granted to deserving and high-achieving people from every section of the community, from school crossing officials and charity workers to leaders of industry. The UK honours system rewards people for merit, service or bravery. An honour, decoration or medal is a public way of illustrating that the recipient has done something worthy of recognition. As the 'fountain of honour' in the United Kingdom, The Queen has the sole right of conferring all titles of honour, including life peerages, knighthoods and gallantry awards. Anybody can make a recommendation for a British national to receive an honour. And awards can be made to deserving and high-achieving people from every section of the community, from school crossing officials and charity workers to leaders of industry. Since The Queen confers honours mostly on the advice of the Cabinet Office, recommendations for honours must be sent to the Ceremonial Secretariat of the Cabinet Office, not Buckingham Palace. While most honours are awarded on the advice of the Government, there are still certain honours in the United Kingdom that the Sovereign confers at his or her own discretion. The only honours for which the Sovereign personally selects recipients are: the Order of the Garter, the Order of the Thistle, the Order of Merit, the Royal Victorian Order and the Royal Victorian Chain, Royal Medals of Honour and Medals for Long Service.

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Honorary decorations and awards are occasionally granted to people from other countries who have made a significant contribution to relations between the United Kingdom and their own country. These awards are granted on the advice of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Recipients of honours receive their awards from The Queen or The Prince of Wales at a ceremony known as an Investiture. Orders are also sometimes exchanged between the Sovereign and overseas heads of state. Since the mid-twentieth century, the exchange of Orders has become less personal and more formal and diplomatic. The award, return or removal of Orders can still be highly symbolic. Examples are The Queen's conferring the Order of Merit on President Mandela, or her return of the Romanian Order received from President Ceausescu and her instruction to erase the President's name from the Register of the Order of the Bath. Today, Orders bestowed on The Queen, and reciprocal awards to foreign heads of state, can be seen as formal and official awards by which one nation honours another. Queen and Royal Visits A Royal visit is a memorable occasion which honours the work and achievements of an organisation or community. Visits to meet people throughout the United Kingdom, Commonwealth and overseas are an important part of the Royal Family's role. Many of the visits are connected to charities and other organisations with which members of the Royal Family are associated. In other cases, Royal visits help to celebrate historic occasions in the life of a region or nation. Such visits are memorable occasions for the hosts, providing high-profile celebration of their work and achievements. International visits play an important role in strengthening friendships and economic ties between the UK and other countries. All visits are carefully planned to ensure that as many people as possible have the opportunity to see or meet members of the Royal Family. View footage of The Queen visiting Sheffield in November 2010: Prizes and Awards One of The Queen's roles is to reward excellence and outstanding achievement. In addition to decorations awarded through the honours system, The Queen presents a number of prizes and medals in her own name. These special honours reflect outstanding achievement either by individuals or by groups in fields which include architecture, exploration, poetry, police work and science.

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Symbols of the Monarchy The principal symbol of the Monarchy is often deemed to be the Sovereign themselves. However, throughout the history of the Monarchy the authority of the Sovereign has been represented by symbols. The most notable symbols of Monarchy are the Crown Jewels and regalia, the Honours of Scotland and the Principality of Wales. Lesser known symbols include the Great Seal and personal emblems of the Monarch such as the Royal Standard and Coats of Arms. Even buildings such as Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle and the Palace of Holyroodhouse are often said to be a physical representation of the Monarchy. Items such as the Crown Jewels, and especially the regalia, represent the continuity of the Monarchy. The regalia forms an integral part in the Coronation service for a new Sovereign and certain elements of the Crown Jewels are born before the Sovereign at the State Opening of Parliament. The Queen wears the Imperial State Crown as she delivers the speech. The image of the Monarch is also seen as a symbol of the Monarchy with The Queen represented on items such as bank notes and stamps. Such images have been used for hundreds of years with images on Kings, Queens and Emperors being used on coins throughout Europe. Even ceremonies such as the Trooping of the Colour are seen as important symbols of the Monarchy. The National Anthem The British National Anthem dates back to the eighteenth century. 'God Save The King' was a patriotic song first publicly performed in London in 1745, which came to be known as the National Anthem at the beginning of the nineteenth century. The words and tune are anonymous, and may date back to the seventeenth century. In September 1745 the 'Young Pretender' to the British Throne, Prince Charles Edward Stuart, defeated the army of King George II at Prestonpans, near Edinburgh. In a fit of patriotic fervour after news of Prestonpans had reached London, the leader of the band at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, arranged 'God Save The King' for performance after a play. It was a tremendous success and was repeated nightly. This practice soon spread to other theatres, and the custom of greeting monarchs with the song as he or she entered a place of public entertainment was thus established. There is no authorised version of the National Anthem as the words are a matter of tradition. Additional verses have been added down the years, but these are rarely used. The words used today are those sung in 1745, substituting 'Queen' for 'King' where appropriate. On official occasions, only the first verse is usually sung. The words of the National Anthem are as follows:

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God save our gracious Queen! Long live our noble Queen! God save the Queen! Send her victorious, Happy and glorious, Long to reign over us, God save the Queen.

Thy choicest gifts in store On her be pleased to pour, Long may she reign. May she defend our laws, And ever give us cause, To sing with heart and voice, God save the Queen.

The British tune has been used in other countries. European visitors to Britain in the eighteenth century noticed the advantage of a country possessing such a recognised musical symbol. In total, around 140 composers, including Beethoven, Haydn and Brahms, have used the tune in their compositions. The Union Jack The Union Flag, or Union Jack, is the national flag of the United Kingdom. It is so called because it combines the crosses of the three countries united under one Sovereign - the kingdoms of England and Wales, of Scotland and of Ireland (although since 1921 only Northern Ireland has been part of the United Kingdom). The flag consists of three heraldic crosses. The cross of St George, patron saint of England since the 1270's, is a red cross on a white ground. After James I succeeded to the throne, it was combined with the cross of St. Andrew in 1606. The cross saltire of St Andrew, patron saint of Scotland, is a diagonal white cross on a blue ground. The cross saltire of St Patrick, patron saint of Ireland, is a diagonal red cross on a white ground. This was combined with the previous Union Flag of St George and St Andrew, after the Act of Union of Ireland with England (and Wales) and Scotland on 1 January 1801, to create the Union Flag that has been flown ever since. The Welsh dragon does not appear on the Union Flag. This is because when the first Union Flag was created in 1606, the Principality of Wales by that time was already united with England and was no longer a separate principality.

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The Union Flag was originally a Royal flag. When the present design was made official in 1801, it was ordered to be flown on all the King's forts and castles, but not elsewhere. It is today flown above Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle and Sandringham when The Queen is not in residence. The Royal Arms of Scotland (Lion Rampant) is flown at the Palace of Holyroodhouse and Balmoral when The Queen is not in residence. On news of a Royal death, the Union Flag (or the Royal Arms of Scotland (Lion Rampant) where appropriate) is flown at half-mast. The Royal Standard is never flown at half-mast, as the Sovereign never dies (the new monarch immediately succeeds his or her predecessor). The flying of the Union Flag on public buildings is decided by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport at The Queen's command. The Union Flag is flown on Government buildings on days marking the birthdays of members of the Royal Family, Commonwealth Day, Coronation Day, The Queen's official birthday, Remembrance Day and on the days of the State Opening and prorogation of Parliament. The term 'Union Jack' possibly dates from Queen Anne's time (r. 1702-14), but its origin is uncertain. It may come from the 'jack-et' of the English or Scottish soldiers, or from the name of James I who originated the first union in 1603. Another alternative is that the name may be derived from a proclamation by Charles II that the Union Flag should be flown only by ships of the Royal Navy as a jack, a small flag at the bowsprit; the term 'jack' once meant small. The Crown Jewels The Crown Jewels are the ceremonial treasures which have been acquired by English kings and queens, mostly since 1660. The collection includes not only the regalia used at coronations, but also crowns acquired by various monarchs, church and banqueting plate, orders, insignia, robes, a unique collection of medals and Royal christening fonts. Edward the Confessor (reigned 1042-66), who deposited his Royal ornaments for safe-keeping in Westminster Abbey, may have been the first monarch to assemble a regalia. These have been replaced or altered over the succeeding centuries. The Crown Jewels suffered their most disastrous fate following the execution of Charles I in the seventeenth century. In 1649 Cromwell ordered that the Royal regalia 'be totally broken' as being symbolic of the 'detestable rule of kings'.

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The regalia's precious stones were sold separately and the precious metal sent to the Mint to be coined, although other pieces (such as the Coronation Spoon dating from the twelfth century and later returned to Charles II) were sold intact. The Coronation Chair (dating from 1300) remained intact as it was used in 1653 at Westminster Hall when Cromwell was installed as Lord Protector. However, detailed records of the old regalia survived, and replacements for the lost regalia were made at a cost of nearly £12,185 for Charles II's coronation in 1661. Since Charles II's coronation, there have been many additions and alterations to the regalia. New sets of regalia had to be made in 1685 for James II's wife, Mary of Modena (the first Queen Consort to be crowned since the Restoration) and for Mary II in 1689 when she was crowned with her husband William III (as Queen in her own right). From the reign of Anne (crowned in 1702) until the early twentieth century, it was quite usual for the regalia to be set with jewels hired for the coronation only. Afterwards, the stones were returned to the jewellers and the regalia were sometimes re-set with crystals or paste and put in the Jewel House for display. The monarch would then use a State crown set with coloured jewels for Parliamentary use. More often, the crowns were dismantled, leaving only the frames. For example, George IV tried to persuade Parliament to buy the stones for his crown so that it could remain set as a permanent crown. He failed and the crown was eventually dismantled. Britain is the only European monarchy still using its regalia for the consecration ceremony of crowning the Sovereign. At Westminster Abbey, where William I was the first monarch to be crowned, the Sovereign is escorted to the Coronation Chair (used at every coronation since 1300) by individuals carrying the processional regalia. These include two of the Royal maces, three swords (representing Mercy, Spiritual Justice and Temporal Justice), the Great Sword of State (symbolising the Sovereign's Royal authority) and St Edward's Staff (dating from 1661). After the coronation oath comes the anointing by the Archbishop of Canterbury on the Sovereign's hands, breast and head, using the ampulla and spoon. The ampulla (dated 1661) is a golden eagle flask which holds the holy oil used in the anointing, whilst the spoon is the oldest piece in the regalia, probably made for Henry II or Richard I. The anointing is followed by dressing in the coronation robes (up to Queen Victoria's coronation in 1838, new robes were provided; George V and his successors have all worn the robes on display in the Jewel House). The spurs (dating from 1661 and representing knighthood and chivalry), the jewelled Sword of Offering (dating from 1820) and the armills (gold bracelets representing sincerity and wisdom, The Queen was given new armills by the Commonwealth for her coronation in 1953) are then presented. The Sovereign's Orb (representing Christian sovereignty) is placed in the Sovereign's right hand. Set with precious stones and pearls, it was made for Charles II's coronation, for a total cost of £1,150.

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The coronation ring (representing kingly dignity, and dating from 1831) and the sceptres are then presented. The Sceptre with the Cross symbolises the Sovereign's temporal power under the Cross, while the Sceptre with Dove - or Rod of Equity and Mercy - symbolises the Sovereign's spiritual role. The climax comes when the Archbishop of Canterbury places St Edward's Crown on the Sovereign's head. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=inKSvLk7kiI) The Crown Jewels have had a turbulent history. King John is said to have lost the Crown Jewels in quicksand in 1216. Edward III pawned the jewels to pay his troops during an overseas campaign. Charles I's wife also managed to pawn the Crown Jewels in Holland at the beginning of the Civil War. The most famous attempt at theft was in 1671 by Colonel Thomas Blood. He was caught at the East Gate of the Tower with the crown, one sceptre and the orb. During the Second World War the jewels were hidden in a secret location which has never been disclosed.

The Royal Family Tree http://www.britroyals.com/royaltree.htm

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The British Legal System Summary The administration of justice in Britain is independent of both Parliament and the Government. Every citizen has the right to equal treatment before the law. People accused of more serious crimes are tried in open court by a judge and jury. Less serious cases are tried by law magistrates. Fines, probation or imprisonment may be imposed on a convicted person. There is a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment for murder throughout Britain. Life imprisonment is the maximum sentence of a number of other serious offences, such as robbery, rape and manslaughter. England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland all have their own legal systems. The Law England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland all have their own legal systems, with some big differences in law, organisation and practice. However, a large amount of modern legislation applies throughout Britain. The law is divided into "criminal law" and "civil law". Civil law regulates the conduct of people in ordinary relations with one another. The distinction between the two branches of the law is reflected in the differences between the two types, they are treated in different courts. England and Wales Responsibilities for the administration and management of the legal system are divided between various government departments and agencies, including: The Lord Chancellor is the head of the judiciary. The Lord Chancellor’s Department has overall responsibility for the court system, including the Supreme Court and the county courts in England and Wales. The Home Secretary has overall responsibility for criminal law, the police service, the prison system and the probation service. Scotland The legal system in Scotland has legal principles, rules and concepts that are modelled both on Roman and English law. The Scottish Executive Justice Department is responsible for civil law and criminal justice, including police, prisons and courts administration. The role of the Scottish Parliament is to make laws in relations to devolved matters in Scotland. Northern Ireland Northern Ireland’s legal system is similar to that of England and Wales. The Northern Ireland Office under the Secretary of State, has responsibility for policy and legislation concerning criminal law, the police and the penal system.

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Seminar Discuss the following articles: Why UK should abolish its 'failed' monarchy With all the fuss in the media at the moment about Queen Elizabeth II's 63rd anniversary of her Coronation anyone could be forgiven for thinking that the British are united in their adoration of their monarch. The reality is that while a large swathe of public opinion is largely indifferent to the royals -- but happy to have an extra public holiday to mark the jubilee -- many millions want the whole institution of monarchy consigned to the history books. The British republican movement has been growing rapidly over the past 18 months -- thanks in large part to the heightened royal coverage prompted by last year's wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton and this year's jubilee. Our cause is simple: it's about democratic reform and a rejection of inherited power and privilege. The case for Britain becoming a republic is threefold: the monarchy is wrong in principle, in practice and it is wrong politically. We're supposed to be a democratic society, which means we should cherish and value democratic values, such as equality of citizenship, freedom to participate in government, accountability and transparency. In a democratic society there is no room for a head of state who is put there for life and by birth. A hereditary monarch has no place in a society that believes "we the people" should be in charge. The principled objection is unanswerable. In practice the monarchy is an institution that is not fit for purpose. It is secretive, having recently lobbied successfully to have itself removed entirely from the reaches of our Freedom of Information laws; it lobbies government ministers for improvements to its financial benefits and for its own private agenda; it is hugely costly -- an estimated £202 million a year, enough to pay for thousands of teachers, nurses or police officers at a time of sweeping public spending cuts. The queen and Prince Charles must be asked for consent before our elected parliament is able to debate any legislation that affects their private interests -- that consent is sought in secret and we have no idea whether, how or how many times it has been used. Politically the monarchy is wrong because -- contrary to what is believed by many here and abroad -- it is a central feature of our unwritten constitution. The "Crown" is the supreme authority in this country -- not the people. The Crown has vast powers that cannot be challenged in a court of law and those powers are exercised by the queen on the instruction of our prime minister. Those powers include considerable patronage -- the ability to appoint bishops, government ministers, heads of public bodies and so on -- as well as the power to go to war, sign treaties and change the law through the little-understood Privy Council. Thanks to the Crown there is almost no limit to the power of our politicians other than those limits they place upon

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ANO1013 Introduction to British Culture Dr Granville Pillar themselves (such as our Human Rights Act, which they have the power to repeal). The pomp of the monarchy is a neat way of distracting from this highly questionable constitutional arrangement. It is the power of the Crown and the authority it gives our politicians that most likely explains the hostility every government has shown the republican movement. But rather than engage with the issue on these serious matters most monarchists instead implore us to believe in fantasy and make-believe. "The queen has never put a foot wrong" is the time-honoured cliché, along with "but what about all the tourism the monarchy generates?"

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Why the United Kingdom Won’t Abolish Its Monarchy Monarchy. It’s an internationally celebrated institution and in the UK, many regard it as what puts the ‘Great’ into Great Britain. Despite the Monarchy’s profound popularity and the many political and cultural advantages it offers, there are a few (and we mean a few) who advocate a republican Great Britain. Monarchy has so much to offer to this country and indeed many other countries. Let’s first start by countering some classic republican arguments. Firstly, the main motive of republicans is the aversion to an unelected head of state. Naturally, their proposed alternative is that the UK should have an elected head of state, which is fine for most countries, but not the UK. The immediate danger with having a President is politicising the office of Head of State. It is a fundamental belief of many that Heads of State should be politically neutral and have no vested interests in politics. A Monarchy offers not only an impartial head of state but also one that is above politics, i.e. the office of Sovereign stays very much out of party politics. In the words of Victorian Constitutional expert Walter Bagehot, “a parliamentary system [like Britain’s] educates the public, while a presidential system corrupts it.” Continuity is another thing Monarchy offers to a country. Whereas the Prime Minister of the UK changes every 5 years now, the Monarch reigns usually over decades – continuity is very important, especially in a system where occupants of offices rarely stay the same. Monarchy adds colour to the nation too. One of the most talked about things to do with the UK is our Monarchy, when people come to the United Kingdom, they’re not interested in seeing where the Chancellor lives or finding out the number of offices the Prime Minister’s staff have but in fact where our Queen lives and how guards stand so still. It’s a simple fact that without the Monarchy, the UK would be just another country. Annual celebrations such as The Queen’s official birthday also give the UK a well needed boost, if there’s one thing the UK does better than any country in the world it’s tradition, and where do all the UK’s most famous traditions stem from… that’s right – Monarchy. Political neutrality, continuity, colour and celebrations are one thing but what Republicans really get fired up about is the supposed ‘outrageous cost of maintaining the Monarchy’, well for any who wish to know more on this, we refer you to our article on The True Cost Of The Monarchy. But to summarise, the Monarchy makes profit for the country and despite all the republican outrage, our taxes would go up without the Monarchy, not down. And as for security costs which Republicans claim are so astronomically high, would a President be any different? Assuming you republicans wouldn’t want your President harmed while in office! And really, would the UK be the same without its Monarchy – it wouldn’t even be called the UK if a republic, does the ‘United Republic’ [UR] sound right to you? This article is essentially just kicking into touch any Republican arguments, for there is no fear of the Monarchy leaving any time soon. At the last poll at the time of the Diamond Jubilee, only 13% of people in the UK were in favour of becoming a republic, 80% supported the Monarchy and 7% weren’t sure. At its lowest point in recent years, the highest figure for republicans in the UK was at 22% during 2005 when feeling towards Prince Charles’s new wife, the then Camilla Parker-Bowles were at an all-time low. Even during the unsettling times, the UK stands by its Monarchy as we’re sure it will for hopefully centuries to come!

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6. British Holidays and Celebrations Lecture

There are many kinds of celebrations in Britain - from royal to religious and from traditional to more modern. This great country has been around for almost 1,000 years and has had influences before that, all helping to make rich and vibrant celebrations that many enjoy every year. New Year's Day - January 1 The night before New Year's Day, many British citizens watch as the clock tower's (incorrectly known as "Big Ben" - which is actually the name of the bell within the tower) minute hand finally reaches midnight. At this time, Big Ben rings in the New Year. Many people celebrate by either having parties at home, or by going out and partying with friends. Many people also make New Year’s resolutions (as is customary in many other countries in the world). In Scotland, a common tradition is to sing 'Auld Lang Syne' at midnight to bring in the New Year. Hogmanay (December 31 - January 2) In Scotland, the term used for the New Year's celebration is "Hogmanay," and it can last up until January 2 (which is usually considered a bank holiday). In some parts of England and in Scotland, it is considered good luck if a man is the first person to enter a friend's home on New Year's Day, and bad luck if a woman is the first. This is known as "First Footing," and the friend that enters usually gives a small ceremonial gift. Twelfth Night and Epiphany - January 5 - 6 It is considered bad luck to have Christmas celebration up past the day of Epiphany, so many people used January 5 (Twelfth Night) to take them down. Some people host parties and serve Twelfth Night cakes which have had one dried pea and one dried bean baked into them. If you are the one of the lucky party-goers who receive one of the other in their slice of cake, you will be crowned "king" or "queen" of the evening.

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Epiphany is a Christian holiday which celebrates the coming of the Magi after the birth of Christ. Some people attend a church service on this day. Burns' Night - January 25 Burns' Night is celebrated in honour of the Scottish poet Robert Burns (1759-1796). He is best known for writing the song, "Auld Lang Syne." Many Scots will celebrate the evening by eating haggis and reading the poet's works. Candlemas Day - February 2 This day marks the middle of the winter season - from the shortest day of the year to the Spring Equinox. This day also celebrates the cleansing of Mary. Valentine's Day - February 14 This day is celebrated with the giving of gifts, as well as writing verses of love in newspapers and magazines for your special someone. Many couples will spend the evening celebrating with a special meal. Occasionally, children will send valentines to one another in celebration. Purim (varies) Purim is a Jewish holiday that is celebrated on the 14th day of Adar (a month of the Jewish calendar). This is the traditional day where Queen Esther saved the Jews from the decree of death in Babylon). Many gather together to read the story of the queen. St. David's Day (Wales) - March 1 St. David's day is to celebrate the man, Dewi Sant, who spread Christianity throughout Wales. Many will attend church services held in his honour. St. Patrick's Day - March 17 While most of the UK doesn't celebrate St. Patrick's Day (though there is a parade and festival in London), it is a very important religious holiday in Northern Ireland, set aside to remember the life and death of Saint Patrick, who was a missionary to Ireland. Shrove Tuesday (Pancake Day) - Day before Lent - March/April Many celebrate this day by eating pancakes, as they contain many ingredients that are inappropriate for lent (a Christian tradition of going without luxuries). Some communities also hold "pancake races" in which people run a distance while flipping pancakes in a frying pan. In order to win, a person must cross the finish line without burning breakfast. Lent - March/April The first day of lent is 40 days before Easter. Many people give up something they enjoy during lent. Mothering Sunday - 4th Sunday of Lent - March/April Mothering Sunday is a day where children generally honour their mothers by giving them a gift and a card, then take their mother out to a special brunch or lunch.

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Maundy Thursday - Thursday before Easter - March/April Maundy Thursday is a day to celebrate Jesus's last supper before his crucifixion and many people attend a church service on this day. The Church of England has a tradition of giving out ceremonial "Maundy Money" (or the "Queen's Maundy Money," or "Royal Maundy Money") to senior citizens. Two small pouches are given out. The red one contains a traditional sum for clothing and other necessities, while the white one contains coins representative of the reigning monarch's age. Easter - March/April Many people go to church on this Sunday to celebrate the resurrection of Christ. This day is also celebrated by the giving of eggs, decorating eggs and Easter egg hunts, where eggs are hidden for children (and playful adults) to find. April Fool's Day - April 1 Much like other countries with this holiday, it is a day where it is socially acceptable for people to play practical jokes on each other. St. George's Day (England's National Day) - April 23 Celebrating with parades, some people celebrate St. George who is said to have defeated a dragon. The day is celebrated with parades and parties and flags with "St. George's Cross" are flown. May Day - May 1 This day is celebrated beautifully with May poles and flowers. It is traditionally a celebration of spring and fertility. Trooping the Colours - Sometime in June Trooping the Colours is celebrated every year with the British Army and the regiments of the Commonwealth performing a ceremony that originated in the seventeenth century AD. The queen and a series of troops perform a procession also known as the "Queen's Birthday Parade." Wimbledon Tennis Tournament - Sometime in June People attend the Wimbledon Tennis Tournament, which is considered the most prestigious of tennis championships. Swan Upping - Third Week of July Many celebrate this day by going to the River Thames and watching a procession of swans and traditional boats. Notting Hill Carnival - Last Monday in August On this day, there is a street festival that millions go to see and participate in every year. The parade include colourful floats, bands and many other attractions. Harvest Festival - On or Near the Sunday of the Harvest Moon A day to celebrate the growth of crops on the land.

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Halloween - October 31 A day where people dress up, bob for apples and have bonfires. Many attend themed parties and children will occasionally go trick-or-treating (though this traditions was started elsewhere, despite Halloween having British origins). Bonfire Night (Guy Fawkes Day) - November 5 This day is in celebration of the failed gunpowder attempt to blow up the house of Parliament in 1605. It is celebrated with fireworks at night. Many families will make effigies of Guy Fawkes and burn them in a bon fire either in their own back yards or with other members of the community. Since the day is so close to Halloween, many will combine the two holidays (maybe that is why there are so many Guy Fawkes masks available). Remembrance Day - November 11 This day recognizes the end of WWI. Many people wear a poppy in their pocket in remembrance. St. Andrew's Day - November 30 This is the celebrated national day of Scotland. Many Scots celebrate with special dances and festivals and the Scottish flag is flown throughout the country. A legend states that if women anxious to be married peel and orange at midnight (on the 29th to the 30th), they will find the first letter of their future husband's name. Advent - December 1-24 On the first 24 days of December, Advent celebrates the coming of Jesus. Eid Milad ul-Nabi (varies) Eid Milad ul-Nabi falls on either the 12th or 17th day of Rabi' al-awwal (an Islamic month of their calendar). On this day, Muslims celebrate the birth of their prophet Muhammad. Many use the day to remember the prophet and reflect on stories about his life. Some will even fast during the day. While it isn't a public holiday in the United Kingdom, some Muslims will close their businesses. Christmas - December 25 This day is celebrated by friends and family by giving gifts and going to a special Sunday service at church. Many celebrate the tradition of "Father Christmas" by giving gifts that he delivered during the night. Many families also share in a Christmas feast that may involve ham, minced pies and Yorkshire pudding! At the beginning of the meal, each member of the family will cross arms and together pullChristmas poppers that will produce paper hats worn through the meal as well as other trinkets and jokes. Boxing Day - December 26 Traditionally, this is the day that servants were able to celebrate Christmas, as they were serving their masters the day before. In more recent times, people shop the "day after Christmas" sales!

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Seminar Discuss the following articles: UK: Teachers “scared to teach about Jesus” for fear of offending Muslims November 29, 2014 This article speaks only of the fear of offending “those of other faiths,” but when Bolton starts talking about how Christianity must be taught so as to aid the integration of new immigrants, it is clear that he is talking about Muslims, as no one is worried about the low rate of “integration” of any other group. So what we have here are British teachers readily discarding their own culture and heritage for a watery and content-free multiculturalism that will, in the end, only pave the way for the takeover of Britain by those who still have confidence in their own beliefs, traditions and culture. Those who are proud to be British and interested in exploring what that means are derided as “racists.” Britain, in short, is a spent force, and is doomed to a future of blood and chaos. “Teachers ‘scared to teach about Jesus’: Fear of offending other faiths prevents children1 [sic] learning true meaning of Christmas, BBC presenter claims,” by Sarah Harris, Daily Mail, November 29, 2014: Fear of ‘offending’ different faiths means pupils are not being taught the true meaning of Christmas in schools, according to a BBC presenter. Roger Bolton, of Radio 4’s Feedback programme, said that some secular teachers are also ‘unsympathetic to religious education’. As a result, many pupils are not learning the crucial fact that Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus. A lack of understanding of Christianity is also preventing youngsters from gaining a proper understanding of religious imagery in literature and drama as well as European art. This ‘ignorance’ in schools is being compounded by broadcasters’ reluctance to tackle ‘faith issues’ in children’s programmes. Mr Bolton, who previously presented Sunday, Radio 4’s main programme for religious news and current affairs, condemned the trend in a ‘viewpoint’ piece written for this weeks Radio Times. He said the Band Aid single, Do They Know It’s Christmas? would be better renamed for school children as ‘Do They Know What Christmas Is?’ He said: ‘Older readers might think this is a redundant question, but I’m afraid it’s not.

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‘In some schools in this country, little is taught about the true meaning of Christmas, possibly because secular staff are unsympathetic to religious education or because of the fear of offending those of other faiths. ‘And broadcasters aren’t doing much to remedy this ignorance. It is difficult to find any children’s programmes that regularly deal with faith issues.’ Mr Bolton said there were ‘exceptions’ such as On Angel’s Wings, a BBC1 animation this Christmas, which is based on War Horse author, Michael Morpurgo’s picture book. It tells the Christmas story from the point of view of a young shepherd boy. ‘But there is little else in prospect, and the consequences of this lack of coverage are becoming evident,’ he said. The presenter pointed to a Bible Society survey published earlier this year that claimed a quarter of children had ‘never read, seen or heard of Noah’s Ark’. A similar proportion was ignorant of the Nativity; 43 per cent had never heard of the Crucifixion, and 53 per cent had ‘never read, seen or heard’ of Joseph and his coat of many colours. Mr Bolton wrote: ‘Does this matter? I think it does, for both cultural and communal reasons. ‘The United Kingdom cannot be understood without appreciating the role Christian culture has played in its development, from the introduction of the parish system to the replacement of a monarch (James II) because he was a Roman Catholic. ‘In the time of Henry VIII what one believed about the doctrine of ‘transubstantiation’ was literally a matter of life and death. ‘Our 17th-century Civil War was fought in large part over the doctrine of the Divine Right of Kings. ‘Without a knowledge of Christianity, what will our schoolchildren make of much of our finest literature and drama, filled as it is with Christian imagery? Or much of the finest European art?’ He added: ‘It is also vital that children of other faiths learn about Christmas. How can they begin to integrate into our country if they know little of the faith still at its heart? ‘Of course, the reverse applies, too. How can they feel welcome in this country if we make no real effort to understand what is often the most important thing to them and their families – their faiths?’… And that means that what is most likely to come out of this is more state school teaching about…Islam.

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A British Christmas For practising Christians, Christ is the central theme at this time of the year. But recent trends have shown that Christmas is gradually becoming a traditional British holiday rather than a Christian one. It is increasingly taking on a secular and commercial character, with people of all faiths and no faith taking part in the merrymaking. As a national holiday, it is now a time for families and communities to meet, make peace and share turkey! These non-Christians told us how and why they celebrate Christmas. Atheist - Sarah Davenport, personal assistant, Stockport We're all atheists in my family, and we just see Christmas as a nice celebration. I just love the atmosphere. We really enjoy all the snow, the tinsel and the carol singers. It's a lovely time of year. I especially love the build up to Christmas. There are massive amounts of present buying. We go to my parents' house and have Christmas dinner with crackers and on Boxing Day all the family come round with the kids and we have another meal. The house is decorated with trees, stars and we always watch Christmas TV. We do recognise it as a date that's important to Christians, but we do it because we've always done it. My parents are atheist as well. I did go to midnight mass once, but I found it mostly boring. The religious bits annoyed me. We do everything to do with Christmas, except celebrate the birth of Jesus. Hindu - Sonia Karia, presenter, Milton Keynes We've celebrated Christmas ever since I can remember, and my parents have adapted to the culture ever since they arrived from Africa about 35 years ago. We've had the presents and the roast dinner forever, but we started to really go all out when I was about twelve years old. My parents saw it as a proud British tradition and thought it was a beautiful festive season. You just can't miss the atmosphere with all the lights and the shopping and you feel a bit like a Scrooge if you don't get involved. This is the first Christmas that we're doing Christmas without my parents, as they're going on holiday, but I'm still going to my other half's on the day itself. Usually though, people would come round to our house and just chill and relax. The Queen's speech will be on, but normally we talk over it! We celebrate Christmas like any average British family, but it's just that we're Hindu. My sister and I haul the Christmas tree out of the garage every year and decorate the house and we give each other presents. And although my mum and I are vegetarian, my sister isn't so my mum cooks the turkey for her. We'll have a vegetarian option, but the food is all the same as the traditional Christmas. I know some families who have samosas and Indian foods, but ours is packed with parsnips and carrots and gravy as normal.

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To be honest, we don't even think about Jesus, so the celebration of Christmas has no conflict at all with my faith as a Hindu. Christmas for me is about tradition and fun. It's about the warm feeling you get with your family and friends around a fireplace with you when it's cold outside. Muslim - Temoor Raja, graduate, Bradford We've celebrated Christmas since I can remember. I remember as children we would bring Christmas cards into the home and hang them up in the living room, having contests to see who had the most. It was us kids who brought Christmas into the house, really, and my parents were quite happy to accommodate it. When I was five years old, I remember walking into the house and seeing a green Christmas tree on top of the television, decorated nicely with gold baubles. My dad did it as a surprise for us, and I can remember the magic of the moment to this day. Christmas is so omnipresent in British society that you can't avoid it, but for me as a Muslim it doesn't hold any religious significance. We never had nativity plays in school and I don't remember being taught about Jesus at all. It was a state school but it was 99% Muslim, which is probably why the school never emphasised the religious significance behind Christmas, and it was always just a British holiday. We had a very traditional celebration of Christmas when I was young. I can remember watching Christmas movies and Christmas Top of the Pops, and going late night shopping with my mum on Christmas Eve. When I was 8, I remember going to see Father Christmas and it was a magical feeling. We never bought any presents for each other or anything - we just liked seeing the lights. Nowadays, we do Christmas without all the pomp and circumstance, but we will have the Christmas meal with a halal turkey, Brussels sprouts and roast potatoes. Everyone in the family comes to this meal on Christmas Day. Jewish - Rabbi Jonathan Romain, Maidenhead In a religious sense, Christmas has absolutely no significance for me but it clearly affects the whole country and there are national holidays to mark it. So we often use it for family get-togethers. I like Christmas. I find that people are a lot more giving and friendly, and people genuinely have a sense of good will. It maybe a little bit of hype and glamour but people still feel noble and do generous things. In our family we wouldn't have the lights or the presents, but we have had turkey. We enjoy the holiday and the time off which we spend with family and watch Christmas television. Sikh - Anu Gurm, management consultant, London I think my parents started celebrating Christmas when my older sister was born. When it was just the two of them they didn't really bother, but I think they didn't want her to feel left out when other kids at school were talking about how they would celebrate Christmas and getting presents.

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When we were little it was me and my sister who did all the decorations but these days my father is keener than anyone. He takes the attitude that we should take any opportunity we can to laugh and celebrate so is always up for it. My first memory of Christmas was opening presents under the Christmas tree. I remember being really excited the night before and asking my parents if I could open one of my presents early and then waking up really early on Christmas morning to open them all. I think it has now become a family tradition in the sense that we always do the same things every year-cook dinner, invite family over and give presents but at the same time it has a real 'British' feel to it. There isn't a religious element to it really, but that's not so different from other families. Christmas is more a celebration of togetherness and family than it is anything else these days. I will continue the tradition with my family, without feeling I am compromising my religion as it's become such a secular festival. December is dark and cold - why not take the opportunity to have a big celebration to cheer things up? Pagan - Emma Restall-Orr, Chief Druid The 25th of December was originally a Pagan festival about honouring the dead and giving thanks for what the darkness brings to our lives. It's about celebrating the longest night and the shortest day, and I've personally been celebrating the Winter Solstice to Midwinter period for twenty years. For Pagans, it has always been about celebrating the darkest time of the year, what we regard as the womb of creation, because light comes out of darkness. It's celebrating the birth of a new cycle of life. In a way we celebrate the birth of the sun, but not the birth of the Son! Many Pagans will watch the sunrise at Solstice, and in our family we give offerings to the God of the Sun. We'll be up before dawn and offer a libation of whisky to the land and leave nuts and seeds so that anything that comes along can eat it. Then we'll go back into the warmth and light a new candle, signifying the birth of the new cycle. Usually, we'll give each other home-made gifts like poetry and songs but not buy each other presents. Pagans find the commercialisation of Christmas distasteful and if we do buy, it's second hand. We then have a feast, eating whatever is in season. About half of Pagans eat meat, but others are distinctly vegetarian so they won't eat turkey. But there would be roasted root vegetables and Brussels sprouts if they were seasonal and local. There are many ways of finding the sacred and as long as people live with honour, then we have no conflict with anyone celebrating this time of year.

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7. British Education and Economy Lecture British Education The British School System British schools have a mixed reputation: while the quality of state education varies widely, universities and other higher education institutions have an excellent international reputation and educate tens of thousands of foreign students a year from all corners of the globe. Full-time education is compulsory in the UK for all children between the ages of 5 (4 in Northern Ireland) and 16, including the children of foreign nationals permanently or temporarily resident in the UK for a year or longer. No fees are payable in state schools, which are attended by over 90 per cent of pupils. The rest attend one of the 3,200 private fee-paying schools, which include American, international and foreign schools. A large majority of pupils stay on at school after the age of 16 or go on to higher education, but a study in 2012 showed a drop of almost 32,000 students staying in education post-16. Currently, young people in Year 11 (England) and Year 12 (Northern Ireland) are entitled to leave compulsory education at the end of the school year in which they reach 16. However, from 2015, all young people in England have to either be in school or on an approved training scheme until they are 18. Most state schools (primary and secondary) are co-educational (mixed) day schools, with the exception of a few secondary schools that accept boarders. Private schools include day and boarding schools and comprise of single-sex and coeducational institutions. Admission to a state school for foreign children is dependent on the type and duration of the residence permit granted to their parents. Your choice of state and private schools varies considerably depending on where you live. Stages of education England:  Infant schools (Ages: 4+ to 7)  Junior schools (Ages: 7+ to 11)  Primary schools (Ages: 4+ to 11)  Middle schools (Ages: 4 - 12, 4 - 13, 8 - 12, 9 - 12, 9 - 13, 10 - 13, 10 - 14)  Secondary/High Schools (Ages: generally 11 -16 or 11 - 18)  Studio schools: for students aged 14 - 19 who require an education based on the world of work which promotes employability and citizenship  Sixth form colleges (Ages: 16 - 18)  State boarding schools: most of these accommodate those in the secondary/high school age ranges, but two offer primary provision as well (Ages: 7-18, 4-16)  Special schools: for children with more complex and long term special educational needs. Age ranges vary, and children enrolling in special schools must have a ‘Statement’.

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 Academies: these are state schools funded directly by central government. They offer provision for any or several age ranges and accommodate for special needs.  Free schools: result of a demand for better education in the local area and are established upon the approval of the Secretary of State for Education with funding from central government The age ranges in the English education system are becoming more varied, with some academies now proposing an all through education from the first year of statutory education to the age of 18. Furthermore, some schools in different phases of education are now federated, meaning they remain separate but are managed under one overall structure. Scotland:  Primary (Ages: 4.5 - 12)  Secondary (Ages: 12 - 16+, 12 - 18)  Special (age ranges vary) Wales: More or less identical to the system in England, except there are no middle schools and there is one state boarding school. Northern Ireland:  Primary (Ages: 4+ to 11)  Post-primary (Ages: 11 - 16, 11 - 18)  Special (age ranges vary) Nursery & pre-school in the UK Attendance at a nursery school or kindergarten for children under five isn’t compulsory. All children must start compulsory schooling in the term following their fifth birthday. A government scheme introduced in 1998 makes provision for part-time, ‘early years’ education for four-year olds from the term following their fourth birthday. Children are guaranteed three two-and-a-half hour sessions a week at a registered play scheme or school of the parents’ choice, which is one of the lowest provisions of nursery education in Europe (in Belgium and France 95 per cent of children attend a nursery school). Children from three to five years old may be catered for in local state nursery schools, in nursery schools attached to primary schools or registered play schemes. However, the provision of state nursery schools by LEAs isn’t mandatory, although LEAs must ensure that there are places at play schemes if there aren’t enough state nursery schools. Admission to nursery education is usually on a first-come, first-served basis. Nursery schools have no catchment area and you can apply to any number of schools, although you must register your child for entry as soon as possible. One advantage of putting your child down for entry at a state nursery school attached to a primary school is that you’re usually ensured your child has a place at the primary school later. The cost of private nursery school varies. Around 6 years ago, it ranged from £50 a week or £400 a term, but it can now cost up to £15,000 a year. Average childcare costs are around

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£100 short term (25 hours). Some schools allow you to choose a number of morning or afternoon sessions. School hours vary, but may be from 9am to noon (morning session) and 12.15pm to 3.15pm (afternoon session). Children who attend nursery school all day usually require a packed lunch (a mid-morning snack and drink may be provided by the school). There are over 800 nursery schools in the UK using the world-famous Montessori Method of teaching. If you’re unable to get your child accepted by a state-aided nursery school, you must pay for him to attend a private pre-school playgroup. These usually cost from £2.50 to £4 a session. Many playgroups accept children from age two, but stipulate that they must be toilet trained. Informal play facilities are provided by private nursery schools and playgroups, or may be organised by parents and voluntary bodies such as the Pre-School Learning Alliance, which provides places for some 800,000 under-fives. Children attend between two and five weekly sessions of two and a half hours a day on average. Parents pay a fee each term and are encouraged to help in the running of the group. A playgroup doesn’t generally provide education (just educational games) for under-fives, although research has shown that children who attend play school are generally brighter and usually progress at a much faster rate than those who don’t. Nursery school is highly recommended, particularly if a child or its parents aren’t of English mother tongue. After one or two years in nursery school, a child is integrated into the local community and is well prepared for primary school (particularly if English isn’t spoken at home). A number of books are available for parents who wish to help their young children learn at home, which most educationalists agree gives children a flying start at school. Primary school in the UK Primary education in the UK begins at five years and in state schools is almost always co- educational (mixed boys and girls). Primary school consists mainly of first or infant schools for children aged five to seven (or eight), middle or junior schools for those aged 7 to 11 (or 8 to 12) and combined first and middle schools for both age groups. In addition, first schools in some parts of England cater for children aged from five to eight, nine or ten, and are the first stage of a three-tier school system: first, middle and secondary. Some primary schools also provide nursery classes for children aged five. LEAs must provide a primary school place at the start of the term following a child’s fifth birthday, although some admit children earlier. If a child attends a nursery class at a primary school, he usually moves up to the infants’ class at the same school, although it isn’t compulsory. Entry to a primary school isn’t automatic and parents must apply to the head for a place. The transition in the other UK countries can be seen in the table in the ‘Introduction’ section. In a few areas, children may take the 11-plus examination, which determines whether they go on to a grammar or high school, or to a secondary modern school. Secondary school in Britain Secondary schools are for children from 11 or 12 to 16 and for those who choose to stay on at school until age 18 (called ‘sixth formers’). Most state secondary schools are co-educational,

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ANO1013 Introduction to British Culture Dr Granville Pillar although there are many single-sex schools in Northern Ireland. Students are streamed in some secondary schools for academic subjects. The main types of secondary schools are as follows:  Middle schools - Although regarded as secondary schools, middle schools take children aged 8 or 9 who move on to senior comprehensive schools at 12 or 14.  Comprehensive Schools – Admission is made without reference to ability or aptitude. Comprehensive schools provide a full range of courses for all levels of ability, from first to sixth year (from ages 11 to 18, although some cater for 11 to 16-year-olds only) and usually take students from the local catchment area. In some counties, all secondary schools are comprehensive.  Secondary Modern Schools – Provide a general education with a practical bias for 11 to 16-year-olds who fail to gain acceptance at a grammar or high school. Like comprehensive schools, secondary modern schools cater for students from the local area.  Secondary Intermediate – Northern Ireland only. Equivalent to a comprehensive school.  Secondary Grammar Schools – Have a selective intake and provide an academic course for pupils aged from 11 to 16 or 18 years.  Studio schools: for students aged 14 - 19 who require an education based on the world of work which promotes employability and citizenship  Academies - these are state schools funded directly by central government. They offer provision for any or several age ranges and accommodate for special needs.  High Schools – Are provided in some areas for those who pass their 11-plus exam, but aren’t accepted at a grammar school.  Sixth Form Colleges – Schools where 16-year-olds (e.g. from secondary modern schools) study for two years for GCE A-levels. It also takes students from comprehensive schools catering for 11 to 16-year-olds.  Technical Schools – Provide an integrated vocational education (academic and technical) for students aged from 14 to 18. Schools take part in the Technical and Vocational Education Institute (TVEI) scheme, funded by the Manpower Services Commission (MSC).  City Technology Colleges – Specialise in technological and scientific courses for children aged 11 to 18 (see below). City Technology Colleges are usually located in deprived parts of the UK.  Comprehensive schools are usually divided into five or seven year groups, with the first year having the youngest children, e.g. 11-year-olds. At the age of 16, students can take GCSE examinations or leave school without taking any exams.  After taking their GCSEs, students can usually stay on at school for the sixth form (or transfer to a 6th form college) and spend a further two or three years studying for their A-level examinations, usually in order to qualify for a place at a university. They can also retake or take extra GCSEs or study for the B.Tech or GNVQ (General National Vocational Qualification) exams at a 6th form college. Around 40 per cent of all students stay on at secondary school to take A-levels.

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 The average pupil-teacher ratio in most state secondary schools is around 22, although class sizes are over 30 in some schools. Teaching time is from 22 to 26 hours in secondary schools, but may be increased to boost exam results.  City technology colleges are state-aided, independent of LEAs, and are a recent innovation in state education for 11 to 18-year-olds. Their aim is to widen the choice of secondary education in disadvantaged urban areas and to teach a broad curriculum with an emphasis on science, technology, business understanding and arts technologies. Although initially received with hostility and skepticism by the educational establishment, technology colleges have proved a huge success.  State or private school  One of the most important decisions facing newcomers to the UK is whether to send their children to a state or private school. In some areas, state schools equal the best private schools, while in others (particularly in neglected inner city areas) they lack resources and may achieve poor results. In general, girls achieve much better results than boys and immigrant children (e.g. from Asia) often do particularly well. The UK’s education system has had a bad press in recent years and, according to many surveys, is falling behind the leading countries, particularly in mathematics (maths) and science.  Many parents prefer to send their children to a private school, often making financial sacrifices to do so. Not so many years ago, private education was the preserve of the children of the nobility and the rich, although today around half of the parents of private school pupils were themselves educated at state schools. There has been a sharp increase in the number of children attending private schools in recent years, owing to the increasing affluence of the middle classes.  There’s no legal obligation for parents in the UK to send their children to school, and they may educate them themselves or employ private tutors. This can be referred to as ‘home schooling’, but the legal term in England is ‘education otherwise than at school’. Parents educating their children at home don’t require a teaching qualification, although they must satisfy the local education authority in that the child is receiving full-time education appropriate to his or her age, abilities and aptitudes (they check and may test your child). Expat parents considering this possibility are advised to consult organisations such as ‘Education Otherwise ’ for information about this option and its implications.  Eton College  The leading political and social elite in the UK usually graduate from public schools (MPs, prime ministers, high court judges, directors of banks, etc). Half of the UK’s prime ministers graduated at Eton. The first PM, Robert Walpole and the present PM, David Cameron both graduated from Eton.

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The British Higher Education System The UK academic year Most UK universities follow the same educational timetable as the UK's schools - with the school year beginning in September or October and finishing in June or July. Often universities also follow the idea of having three terms a year, beginning in September / October, January and May. Some universities have moved towards the American concept of two "semesters" a year however, starting in September / October and January. Whichever university you choose to approach though, you will find the majority of courses begin in the autumn months. Foundation courses In addition to the main types of qualifications, some colleges and universities run special foundation courses, commonly known as 'Year 0' programmes, targeted at students who wish to enter specific subject areas such as science and engineering, but who do not possess the relevant entry qualifications. Diplomas and Higher National Diplomas (HNDs) Two-year Higher National Diploma (HND) or Diploma of Higher Education courses are both popular qualifications in their own right, however some students choose to top up these qualifications into a degree often by staying on for an extra year. Bachelor / Undergraduate Degrees These are three year degree courses - leading to awards such as Bachelor of Arts (BA) and Bachelor of Science (BSc). These are more often than not undergraduate (or 'first degree') courses. Master's / Postgraduate Degrees Master's degrees are four year degree courses, often sandwich courses involving one year in industry or abroad, etc. You can also get a master's degree by doing a one year course after completing an undergraduate degree. These are classed as postgraduate degrees. The MBA (Master of Business Administration) is the world's most popular postgraduate degree, and the UK produces the highest number of MBAs outside North America. Doctorates Another type of master's degree is the MRes, (Master in Research) which is designed to prepare students for doctoral research. A doctorate is the next (and highest) qualification you can reach in the UK, usually taking three to four years to complete. Intake for these courses is normally from those with a very good first degree or more commonly from those with a master's degree.

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The British Economy During the heyday of the British Empire, the United Kingdom (UK) was the largest and most influential economy in the world. As the birthplace of the industrial revolution, the UK was at the forefront of technological advances during the 18th to 19th century. However other countries, and in particular the US, began to catch up to the UK technologically wise. Meanwhile, the UK’s global influence was also beginning to wane as many British colonies were in the process of declaring independence. Finally, the damage received during World War I and World War II severely weakened the UK economy. Although the UK economy has since recovered from both World Wars, it is unlikely to reclaim its former position as the top economic power in the world. Today, the UK is the 6th largest economy in the world according to GDP (current prices) and the 8th largest in the world according to GDP (PPP). The UK is also a member of the G7 (now expanding to the G8 and G20), the EU and the OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development). Although the UK economy faced another major setback during the 2008 global financial crisis, the UK government has implemented austerity measures in order to reduce its global debt as well as facilitate for long-term economic growth. UK’s Economic Geography UK’s economy encompasses those of its home nations – England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The Isle of Man and the Channel Isles are also considered to be part of the British Isles but have offshore banking statuses. As a member of the EU, the UK is part of a single market that ensures the free movement of people, goods, services, and capital within member states. Nevertheless, the UK still maintains its own economy and has chosen to continue using the Pound Sterling as its national currency rather than converting to the Euro. Although 24.88 percent of the UK is considered to be arable land, vast plots of agricultural land have remained uncultivated. Many critics have blamed subsidises provided by the EU Common Agricultural Policy as well as price distortions created by the Metropolitan Green Belt, for the lack of agricultural activity on these lands. Apart from its arable land, the UK also has a healthy supply of natural resources. In the past, coal and iron ore was a major player in the UK economy. The UK's primary industry sector was once dominated by coal, which could be found in south Wales, Midlands, Yorkshire, North East England and southern Scotland. However since 1981, the production of coal has fallen drastically by more than 75 percent. In 1981, the UK was the 4th largest coal producing nation in the world – today the UK is ranked 15th. Iron ore production has also played an important role in UK’s industries. As the primary element of steel, iron ore production supports the UK’s steel and manufacturing industries. Under manufacturing, it also assists in the production of automobile and aerospace equipment. The UK also has the 32nd largest proven oil reserves and the 44th largest proven natural gas reserves in the world. Oil mining activities are concentrated on the east coast of Scotland and

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North East England. The waters in the North Sea off the east coast of Scotland contain nearly half of the UK's remaining oil reserves, and a quarter of reserves are located in the North Sea near the Shetland Islands. Most natural gas production is also located in the North Sea, with a small amount onshore and in the Irish Sea. However, due to its limited supply, the UK is a net importer of both oil and natural gas. Presently, a North-South divide exists within the UK, due to a gradual shift in economic focus. In stark contrast to Southern UK, which contains the wealthy financial and technological industries, Northern England and Scotland have seen poor economic performance over the years due its industrial roots. Although the UK government has sought to rectify this imbalance, the uneven distribution of economic wealth in the UK has led to many UK citizens migration from the north to the south – resulting in a housing market problem. UK’s Population and Labour Force The population for the UK in 2012 was 63.244 million. Out of this population, 17.3 percent are aged below fifteen, 65.4 percent are between the ages of fifteen and sixty four, while 17.3 percent are aged sixty-five and above. The age groups are not evenly distributed around the country, with some areas having many young adults and children and some areas having large numbers of older people. The UK has the 20th largest labour force in the world, with 31.9 million workers. However, unemployment remains high in the UK at 8.02 percent, and is likely to remain so in the wake of the UK’s austerity plans. The UK government has warned that nearly half a million jobs could be lost in the public sector alone as the government continue its cut on public spending. Currently, 1.4 percent of the labour force are employed in agriculture, 18.2 percent in industries and 80.4 percent in services. However, agriculture may soon face a labour crisis due to an aging labour force and a general lack of interest for agricultural jobs. UK’s Industry Sectors Despite only contributing 0.7 percent of UK’s GDP, Agriculture is still considered an important part of the UK’s economy and society as it produces 60 percent of the UK’s food needs. Agriculture in the UK is highly mechanised and efficient, combining advanced technology with modern farming techniques. Agriculture in the UK is also highly subsidised, both by the UK government and the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy. Industries were responsible for 21.1 percent of UK’s GDP in 2012. The list of industries include machine tools, electric power equipment, automation equipment, railroad equipment, shipbuilding, aircraft, motor vehicles and parts, electronics and communications equipment, metals, chemicals, coal, petroleum, paper and paper products, food processing, textiles, clothing, and other consumer goods. Manufacturing of goods is particularly important for UK industries. The UK is the sixth-largest manufacturer of goods in the world according to the value of its outputs. Within manufacturing, the production of automotive or aerospace equipment is a major contributor to UK industries. UK’s aerospace industry is the second largest in the world with companies such as BAE Systems (the world’s second largest defence contractor), and Rolls-Royce (the world’s second largest aircraft engine maker) boasting annual turnovers of around £20 billion.

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However, despite the historical importance of agriculture and industries, services is the dominant component of UK’s economy, contributing to 77.2 percent of the nation’s GDP. Finance and banking are by far the UK’s most important services with London being one of the three major economic “command centres” alongside New York City and Tokyo. Important financial institutions located within London include the London Stock Exchange, the London International Financial Futures and Options Exchange, the London Metal Exchange, Lloyds of London, and the Bank of England.

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Seminar Discuss the following article: Britain lags behind Lithuania, Latvia and Hungary in damning worldwide education league table December 2013 UK ranked 30 out of 142 countries despite having some of the best schools Lithuania is 28th for education while being in bottom third of economies Hungary is eight places higher than UK in spite of an economy ranked 83rd Education in the UK lags behind much poorer countries including Lithuania, Latvia and Hungary, according to a major international report. The knowledge and skills of British adults is ranked 30th out of 142 countries – despite our economy being the 28th best. Schools in Lithuania were rated two places higher than here, even though it languishes in the bottom third of economies in 94th place. Hungarian schools come eight places higher than the UK. Its economy is ranked in 83rd position. Worldwide: British adults' knowledge and skills are ranked 30th out of 142 countries, in a damning new league table

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New Zealand came top in education, followed by Australia, Canada, Norway and the US. Earlier this month a report from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) found England was the only wealthy country where school-leavers are worse at maths and reading than their grandparents. The latest study, compiled by the Legatum Institute, a London-based think-tank, used internationally recognised sources of information including data from UNESCO that cover 96 per cent of the world’s population and 99 per cent of global gross domestic product. It placed Britain as the 16th best place to live overall in its annual prosperity index using nine categories that also include health, safety and security and personal freedom. This was a drop of three places from last year. The standard of education was based on factors including pupils-to-teacher ratio, the level of secondary education reached by workers and enrolment in universities and other higher education. Programme director Nathan Gamester said: ‘In the UK’s instance, one of the biggest drivers in decline was the level of secondary education per worker. Secondary education completion rates have fallen, while those in Germany – which has gone up eight places – have risen. ‘Policies are needed that keep pupils in schools longer and reverse the drop-out rate to make sure they have the skills and experience to compete with other countries.’ Norway came first for overall prosperity. It was also top for its economy and for education was placed fourth. Other countries that outperformed the UK included Iceland, which was placed 13th overall. Its economy was 41st. The report said the UK’s prosperity had ‘continued its descent’ since falling from 18th to 21st in 2010. It has since been ‘leap-frogged by a number of middle and high-income countries from Asia and the Middle East’.

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Prosperity: Fewer than one in 10 people in the UK think it is a good time to find a job, Legatum found Warning: Chancellor George Osborne has been boosted by recent figures showing renewed economic growth, but the UK has fallen down the prosperity league table This was blamed on unemployment levels of around 7 per cent, poor high-tech product exports and weak foreign investment. Fewer of us are satisfied with our quality of life compared with five years ago, the report added. The OECD report revealed England was 22nd out of 24 countries in literacy and 21st for maths. Japanese school-leavers were more advanced than English university graduates, the report found. It exposed deep failings in Labour’s education policies during its 13 years in power. The authors warned improvements were essential to compete in the global economy. Education reforms under the Coalition include teenagers having to stay in school, college or work-based training until they are 17, rising to 18 from 2015. A Department for Education spokesman said: ‘Our reforms ensure that all pupils will now study English and maths to 18 if they don’t achieve a C at GCSE, and we have raised the age of compulsory participation in education or training until the end of the academic year young people turn 17. ‘From 2015, this will be raised to their 18th birthday.’ The changes would ‘enable all pupils to access rigorous qualifications that will be respected by higher education and employers’. ‘We have turned more failing schools into academies with the support of a strong sponsor than ever before and we are setting up new free schools to give all local parents the choice of a high-quality school with great teaching and strong discipline.’

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8. British Sport and Recreation Lecture

Popular Sports:  Football (soccer)  Rugby  Tennis  Cricket  Golf  Snooker  Horse Racing / Hunting / Equestrianism  Fishing  Athletics  Bowls  Boxing  Greyhounds  Motor Racing Exercise  Walking  Cycling  Jogging / Running  Kung Fu (and similar, such as Karate)  Gym Soccer For centuries, people have been playing games where they kick a ball. The game of football was developed from some of these early games. The English gave football the name soccer and its first set of rules. In European countries, soccer is now called football. The first organised soccer games began in 1863. Every four years, soccer teams around the world compete for the World Cup. The World Cup competition started in 1930.

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People in more than 140 countries around the world play football. It is the national sport of most European and Latin American countries. Soccer is now the world’s most popular sport! In the UK most football teams play their main games on a Saturday, the teams are divided up into leagues depending on how good they are. The best teams are in the Premier Division, Division 1, then Division 2, depending upon their performance. Most people support their local team, however the biggest team in England is Manchester United. Football has become very commercialised. Players are paid a lot of money, and football clubs are run as a business. They make money from holding events such as parties and business meetings within the football grounds. Football was developed into the game of basketball in 1891. Basketball was invented in America and was developed as a game that students could play indoors during bad weather. Rugby Violent version of football!! Like American football The History of Rugby: During a football match at a school in England called Rugby School of England in 1823, a student picked up the ball in his hands and ran with it. This seemed very interesting at the time, and lead to the creation of the sport rugby. Cambridge University adopted the game, popularized it and made local rules. The game grew popular at area schools and in 1871, ten years after the common rules of soccer were set, the first Rugby Union was founded in London and firm rules of the game were established. In 1895 rugby clubs in northern England called for compensation of lost wages for players. The Rugby League was founded as a result and a 13-player game with altered rules were created for professionals. Rugby spread across the globe and competition emerged between countries. In the United States, the lack of precise rules in the game led the President of America, Theodore Roosevelt to insist on reform of the game to lower the violence. The English rules of rugby died out and the game of American football was born. Rugby continued elsewhere, mainly in Britain, New Zealand, Australia and South Africa. The sport continues to grow and now played in over 80 countries worldwide. Goal posts similar to those used in American football and shaped in the form of an "H" stand on the goal line at opposite ends of the field, at the beginning of each try zone. The length of play is very flexible and determined by the level of play but is usually around an hour to an hour and a half of playing time. The time is divided into two halves, with usually only a 5 minute half time. Substitutions or time-outs are not allowed. Play pauses for penalties, scores, when the ball goes out of touch. The game is not stopped for injuries until the ball is out of play.

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Players do not wear any padding or protection except for a mouth guard. The ball comes in many sizes. It is shaped like an American football, but is larger. The referee controls the game and sees that the players maintain good conduct and obey the laws of rugby. There is only one referee and that person is the only judge, timekeeper and score keeper. 15 people play at a time per side, each of which have specific duties as a player. Players are usually talked about in respect to two categories. Members of the first group are called the forwards, or the pack, and consist of the first eight players. Members of the second group are called the backs, and consist of the remaining players. Sometimes the scrum half, number 9, is considered part of either group. The objective of the game is to gain more points than the opposing team within the allotted time of play. A tie is called if the scores are equal at the end of play. A try is scored when a player places the ball in the opposition's goal area. It is counted as 5 points and can be converted to an additional 2 points with a successful place kick made from a line perpendicular to the point at which the ball was scored. A goal can also be scored through a penalty with a free kick or a drop kick from the field of play. A goal counts as 3 points. Cricket Cricket is a very old game, the origins of the game of cricket are lost in time. There are some references from as early as 1300 of a game like cricket being played in Kent, southern England. It seems clear that the English game originated in the sheep- rearing country of the South East, where the short grass of the down-land pastures made it possible to bowl a ball of wool or rags at a target. That target was usually the wicket-gate of the sheep pasture, which was defended with a bat in the form of a shepherd's crooked staff. By the 17th century the game was quite popular as a rough rural pastime, but in the following century the leisure classes took up the sport, particularly in Sussex, Kent, and London. The first organized match was held in London, in 1730. By the middle of the 18th century cricket was being played at every level of society, from village greens to wealthy estates. However, the game lacked a full set of rules. In 1835 the game of cricket was given its first formal laws, which still stand largely intact today. Major cricket matches can last as long as 5 days, with each side having two "innings", or turns at bat. A recent alternative to the longer matches are "limited over" matches. These events may take a relatively short 3-5 hours during the course of one day. The game of cricket is now played worldwide, where the power of the game has moved from England to nations such as South Africa, Australia, India, Pakistan, and the West Indies. In England the major focus of the game is the county championships, with both four-day and one-day competitions running simultaneously during the summer months. But traditional village cricket is still played in towns and villages all across the UK.

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Horse Racing In the UK Horse Racing is nearly as popular as football. The main attraction of horse racing is betting, or gambling on horses to win. The competitive racing of horses began about 4000 B.C. In Britain, in 200 AD, racing began using horses from the Roman invaders' stock. These early war horses were selectively bred for their qualities of strength, power, courage and speed. They were much sought after and desired by British royalty, noblemen and aristocrats. In the 16th century, the English, French and Italian royalty began importing horses to improve their breeding and racing stock. Racing became the sole sport of noblemen. By the 17th century there were a dozen British race tracks that had flat-racing events. The idea that horse racing was only for the wealthy continued up to the 1700's. The law stated that only "Gentlemen," implying the wealthy, were legally allowed to race. Horse racing and wagering became a popular diversion of European nobility. During the 1700's, racecourses became common in England. To control the sport, the Jockey Club was formed in 1750, which subsequently established standards, rules and regulations. Meanwhile breeders endeavoured to produce even faster animals. Snooker Sometimes called Billiards or Pool, snooker is about hitting little coloured balls with a long, narrow pole, on a green, felt-covered table. It became popular in the early 1960s. Snooker was initially enjoyed by French royalty since the 15th century, the game has been played by presidents, men, women, and children all over the world. Sir Neville Chamberlain, a British officer stationed in India often played a game called Pyramids in which 15 red balls were placed in a triangle, with the ball at the apex of the triangle placed on a pyramid spot on the table. Chamberlain decided to combine Pyramids red balls with the black and coloured balls used in Black Pool and decided to call the game snooker. With the return of the soldiers to England, snooker arrived and became very popular. Playing pool became questionable when tables were installed in horse racing betting rooms, since they were known to be hangouts for gamblers during the early 1920s and 1930s Popular in France during the early 14th century, Louis XI built the first billiard table, made of oak. A green cloth was used to simulate grass. Like the game played outdoors, at that time, an arch was placed at one end of the table and a pin at the other end. To keep the balls from rolling off the table, rails were installed around the table top. These rails were soon replaced with cushions filled with flock or down, and around 1835 replaced with rubber-filled cushions. Vulcanized rubber was used in 1845 to fill the cushions and to this day remains an important part of the table. The bed of the table was made from slate which is still used today. Wooden boxes were added to the table and today these pockets are made of net. Cues were added to the game in the 1730s.

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On of England's most celebrated players, John Roberts Jr., travelled to India, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and America in the late 1800s spreading the word and playing billiards. While in India, Roberts opened a factory to make billiard tables and was employed to be a professional billiards player. The first balls were made of wood. In the early 1800s ivory was used, which allowed the balls to make a clicking sound when they touched each other. Around 1870, someone came up with synthetic plastic balls and they have been in use till today. Pool Billiards became a popular game among the British Regiment stationed in India and soon a game called Life Pool or pocket billiards became popular. Each player had a cue ball of a different colour and the object of the game was to try to pot the other player's cue ball, until only one player was left. After a player potted his specific object ball, he had the opportunity to pot the black ball; a game is very much like the eight ball game played in pool today. Boxing Boxing, often called "the manly art of self-defence," is a sport in which two competitors try to hit each other with their glove-encased fists while trying to avoid each other's blows. The competition is divided into a specified number of rounds, usually 3 minutes long, with 1- minute rest periods between rounds. Although amateur boxing is widespread, professional boxing has flourished on an even grander scale since the early 18th century. Amateur fights consist of 3 rounds, professional fights from 4 to 15 rounds. The recognized length of championship fights is 12 rounds. In most countries, professional boxing is the more popular version, but the rules vary because there is no true governing body. In all boxing, however, winners are determined either by a decision of the judges (who keep points or round victors on a scorecard as the fight progresses), the referee, or both. The winner also may be decided by a knockout, in which one rival is sent to the floor by a punch and cannot get up within 10 seconds. A doctor or referee can declare the boxer injured or defenceless even if there is no knockdown. A tied or even match is ruled a draw. The boxing ring is actually a square, and boxing gloves have been worn by boxers as a general practice since 1892 and are made of leather. Boxing is known to have been used in the Olympic Games in about 688 BC. Boxing became a workingman's sport during the Industrial Revolution as prize-fights attracted participants and spectators from the working class. Organization was minimal at first, and the bouts of those eras resembled street fights more than modern boxing. In 1866 there was a new set of rules. These rules limited the number of 3-minute rounds, and made the use of gloves mandatory. With the growing popularity of boxing, weight classes other than the unlimited heavyweights emerged. These classes became popular as world championships were held at the new weights. Currently, there are eight major professional divisions: flyweight (up to 112 lb/50.8 kg); bantamweight (118 lb/53.5 kg); featherweight (126 lb/57.2 kg); lightweight (135 lb/61.2 kg); welterweight (147 lb/66.7 kg); middleweight (160 lb/72.6 kg); light heavyweight (175 lb/79.4 kg); and heavyweight (unlimited).

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Because of its violent nature and its identification with betting, boxing has had a controversial history. There have been periodic efforts to outlaw the sport with many people calling for a ban on all boxing. Big Sporting Events In Britain, the big events include the Boat Race, the Grand National & the Derby (horse races), the Five Nations (rugby) the FA Cup Final (football), the Test Match (cricket) and Wimbledon (tennis).

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Seminar Discuss to following article: Racism is rife in English football with over 350 incidents from the Premier League to grassroots since 2012, investigation reveals March 2015  An investigation has revealed a widespread racism problem in England  Information from 24 police forces - only around half of the number in the country - reported over 350 incidents since 2012  Chelsea supporters have been involved in the highest number of incidents  Charity Show Racism The Red Card said racism is a societal problem Racism is widespread in English football with police having to deal with hundreds of incidents from the top of the game right down to grassroots level, an investigation has revealed. It also revealed that Chelsea supporters have been involved in the highest number of reported racist incidents as they travelled to and from matches on trains. It follows the high-profile case of a black man who was prevented from boarding a train in Paris by Chelsea fans as they sang a racist song, with five of them due in court this week. Chelsea supporters have been involved in the highest number of reported racist incidents The information, gathered from 24 police forces across the country, shows there have been over 350 incidents since 2012. But as that only accounts for around half the police forces in the country, the actual figure is likely to be much higher. The charity Show Racism The Red Card said the number of incidents shows that racism is a societal problem and it was particularly shocked by the number of incidents of racist abuse at children's matches. The British Transport Police said since 2012 it had dealt with 15 incidents of alleged racism involving Chelsea fans, the most of any club in the country. Manchester United were second with 10 incidents, followed by Leeds with 10, West Ham with eight, Arsenal with four and Portsmouth with four.

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Chelsea fans united with a banner stating 'Black or white, we're all blue' ahead of Burnley match A club spokesman for Chelsea said of the investigation: 'The club's position on discriminatory behaviour is clear and we work closely with relevant authorities on their investigations.' Greater Manchester Police reported 46 incidents, which included a man cleaning a toilet in a stadium being told 'that's a f****** black man's job, you f****** n*****' and a manager at a children's game being told 'I'll do you, I'm gonna wait for you outside, I'm going to do you, you f****** n*****'. The force also said that on two occasions a letter was written to a specific footballer containing racist abuse and during a game someone shouted 'what is this the United Nations, how many chinks and w*** do you need?'. Hertfordshire Police recorded 11 incidents of alleged racist abuse at children's football games, while Northamptonshire Police said that during a non-league game a man was spat at and racially abused before eventually having his leg broken in a strong challenge. Some Chelsea fans were involved in an incident on the Paris Metro, and supporters have worked hard in the aftermath to show that there is no racism at Stamford Bridge Gavin Sutherland, campaign co- ordinator at Show Racism The Red Card, said: 'This data from police forces around the UK shows that although football clubs have taken strong action against people using racist language inside stadiums, racism is a real problem within society. 'People who exhibit racist behaviours in 2015 are doing so, in the main, away from football grounds. 'Especially worrying are the incidents of racist abuse at youth team football matches. People engaged in racist abuse at these venues know that they are more likely to get away with it, because of facilities, a lack of stewarding and security, but the impact on young people will be considerable. 'Primarily, they are being exposed to racism, which in itself is frightening, but also it may influence their own behaviour.'

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Other incidents included Cleveland Police reporting repeated monkey sounds and gestures during a Middlesbrough v Blackburn game in November last year and Devon and Cornwall Police said a man was head-butted and racially abused during a non-league game. Surrey Police said a referee received racist insults during a kids' game and Essex police said a footballer refused to shake hands with a player from the opposite team before racially abusing him. Due to the fact that some police forces were unable to provide the information or did not reply to the request, Mr Sutherland said there would certainly be a greater number of cases. 'These incidents, although shocking in themselves and how geographically widespread they are, will be just a part of the picture,' he said. 'These are the incidents that have been reported. There will certainly be a greater number unreported and under-investigated. 'Show Racism The Red Card has always stated that the reason racism manifests in football is that it is a societal problem. 'The campaign works with young people and adults not just to educate against racism, but encourage the use and development of critical thinking skills to break down the misinformation that supports racist beliefs.' A club spokesman for Chelsea said of the investigation: 'The club's position on discriminatory behaviour is clear and we work closely with relevant authorities on their investigations.'

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9. The British Media and Politics Lecture The British Media The UK has a strong tradition of public-service broadcasting and an international reputation for creative programme-making. The fledgling BBC began daily radio broadcasts in 1922 and quickly came to play a pivotal role in national life. The Empire Service - the forerunner of the BBC World Service - established a reputation worldwide. The BBC is funded by a licence fee, which all households with a TV set must pay. Commercial TV began in 1955 with the launch of ITV. Commercial radio was introduced in the 1970s, although ship-based pirate radio stations flourished in the 1960s before being outlawed. Hundreds of privately-owned radio and TV stations now compete with the BBC for listeners and viewers. Home-grown soap operas have long topped the TV ratings, and British viewers keenly follow the ups and downs of life in east London's Albert Square, the setting for the BBC's EastEnders, and Coronation Street - ITV's soap about northern-English working-class life. Programmes which catapult ordinary people into the public eye - known as reality TV - are enjoying a wave of popularity. In a rapidly-changing digital world, British media providers are looking at new ways of reaching audiences via computers and personal multimedia devices. The media are free and able to report on all aspects of British life. The variety of publications reflects the full spectrum of political opinion. In recent years, newspaper circulations have been sliding while online readership has surged. In 2010, News Corporation, owner of The Times, began charging readers for access to the online content of some of its UK titles. There were nearly 57.3 million internet users in the UK by December 2014 - more than 88% of the population (www.Internetworldstats.com). Research by Google in 2010 found that the internet accounts for 12.4% of the UK's gross domestic product (GDP). The study said Britain is the world's leading country for e-commerce. By 2015, some 50% of UK internet users had a profile on at least one social network. The BBC is Britain's most popular online news destination. The press  The Daily Telegraph - broadsheet  Financial Times - daily, business broadsheet  The Guardian - daily, former broadsheet  The Independent - daily, former broadsheet  The Times - daily, former broadsheet  The Sun - daily tabloid  The Mirror - daily tabloid

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 The Daily Mail – tabloid  The Daily Express - daily tabloid  The Scotsman - Scottish daily  Western Mail - Welsh daily Television  BBC TV - operates BBC1, BBC2 and digital services including BBC News channel  BBC World News - commercially-funded international news channel  ITV - major commercial network, organised around regional franchises  Channel 4 - commercially funded but publicly owned national station  five - national commercial channel  Independent Television News (ITN) - supplier of news to ITV, Channel 4  British Sky Broadcasting (BSkyB) - operator of digital satellite platform, Sky, and provider of film, entertainment channels and news channel Sky News Radio  BBC Radio - national services include new-music station Radio 1, adult music station Radio 2, cultural network Radio 3, flagship speech station Radio 4 and news and sport station Five Live  BBC Radio Scotland  BBC Radio nan Gaidheal - Gaelic-language station for Scotland  BBC Radio Ulster - for Northern Ireland  BBC Radio Wales  BBC Radio Cymru - Welsh-language  BBC Asian Network - for Asian communities in the UK  BBC World Service - major international broadcaster, heard worldwide via shortwave and increasingly on FM relays, programmes in more than 30 languages  Absolute Radio - national commercial pop and rock station  Talk Sport - national commercial sports station  Classic FM - national commercial classical music station News agency  The Press Association

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British Politics The Parliament When does an election happen? The UK has no written constitution. Instead the country's electoral system is based on a series of parliamentary acts dating back to the 17th century, when men wore the sort of tights and wigs still donned on ceremonial occasions by some officials of the Houses of Parliament. A general election is when voters nationwide choose lawmakers who will sit in the House of Commons, the lower chamber which initiates and approves legislation. An election must take place, by law, at least every five years. That said, governments can call an election at any time during their term. They could also be forced into an election if they lose a majority of lawmakers in the Commons. Who calls an election? The starting gun in a general election is traditionally fired when the prime minister travels to Buckingham Palace to ask the queen, the UK's head of state, to dissolve parliament by royal proclamation. An election must then take place within weeks. Since 1979, elections have been held between April and June. It is customary for an election to be held on a Thursday. The vote is conducted through the "first past the post" system whereby the candidate in each constituency with the most votes wins the seat. If the queen is the head of state, then how come the UK is a democracy? Although the UK is a monarchy, the powers of the reigning head of state have gradually dwindled since King Charles I was beheaded in 1649 following the English Civil War between Royalists and Parliamentarians. Today, the monarch's role is largely ceremonial and mostly restricted to state functions and appearing on stamps and banknotes. But the monarch still retains formal powers and opens parliament each year. How does parliament function? The job of parliament is to make laws, scrutinize the actions of the government and debate issues of the day. The Commons -- which has green benches -- currently consists of 650 directly elected lawmakers known as Members of Parliament or MPs who each represent a geographical constituency. The upper house, the Lords -- which has red benches -- is mostly appointed by the government with members serving for life. Its main duty is to vote on legislation passed by the Commons and, when necessary, to send it back for further debate. In certain circumstances the government can force through legislation passed by the Commons but rejected by the Lords.

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How is an election decided? Voters do not elect the prime minister, or head of government, directly. Rather, they vote to elect a candidate representing a particular party to serve as their local MP. The leader of the party which wins the most seats is then asked by the Queen to form a government. The leader of the second largest party in the Commons becomes the "Leader of Her Majesty's Opposition."

MPs are elected by a plurality, rather than a majority, of votes. This means that a party can win a majority of seats in the Commons without achieving an overall majority in the overall popular vote. In fact, because there are three main parties in the UK it is extremely rare for a party to win an outright majority. The last prime minister elected by an outright majority was Stanley Baldwin, the Conservative Party leader, in 1931. In 2005, Tony Blair's Labour Party won just 35 percent of the vote but still controlled a 66-seat majority in the House of Commons. So who can I vote for? For most of the past century, British politics has been dominated by two parties, the left-wing Labour Party and the right-wing Conservative Party. That said, the boundaries between left and right have been blurred as each has strived to occupy the strategically important centre ground.

A third party, the centrist Liberal Democrats, usually picks up around 20 percent of votes but wins far fewer seats because it is squeezed between the two main parties. Parties from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland also send small numbers of lawmakers to Westminster.

What happens if a party doesn't win a majority of seats? If no party wins an overall majority - a "hung parliament" - then the leader of the party which takes the most seats will usually be invited by the monarch to form a government. But its powers will be limited because it cannot control a majority of votes in the Commons. The party will usually call another election within months in a fresh attempt to secure a majority.

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Seminar Discuss the following article: The Islamic future of Britain Britain is in denial. If population trends continue, by the year 2050, Britain will be a majority Muslim nation Britain is in denial. There is no real public debate on a historic event that is transforming the country. Mention of it occasionally surfaces in the media, but the mainstream political class never openly discuss it. What is that historic event? By the year 2050, in a mere 37 years, Britain will be a majority Muslim nation. This projection is based on reasonably good data. Between 2004 and 2008, the Muslim population of the UK grew at an annual rate of 6.7 percent, making Muslims 4 percent of the population in 2008. Extrapolating from those figures would mean that the Muslim population in 2020 would be 8 percent, 15 percent in 2030, 28 percent in 2040 and finally, in 2050, the Muslim population of the UK would exceed 50 percent of the total population. Contrast those Muslim birth rates with the non-replacement birth rates of native Europeans, the so called deathbed demography of Europe. For a society to remain the same size, the average female has to have 2.1 children (total fertility rate). For some time now, all European countries, including Britain, have been well below that rate. The exception is Muslim Albania. For native Europeans, it seems, the consumer culture has replaced having children as life’s main goal. These startling demographic facts have been available for some time (see ‘Muslim Population “Rising 10 Times Faster than Rest of Society”’, The Times, 30 January 2009. Also the work of the Oxford demographer David Coleman). But on this historic transformation of the country there is silence from the political establishment. Not everyone agrees with these demographic figures. Population projection, some say, is not an exact science. Perhaps the Muslim birth rate will drop to European levels. But this seems to be wishful thinking. For years it was believed that Muslims would enter what is known as “demographic transition”, with European Muslim birth rates falling to native European levels. But that demographic transition has not happened. In Britain, for example, the Pakistani and Bangladeshi communities continue to have significantly higher birth rates than the national average, even after more than 50 years in the country. Over the short term (a few generations) demographic forecasting is as scientific as any social science can be. Britain and the rest of Europe are in native population decline and European Muslim birth rates are up. If that trend continues, then the projection of a majority Muslim population in Britain is sound. Even the highly respected economist and historian Niall Ferguson accepts the figures.

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Many British people find it hard to believe their country could become majority Muslim. After all, it was never what they wanted so why, in a democracy, should it be happening? But we’ve had such disbelief before. Back in the 60s and 70s, many people scoffed at the notion that London could ever be majority non-white. But today it is. The fact is that the deathbed demography of native Britons has come up against increasing Muslim birth rates and the result is a classic Malthusian geometric increase in the Muslim population. As Malthus emphasised, populations increase geometrically, not arithmetically. Given two populations, one declining one increasing, within a few generations the geometric increase of one over the other can be substantial. Why has the Muslim birth rate not fallen to native levels? Just as there may be consumerist- cultural reasons for the low birth rates of native Britons, there may be strong cultural reasons for higher Muslim birth rates. As the journalist Christopher Caldwell puts it: “Muslim culture is full of messages laying out the practical advantages of procreation. As the hadith saying has it: ‘Marry, for I will outnumber peoples by you.’” Yassir Arafat understood the political power of high birth rates. The Palestinian population increased sevenfold in one generation from 450,000 in 1967 to 3.3 million in 2002. The wombs of Palestinian women, Arafat said, were the “secret weapon” in his cause. The Israeli government is very much aware of Palestinian demographics. Population projections over the long term can be wrong. But for Britain, over the short term, whatever way you do the numbers, they all point in one direction: Britain will be a majority Muslim state by the year 2050. The political and social consequences of all this will be significant. Britain’s traditional foreign policy, particularly regarding the US and Israel, would very likely change. In fact the US and Israel are already anticipating the consequences of a majority Muslim Western Europe. Britain’s social landscape would also be changed. The Adhan, the Muslim call to prayer, would very likely be heard throughout most of Britain. The traditional iconic sights and sounds of the country would also change from church bell-towers to minarets. Very likely all of this would happen gradually but there can be little doubt that it will happen, and it would be perfectly democratic. Given that such a historic change is taking place, the silence of the political class is curious, to say the least. Britain, until the 1950s, could trace its ethnic and cultural ancestry back thousands of years. In 1903, in Cheddar Gorge Somerset, the remains of a pre-historic man were found. Known as Cheddar Man, DNA tests on this almost 9000 years old skeleton showed that he has living descendants today, still in Somerset. In fact, genetic studies show that the populations of the British Isles (and Western Europe) have been stable for millennia, giving the lie to the oft quoted liberal comment that “Britain has always been a country of immigrants.” That’s false. Until the mass immigration of the 1950s, Britain was ethnically homogeneous. The long stretch of Britain’s exclusively European identity is now coming to an end, yet the political class refuse publicly to discuss such a culturally transforming event. Why the silence from the politicians? Are they not proud of their achievement?

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The answer is that the demographic projections of a majority Muslim Britain show the British political class to have been catastrophically wrong on multiculturalism and immigration, and they are genuinely afraid to admit it. The British political establishment cannot give the full truth about immigration. The former Conservative MP George Walden, considering the fears of his fellow MPs in discussing particularly Muslim immigration, wrote: “I’d be so alarmed by the situation I’d do everything possible to suggest it was under control. It’s up to politicians to play mood music in a crisis, and up to the people to understand that there’s little else governments can do. The last thing they can say is that we face a threat to which we can see no end because it’s based on a clash of cultures. On the IRA we told the truth; on the Islamic problem, we lie.” (Walden, Time to Emigrate? p.120) Back in the 60s and 70s, the British political establishment united in condemning Enoch Powell, not just as a racist but as being factually incorrect in his demographic predictions. Since then, the subject of immigration has split British politics between the truth-denying, but morally superior, political mainstream and the truth-telling legacy of the bogeyman Enoch Powell. For good or bad, the history of the last 40 years has vindicated Powell on many issues and shown the political establishment to have been wrong. Some major figures on the liberal-left now acknowledge this fact. David Goodhart, the founder of Prospect magazine, in his new book The British Dream, argues convincingly that he and others on the liberal-left got it wrong on immigration. But they also got it wrong on democracy. The projection of a Muslim majority by the year 2050, coupled with the fact that the vast majority of the British people have consistently opposed large-scale immigration, post-war British politics must represent the greatest ever failure in democracy. If ever the “Iron Law of Oligarchy” were proved right, then it is post-war British politics that has done it.

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11. British Literature and Religion Lecture British Literature Historical Overview British literature refers to literature associated with the United Kingdom, Isle of Man and Channel Islands. This includes literatures from England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. This is a brief, and by no means comprehensive, overview of literature from the major time periods of British literacy history. This is just to give students an overall context. Any author or work with an asterisk beside it is included in the assigned course readings. Anglo-Saxon Period (449-1066) Most of the storytelling in this time period was of the oral tradition. There are few written manuscripts that still survive. The major themes of this time were praise of heroes who triumph in battle and religious/moral instruction. The predominant genre in this time period was epic poetry. Author: Beowulf Medieval Period (1066-1485) This was the time of knights and their ladies fair. The chivalric code of honour was very important to literature of this time, and romances became popular. Religion was still a major reason for literature, as well, and plays that instructed the illiterate masses in moral codes, called morality plays, were produced. One of the major genres of this period was the folk ballad. Author: Geoffrey Chaucer The Renaissance (1485-1660) This time period marks a shift in literature from a focus on religion and the afterlife to human life on earth. Two of the most popular themes of the time were love and human potential. Genres in use at this time included metaphysical poetry, sonnets, and drama written in verse. Authors: William Shakespeare, John Donne, Christopher Marlowe, and Andrew Marvell The Restoration (1660-1798) The Restoration was a time where the emphasis was on rules, reason, and logic. This is the time period of grammarians, the men who created many of the grammar rules that are still in use today. During this time some of the predominant genres were: satire, essays and novels. Authors: Alexander Pope, Daniel Defoe, Jonathan Swift, Samuel Johnson,

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Romanticism (1798-1832) The major theme of the Romantic period was nature. The Romantics saw patterns and meaning in the natural world around them. This was a time of lyrical ballad. Also, the Romantic period brought to popularity the gothic horror novel. Authors: Jane Austen, Mary Shelley, William Blake, William Wordsworth, Dorothy Wordsworth, Samuel Coleridge, Lord Byron, Percy Shelley, John Keats The Victorian Period (1832-1900) It was in this time period that the novel began its rise in popularity. The availability of cheap paper made mass publication possible. Serialized novels and magazines were popular with the masses. Contrived plot twists such as strained coincidences and romantic triangles were often utilized. This time period also saw a heightened conflict between the rich and the poor. In poetry elegies were extremely popular. Authors: Charles Dickens, Thomas Hardy, Rudyard Kipling, Robert Louis Stevenson, George Eliot, Oscar Wilde, Alfred Lord Tennyson, The Bronte Sisters The Modern/Post Modern Period of Literature (1900-1980) This era heralded the loss of the hero in literature. One of the major themes was technology’s destruction of society. Poetry began to be written in a style called free verse. Many novelists began writing in a style called stream of consciousness. Many works from this time period contain “epiphanies.” Authors: James Joyce, Joseph Conrad, D.H. Lawrence, Dylan Thomas, George Orwell, William Butler Yeats, Virginia Woolf Literary ‘Giants’ Shakespeare (1564 - 1616) William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616) is probably the best known playwright and poet in the world. He came from a middle class family in a town in England called Stratford. He became a very successful writer and director of a theatre company in London. His plays include comedies, tragedies and history plays. He was the eldest of three sons, and there were four daughters. He was educated at the local grammar school, and married Anne Hathaway, from a local farming family, in 1582. They had a daughter, Susanna, in 1583, and twins, Hamnet and Judith, in 1585. Shakespeare moved to London, possibly in 1591, and became an actor. From 1592 to 1594, when the theatres were closed for the plague, he wrote his poems "Venus and Adonis" and "The Rape of Lucrece." His sonnets, known by 1598, though not published until 1609, fall into two groups: 1 to 126 are addressed to a fair young man, and 127 to 154 to a "dark lady" who holds both the young man and the poet in thrall. Who these people are has provided an exercise in detection for numerous critics. The first evidence of his association with the stage is in 1594, when he was acting with the Lord Chamberlain's company of players, later "the King's Men'. When the company built the Globe Theatre south of the Thames in 1597, he became a partner, living modestly at a house in Silver Street until c.1606, then moving near

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ANO1013 Introduction to British Culture Dr Granville Pillar the Globe. He returned to Stratford, living as a country gentleman at his house, New Place. He died in March 1616, and he was buried at Stratford. His works are as follows:  1589 King John (Play)  1590- 1591 Henry VI Part II (Play)  1590 Titus Andronicus (Play)  1590- 1591 Henry VI Part I (Play)  1590- 1591 Henry VI Part III (Play)  1593 The Comedy of Errors (Play)  1593 The Two Gentlemen of Verona (Play)  1593 Venus and Adonis (Poetry)  1594 Love's Labour's Lost (Play)  1594 The Rape of Lucrece (Poetry)  1594 The Life and Death of Richard III (Play)  1594 The Life and Death of Richard II (Play)  1594 The Taming of the Shrew (Play)  1595 Romeo and Juliet (Play)  1596 A Midsummer Night's Dream (Play)  1596 The Merchant of Venice (Play)  1597 Henry IV Part I (Play)  1597 The Merry Wives of Windsor (Play)  1598 Much Ado about Nothing (Play)  1598 Henry IV Part II (Play)  1599 The Life of Henry V (Play)  1599 Julius Caesar (Play)  1599 As You Like It (Play)  1600 Twelfth Night (Play)  1601 The Phoenix and the Turtle (Poetry)  1601 Hamlet (Play)  1602- 1604 All's Well That Ends Well (Play)  1602 Troilus and Cressida (Play)  1604 Othello, The Moor of Venice (Play)  1604 Measure for Measure (Play)  1605 King Lear (Play)

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 1606 Macbeth (Play)  1607 Antony and Cleopatra (Play)  1607 Timon of Athens (Play)  1608 Coriolanus (Play)  1609 Sonnets (Poetry)  1609 Pericles, Prince of Tyre (Play)  1610 Cymbeline (Play)  1611 The Winter's Tale (Play)  1611 The Tempest (Play)  1613 The Life of King Henry VIII (Collaborations)  1634 The Two Noble Kinsmen (Collaborations) The Nineteenth Century Romantic poets began writing in the early 19th century - "Keats", "Shelley" and "Wordsworth" are the most famous. Mary Shelley wrote the story of "Frankenstein" in 1817, a story about science gone wrong when a scientist tried to create life, but instead created a monster. Jane Austin wrote six novels published between 1811 and 1818, some of which have now been made into successful movies. The most famous literary family in history are the "Bronte" sisters. They were three sisters, Charlotte, Emily and Ann, from a small village in Yorkshire, England. Charlotte Bronte wrote "Jane Eyre", Emily Bronte wrote "Withering Heights", both in 1847. The Bronte's had trouble getting their work published, therefore they used alternative names of men to allow their work to be published. Charles Dickens wrote many well known novels in the 19th century, including "Oliver Twist". Sir Walter Scott, a Scottish novelist, wrote many novels, including "Ivanhoe". Later in the 19th century, Robert Louis Stevenson wrote many novels, including "Doctor Jekell and Mr. Hyde". Charles Dickens (Born 1812) Born Charles John Huffam Dickens, on February 7, 1812, in Landport, Hampshire, England; the son of a clerk in the navy pay office. In 1814 he moved to London, then to Chatham, where he received some schooling. He found a menial post with a solicitor, then took up journalism, becoming a reporter at Doctors' Commons, and at 22 joined a London newspaper. He published various papers in the Monthly Magazine, following this up with sketches and papers for the Evening Chronicle. In 1836 his Sketches by Boz and Pickwick Papers were published; and that year he married Catherine, the daughter of his friend George Hogarth. They had 10 children, but were separated in 1858. Dickens worked relentlessly, producing several successful novels which created a Shakespearean gallery of characters and also campaigned against many of the social evils of his time. The novels first appeared in monthly installments, notably Oliver Twist (1837-9), Nicholas Nickleby (1838-9), and The Old Curiosity Shop (1840-1). Thereafter a great part of his life was spent abroad. His later novels include David Copperfield (1849-50), Bleak House (1852-3), A Tale of Two Cities (1859), Great

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Expectations (1860-1), and the unfinished The Mystery of Edwin Drood (1870). In addition, he gave talks and readings, and wrote many pamphlets, plays, and letters. His novels have provided the basis for many successful adaptations in the theatre, in the cinema, on radio, and on television. His works are as follows:  1836 The Pickwick Papers (Novel)  1836- 1837 Sketches by Boz (Novel)  1837- 1839 Oliver Twist (Novel)  1838- 1839 Nicholas Nickleby (Novel)  1840- 1841 The Old Curiosity Shop (Novel)  1841 Barnaby Rudge (Novel)  1842 American Notes (Other)  1843- 1844 Martin Chuzzlewit (Novel)  1845 Pictures from Italy (Other)  1846 Dombey and Son (Novel)  1849- 1850 David Copperfield (Novel)  1852 A Christmas Carol (Novel)  1852- 1853 Bleak House (Novel)  1854 Hard Times (Novel)  1855- 1857 Little Dorrit (Novel)  1859 A Tale of Two Cities (Novel)  1860- 1861 Great Expectations (Novel)  1864- 1865 Our Mutual Friend (Novel)  1870 The Mystery of Edwin Drood (Novel) William Wordsworth (1770 - 1850) Born April 7, 1770 in Cookermouth, Cumberland, England. Unlike the other major English romantic poets, he enjoyed a happy childhood under the loving care of his mother and in close intimacy with his younger sister Dorothy, born in 1771. As a child, he walked through the lovely natural scenery of Cumberland. From 1787 to 1790 Wordsworth attended St. John's College, Cambridge, always returning with breathless delight to the north and to nature during his summer vacations. Before graduating from Cambridge, he took a walking tour through France, Switzerland, and Italy in 1790. He moved to France and while Wordsworth's political ideas and poetic talent were beginning to take shape, he fell passionately in love with a French girl, Annette Vallon. She gave birth to their daughter in December 1792. Having exhausted his funds, he was obliged to return home. The separation left him with a sense of guilt that deepened his poetic inspiration and accounted for the prominence of the theme of derelict womanhood in much of his work.

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His first poems were printed in 1793. By then, Wordsworth's wretchedness over Annette and their child had been aggravated by a tragic sense of torn loyalties as war broke out between England and the French Republic. He died on April 23, 1850. John Keats (1795 - 1821) Born October 31st, 1795, in London, England. Keats’ parents ran a London stable, earning enough to send John, the eldest of five children, to private school. Keats was boisterous and high-spirited, but his schoolmasters discovered a keen interest in reading, and introduced him to poetry and theatre. When John was eight years old, his father died, launching a long economic struggle that would keep Keats in poverty throughout his life, despite a large inheritance that was owed him. Eventually, Keats’ unscrupulous guardian, who kept the money from him, apprenticed Keats to a surgeon. Keats worked with the surgeon from 1811 until 1814, then went to work for a hospital in London as a junior apothecary and surgeon in charge of dressing wounds. Keats pursued his interest in literature while working at the hospital. He became friends with the editor of the Examiner, Leigh Hunt, a successful poet and author who introduced him to other literary figures, including Percy Bysshe Shelley. Although Keats did not write his first poem until age 18, he quickly showed tremendous promise, encouraged by Hunt and his circle. Keats’ work first appeared in the Examiner in 1816, followed by his first book, Poems (1817). After 1817, Keats devoted himself entirely to poetry, becoming a master of the Romantic sonnet and trying his hand at epic poems like Hyperion. In 1818, Keats’ financial struggles deepened when his brother Tom fell ill with tuberculosis, and another brother’s poor investment left him penniless. Meanwhile, a strenuous walking tour of England’s Lake District damaged Keats’ health. The one bright spot in his life was Fanny Brawne, his fiancée. Sadly, Keats’ poverty did not allow them to marry. He developed tuberculosis in 1820, traveled to Italy hoping to improve his condition, and died there in February 1821. The Twentieth Century One of the most famous writers of the 20th century is Virginia Woolf. Her books concerned women’s issues and women’s rights. One of her best known works is "Mrs. Alloway" (1925). Two other very famous writers of this period are E.M. Forster and D.H Lawrence. Forster wrote the famous "Howards End" which has also been made into a successful movie. After the Second World War one of the most famous English novels was written by George Orwell, entitles "1984", written in 1948, it was a vision of how the world would be in 1984. One of the most well-known fiction writers was Graham Green (1904 - 1991) who wrote novels about morals and also spies. Ian Fleming is very well known, mainly for his "James Bond" stories, which have been made into very big movies. Twentieth century poets include Dylan Thomas, a writer from Wales, (1914 - 1953). Scotland's Irvine Welsh wrote a very successful book "Train Spotting" in 1993, which was made into a movie in 1996. Graham Greene (1904 - 1991) Born in Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire, England. He studied at Oxford, during which time he converted from Anglicanism to Catholicism. Later he moved to London, where he became a journalist and then a freelance writer. His early novels, beginning with The Man Within (1929), and "entertainments", such as Stamboul Train (1932), use the melodramatic technique of the

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ANO1013 Introduction to British Culture Dr Granville Pillar thriller. In his major novels, central religious issues emerge, first apparent in Brighton Rock (1938), and more explicit in The Power and the Glory (1940), The End of the Affair (1951), and A Burnt-Out Case (1961). He also wrote several plays, film scripts (notably, The Third Man, 1949), short stories, and essays, as well as three volumes of autobiography. His later works include Dr Fischer of Geneva (1980), Monsignor Quixote (1982), and The Tenth Man (1985). In 1999, The End of the Affair was made into a highly acclaimed film starring Julianne Moore (who earned an Academy Award nomination for her role as Sarah Miles) and Ralph Fiennes. Greene lived in Antibes, France, for many years until his death in 1991. D.H. Lawrence (1885 - 1930) A novelist, poet and essayist, born David Herbert Lawrence, on September 11, 1885, in Eastwood, Nottinghamshire. Lawrence was the son of a little-educated coal miner and a mother of middle-class origins who fought with the father and his limited way of life so that the children might escape it or, as Lawrence once put it, "rise in the world." Their quarrel and estrangement, and the consequent damage to the children, became the subject of perhaps his most famous novel, Sons and Lovers (1913). Lawrence was trained to be a teacher at Nottingham University College and taught at Davidson Road School in Croydon until 1912, when his health failed. The great friend of his youth, Jessie Chambers, who was the real-life counterpart of Miriam in Sons and Lovers, had sent some of his work to the English Review. The editor, Ford Madox Ford, hailed him at once as a find, and Lawrence began his writing career. The Lawrences lived in many parts of the world—particularly, as place affected his work, in Italy, Australia, New Mexico, and Mexico. Embittered by the censorship of his work and the suspicion regarding his German-born wife during the war. There were quarrels and desertions, and his precarious health was a factor in the constant moves. At the end of his life he wistfully regarded himself as lacking in the societal self. He died in France, on March 2nd, 1930. All through his career Lawrence's boldness in treating the sexual side of his characters' relationships had aroused the censorious. For example, The Rainbow was originally withdrawn and destroyed by the publisher after a complaint. But in Lady Chatterley's Lover, his last full- length novel, Lawrence went much further. The book was banned in England, and this was followed by the seizure of the manuscript of his poems Pansies and the closing of an exhibition of his paintings. His works are as follows:  1911 The White Peacock  1912 The Trespasser  1913 Sons and Lovers  1913 Love Poems and Others  1914 The Widowing of Mrs. Holroyd  1914 The Prussian Officer and Other Stories  1915 The Rainbow  1916 Amores

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 1917 Look! We Have Come Through!  1918 New Poems  1919 Bay  1920 Touch and Go  1920 Women in Love  1920 The Lost Girl  1921 Tortoises  1922 England My England and Other Stories  1922 Aaron's Rod  1923 Kangaroo  1923 Birds, Beasts, and Flowers  1923 The Captain's Doll: Three Novelettes  1924 The Boy in the Bush  1925 St. Mawr, Together with The Princess  1926 David  1926 The Plumed Serpent  1926 Glad Ghosts  1926 Sun  1928 Lady Chatterley's Lover  1928 Collected Poems  1928 The Woman Who Rode Away and Other Stories  1928 Rawdon's Roof  1929 Pansies  1929 The Escaped Cock  1930 Love Among the Haystacks and Other Pieces  1930 The Virgin and the Gipsy  1930 Nettles  1931 The Triumph of the Machine  1932 Last Poems  1933 Keeping Barbara  1933 The Lovely Lady  1934 A Collier's Friday Night  1934 A Modern Lover  1936 The Daughter-in-Law

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Dylan Thomas (1914 - 1953) Born Dylan Marlais Thomas on October 27th, 1914, in the Welsh seaport of Swansea, Carmarthenshire. His father was an English teacher and a would-be poet, from whom Dylan inherited his intellect and literary abilities. From his mother, a simple and religious woman, Dylan inherited his disposition, temperament, and Celtic sentimentality. He attended the Swansea Grammar School, where he received all of his formal education. As a student, he made contributions to the school magazine and was keenly interested in local folklore. After leaving school Thomas supported himself as an actor, reporter, reviewer, and scriptwriter and with various odd jobs. When he was 22 years old, he married Caitlin Macnamara, by whom he had two sons, Llewelyn and Colm, and a daughter, Aeron. After his marriage, Thomas moved to the fishing village of Laugharne, Carmarthenshire. The need to support his growing family forced Thomas to write radio scripts for the Ministry of Information and documentaries for the British government. During World War II he served as an antiaircraft gunner. After the war he became a commentator on poetry for the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). In 1950 Thomas made the first of three lecture tours through the United States, the others were in 1952 and 1953, in which he gave more than 100 poetry readings. Thomas's poetic output was not large. He wrote only six poems in the last 6 years of his life. Dissipation and a grueling lecture schedule hindered his literary output in these years. His conviction that he would die young led him to create "instant Dylan" the persona of the wild young Welsh bard, damned by drink and women that he believed his public wanted. When he was 35 years old, he described himself as "old, small, dark, intelligent, and darting-doting- dotting eyed ... balding and toothlessing." He had grown corpulent but retained his grace of movement. During his visit to the United States in 1953, Thomas was scheduled to read his own and other poetry in some 40 university towns throughout the country. Thomas celebrated his thirty-ninth birthday in New York City following the success of his just published Collected Poems. The festivities ended in collapse and illness, and on Nov. 9, 1953, he died in St. Vincent's Hospital in New York City. His body was returned to Laugharne, Wales, for burial. His works are as follows:  1934 Eighteen Poems (Poetry)  1936 Twenty-Five Poems (Poetry)  1939 The Map of Love (Poetry)  1940 Portrait of the Artist as a Young Dog (Semi-autobiographical)  1943 New Poems (Poetry)  1946 Deaths and Entrances (Poetry)  1952 In Country Sleep (Poetry)  1952 Collected Poems 1934--52 (Poetry)  1954 Under Milk Wood (Play for radio)  1955 A Prospect of the Sea (Short Stories)  1955 Adventures in the Skin Trade (Semi-autobiographical)

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E.M. Forster (1879 - 1970) Edward Morgan Forster, born on January 1st, 1879, in London, England, known as E.M. Forster. His architect father died when he was two, and Forster was raised by his mother and a great-aunt in an old house called Rooksnest, which later became the model for the country estate portrayed in his acclaimed novel Howard’s End (1910). Forster was teased and tormented mercilessly at the private school he attended as a day student, and remained shy and timid through the rest of his life. However, he found intellectual companionship during his university years at King’s College, Cambridge, where he joined a secret society of intellectuals called the Apostles.

Forster began contributing essays and stories to the newly formed Independent Review in 1903, and published his first novel, Where Angels Fear to Tread, two years later. Like many of his later books, the novel looked at English discomfort with foreign cultures. Forster traveled widely, visiting Greece, Italy and India, and later serving with the Red Cross in Alexandria, Egypt from 1915 to 1919. At home in England, Forster made many close friends among the intellectual and literary “Bloomsbury set,” including Virginia Woolf. Forster’s fifth novel, A Passage to India (1924), now considered his greatest work, was the last novel that Forster published in his lifetime. In 1946, Forster received an honorary fellowship from his alma mater which allowed him to live in Cambridge during the rest of his life. He died in 1970, at the age of 91.

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Religion Is the UK still a Christian country? Are we losing our religion? The answer for the UK seems to be "Yes", while the answer for the developing world is a resounding "No". That was the conclusion of a recent analysis by the Pew Research Center in the US. It suggests that in the UK, if current trends continue, the proportion of the population identifying themselves as Christians will fall from 64% in 2010 to 45% by 2050, while the proportion of Muslims will rise from 5% to 11%. The proportion of the population claiming no religion in the UK - the "unaffiliated" - will also rise significantly, from 28% to 39%. Pew's research also suggests there are likely to be more Muslims than Christians in the world by 2070, with Islam's share of global population equalling that of Christianity at just above 30% each by 2050. Equally eye-catching is its conclusion that by 2050, under half of the population will be Christian not just in the UK, but also France, the Netherlands, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Australia and New Zealand, while Muslims will make up about 10% of Europe's population, up from 6% now, thanks to higher birth rates. However, Christianity globally will continue to grow, with the number of Christians projected to rise significantly in sub-Saharan Africa in particular. According to demographer Conrad Hackett at Pew, in 1910 some 66% of the world's Christians lived in Europe. Now that has fallen to about 25%. By 2050, however, Europe will be home to just 16% of the world's Christians, while four out of every 10 Christians globally will live in sub-Saharan Africa, thanks to high birth rates and falling infant mortality. Huge transformation So what does that mean for the UK? "We are living through the biggest religious transition since the Reformation of the 16th Century," says Linda Woodhead, professor of the sociology of religion at Lancaster University. "[Prime Minister] David Cameron may have said at Easter that 'we are still a Christian country', but for how much longer?" For Mr Hackett, the idea religion will fade as developing countries become more economically successful and better educated "is often tied in to the secularism debate".

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But, he says, while there is evidence of that in some societies, in others "there is no evidence that people are shedding their religious identity, even as their societies become wealthier". "In China, for example, people are more and more claiming some religious identity, and we have no clear evidence that as these countries develop, they will follow the patterns we see in Western Europe," he says. Religions in the UK: . Christians: 2010: 64%, 2050: 45% . Muslims: 2010: 5%, 2050: 11% . Hindus: 2010: 1.4%, 2050: 2% . Jews: 2010: 0.5%, 2050: 0.3% . Buddhists: 2010: 0.4%, 2050: 0.9% . Folk religions: 2010: 0.1%, 2050: 0.3% . No religion: 2010: 28%, 2050: 39% According to Ms Woodhead, that means that contrary to long-held Western assumptions that religion would disappear as societies developed, secular and religious liberalism itself will become the exception in the world and not the norm. "Western governments will have to work hard to convince the world of the value of liberal democracy and the forms of religion and belief which have supported it, and I am not sure they yet grasp the scale of the challenge," she says. But why should the UK in particular be losing the Christian roots that have so profoundly shaped its history, culture and even its welfare state? Inward-looking "The Church of England and the Church of Scotland are in collapse," says Ms Woodhead. "The Church lost touch with our everyday life and has become inward-looking rather than being a broad Church for the whole of society. "The Churches of England and Scotland have failed to win the hearts and minds of the young for several generations now, while numbers for the Catholic Church are really only holding up thanks to immigration." She believes there is the danger of a future in Britain in which those with no religious affiliation and the faithful "won't understand each other", with the religious of all faiths potentially moving more towards the extremes, with the risk of cultural segregation. "Religions have a natural dynamic towards more sectarian fundamentalist extremes, and we are losing the moderating forces internally and externally that used to regulate and deal with these tendencies, including Parliamentary interest and involvement," she says. Adjustment 'needed' However, Grace Davie, professor emeritus in sociology at the University of Exeter and author of the new book Religion in Britain: A Persistent Paradox, has a slightly different take.

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"This is an adjustment of Christendom, rather than an Anglican issue," she says. "We hear a lot of debate saying that the Anglican Church has failed. "But it's only facing the same challenges as the Catholic Churches and the Scandinavian Churches in Europe. "Anglicans tend to beat themselves up about it as if it's their fault. It's not," she says. "It's an adjustment they all have to make, but it's at a particularly acute stage for the Anglicans. "Looking at the figures, there are the committed religious people, the committed secular people, and in the middle, there's this grey area. "The pendulum is swinging gradually towards the secular end, while everyone is wondering what the growth in Islam will mean. "In the UK, we are all adjusting to greater diversity." Prof Davie points out that the figures indicate Christians will still be the biggest single faith group in the UK by 2050. "There's no room for complacency, but there will be a future for Christianity," she says. "It will just be a different future. "It will be smaller and more committed, but not necessarily more extreme. "It's a gradual shift in the model, which brings with it more pressure to choose. "But you have to be very cautious about predictions. "In the 1960s, many thought the world would become more secular, and that hasn't happened. "Europe is so distinctive from the rest of the world, and that is to be pondered - bearing in mind that it's a tiny and shrinking bit of the world." New spirituality Yet in an age when Christianity appears to be dwindling in the UK, what - if anything - will take its place, or attempt to offer meaning to those of no faith? Is it art or science, poetry or football, or humanism - or new forms of spirituality, or simply seeking contentment in family and friends? That increasing lack of belief is not confined to religion alone, but appears to be affecting almost every other sphere of authority - while new technology allows individuals to access more knowledge than ever before about the world around us, while apparently leaving us no happier. Faith in politicians, government, the mainstream media and in many other institutions has diminished, yet the human search for meaning, identity and principles that unite us as a society has not gone away.

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Seminar Discuss the following article: The reasons why a student should study English Literature

In this day and age there seems to be a move towards secondary school subjects which have a strong link to a tertiary course of study. For that reason, some parents and some students feel that the compulsory study of English Literature, especially among the international syllabuses offered in the majority of Hong Kong’s International schools, is misguided and disadvantageous to students, particularly if they are second language learners of English. However, there are still good reasons for the study of English Literature. Students who study only English Language, with its emphasis on reading and writing skills, sometimes fail to see the point of studying English literature, especially if they have no plans to study English or Translation at university. But English literature can introduce students to a range of aspects, not only of the English language but also of English culture. There are aspects of English culture that are encapsulated by English literature. Of course, this is quite obvious when studying the works of Shakespeare or of writers, poets and playwrights of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. It is, however, also true when studying other works of English literature. Students can learn about allusions and references to different aspects of English culture. They can also learn the context and meanings of famous quotes and phrases. Studying Literature does not confine the students to the traditions of England but includes the possibility of introducing them to traditions which inform English Literature, such as the study of Ancient Greek drama, and to literature in other contexts, such as American literature. It also provides the students with an alternative to the pervasiveness of “television culture” with its immediacy and, often, its shallowness An enjoyment and appreciation of Literature will give students the ability to develop this into an interest in books and reading as they move away from their studies and into their adult lives. They will have the confidence to approach and tackle new forms of books and writing, since they were exposed to a range of literature during their school days. When studying Literature, students can learn not only language aspects such as vocabulary items but also that language can be used for specific and aesthetic purposes. Familiarity with the concepts of beat, metre and rhythm can improve their own writing as students are able to appreciate and apply these ideas. Finally, the study of Literature can provide students with a fresh and creative angle with which to approach their studies in particular and their lives in general. So the next time you are reading a newspaper article lamenting the lack of creativity and initiative in the local workforce, remember that in a small way the study of English Literature can help to add a refreshing and further dimension to a person’s life.

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12. British Accents Lecture The United Kingdom is probably the most dialect- obsessed nation in the world. With countless accents shaped by thousands of years of history, there are few English-speaking nations with as many varieties of language in such a small space. Here is a list of the most important types of British English. While this is not a complete list by any means, it will give you an overview of the accents and dialects most often discussed on this site and elsewhere. Received Pronunciation Received Pronunciation is the closest to a “standard accent” that has ever existed in the UK. Although it originally derives from London English, it is non- regional. You’ve probably heard this accent countless times in Jane Austen adaptations, Merchant Ivory films, and Oscar Wilde plays. It emerged from the 18th- and 19th-Century aristocracy, and has remained the “gold standard” ever since. Features: . Non-rhoticity, meaning the r at the ends of words isn’t pronounced (mother sounds like “muhthuh”). . Trap-bath split, meaning that certain a words, like bath, can’t, and dance are pronounced with the broad-a in father. (This differs from most American accents, in which these words are pronounced with the short-a in cat. . The vowels tend to be a bit more conservative than other accents in Southern England, which have undergone significant vowel shifting over the past century. Speech Samples: . Actress Dame Judi Dench . Former prime minister Margaret Thatcher . Author Christopher Hitchens Cockney Cockney is probably the second most famous British accent. It originated in the East End of London, but shares many features with and influences other dialects in that region. Features: . Raised vowel in words like trap and cat so these sounds like “trep” and “cet.” . Non-rhoticity: see explanation above under Received Pronunciation, above. . Trap-bath split: see explanation above under Received Pronunciation.

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. London vowel shift: The vowel sounds are shifted around so that Cockney “day” sounds is pronounced IPA dæɪ (close to American “die”) and Cockney buy verges near IPA bɒɪ (close to American “boy”). . Glottal Stopping: the letter t is pronounced with the back of the throat (glottis) in between vowels; hence better becomes IPA be?ə (sounds to outsiders like “be’uh”). . L-vocalization: The l at the end of words often becomes a vowel sound Hence pal can seem to sound like “pow.” (I’ve seen this rendered in IPA as /w/, /o,/ and /ɰ/.) . Th-Fronting: The th in words like think or this is pronounced with a more forward consonant depending on the word: thing becomes “fing,” this becomes “dis,” and mother becomes “muhvah.” Speech Samples: . Actor Ray Winstone . Heavy metal rocker Steve Harri Estuary English (Southeast British) Estuary is an accent derived from London English which has achieved a status slightly similar to “General American” in the US. Features of the accent can be heard around Southeast England, East Anglia, and perhaps further afield. It is arguably creeping into the Midlands and North. Features: . Similar to Cockney, but in general Estuary speakers do not front th words or raise the vowel in trap. There are few hard-and-fast rules, however. . Glottal stopping of ‘t’ and l-vocalization (see above) are markers of this accent, but there is some debate about their frequency. Speech Samples: . Comedian Russell Brand . Celebrity Chef Gordon Ramsay . Comedian Ricky Gervais West Country (Southwest British) West Country refers to a large swath of accents heard in the South of England, starting about fifty miles West of London and extending to the Welsh border. Features: . Rhoticity, meaning that the letter r is pronounced after vowels. So, for example, whereas somebody from London would pronounce mother as “muthah,” somebody from Bristol would say “mutherrr“. (i.e. the way people pronounce the word in America or Ireland). . Otherwise, this is a huge dialect area, so there’s tons of variation.

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Speech Samples: . Comedian Stephen Merchant . Archaeologist Phil Harding (from Wiltshire) . Comedian Justin Lee Collins (Another Bristol Accent) (also from Bristol) Midlands English Midlands English is one of the more stigmatized of Englishes. Technically, this can be divided into East Midlands and West Midlands, but I won’t get into the differences between the two just now. The most famous of these dialects is Brummie (Birmingham English). Features: . The foot-strut merger, meaning that the syllable in foot and could is pronounced with the same syllable as strut and fudge. (IPA ʊ). . A system of vowels otherwise vaguely reminiscent of Australian accents, with short i in kit sometimes verging toward IPA kit (“keet”) and extremely open “loose” dipthongs. . A variety of unusual vocabulary: some East Midlands dialects still feature a variant of the word “thou!” Speech samples: . Geezer Butler of Black Sabbath Northern England English These are the accents and dialect spoken north of the midlands, in cities like Manchester, Leeds, and Liverpool. Related accents also found in rural Yorkshire, although there are some unique dialect features there that I won’t get into now. Features: . The foot-stut merger: (see the Midlands description above). . Non-rhoticity, except in some rural areas. . The dipthong in words like kite and ride is lengthened so that kite can become something like IPA ka:ɪt (i.e. it sounds a bit like “kaaaait”) . Unique vocab includes use of the word mam to mean mother, similar to Irish English. Speech Samples: . Bernard Sumner, of New Order . Actor/comedian Craig Charles . Singer Joe Cocker Geordie Geordie usually refers to both the people and dialect of Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, in Northeast England. The word may also refer to accents and dialects in Northeast England in general. I would classify this as a separate region from the rest of Northern England because it’s so radically different from the language spoken in nearby cities.

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Features . The foot-stut merger (see the Midlands description above). . Non-rhoticity (in the cities at least) . The /ai/ dipthong in kite is raised to IPA ɛɪ, so it sounds a bit more like American or Standard British “kate.” . The /au/ dipthong in “about” is pronounced IPA u: (that is, “oo”) in strong dialects. Hence bout can sound like “boot.” Speech Samples: . Singer Cheryl Cole . This video gives a good idea of the “classic” Geordie accent” Welsh English This refers to the accents and dialects spoken in the country of Wales. The speech of this region is heavily influenced by the Welsh language, which remained more widely spoken in modern times than the other Celtic languages. Features: . Usually non-rhotic. . English is generally modelled after Received Pronunciation or related accents, but with many holdovers from the Welsh language. . Syllables tend to be very evenly stressed, and the prosody of the accent is often very “musical”. . The letter r is often trilled or tapped. . Some dialect words imported from the Welsh language. Speech Samples: . Singer Tom Jones . Actor Rhys Ifans . Rocker Gruff Rhy (Cardiff Accent) Scottish English This is the broad definition used to describe English as it is spoken in the country of Scotland. Note that Scottish English is different than Scots, a language derived from Northumbrian Old English that is spoken in Scotland as well. That being said, Scots has a strong influence on how English in Scotland is spoken. Features: . Rhotic, with trilled or tapped r’s. . Glottal stopping of the letter t when in between vowels (similar to Cockney and related accents).

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. Monopthongal pronounciations of the /ei/ and /ou/ dipthongs, so that that face becomes IPA fe:s and goat becomes IPA go:t. Speech Samples: . Actor Peter Mullan (Glasgow) . Actor Ewen Bremner (Edinburgh)

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Seminar Discuss to following article: English Too Easy for Hungarians Hungary’s government wants to dethrone English as the most common foreign language taught in Hungarian schools. The reason: It’s just too easy to learn. “It is fortunate if the first foreign language learned is not English. The initial, very quick and spectacular successes of English learning may evoke the false image in students that learning any foreign language is that simple,” reads a draft bill obtained by news websiteOrigo.hu that would amend Hungary’s education laws. Instead, the ministry department in charge of education would prefer if students “chose languages with a fixed, structured grammatical system, the learning of which presents a balanced workload, such as neo-Latin languages.” Besides giving a deceptive sense of achievement, English learning also makes acquiring other languages more difficult, the ministry argues. Reversing the order, on the other hand, makes learning English essentially effortless, it added. “If someone is earlier taught another language, they’ll hardly notice that they can learn English alongside. This is because unfortunately, we use exclusively English words when talking about computers, international music and molecular biology,” Deputy State Secretary Laszlo Dux said in a radio interview on state radio station MR1 Kossuth. Hungary’s government is attempting to make substantial changes to how foreign languages are taught in schools. The strategy in drafting stipulates that advanced, eight-grade high schools would have to teach three languages, while a language exam would be a prerequisite of applying for university- or college-level education. And with good reason. A Eurostat survey from 2009 found that 74.8% of Hungarians aged 25 to 64 don’t speak any foreign languages whatsoever. Only 6% of respondents said they speak a second language fluently, which places Hungary at the bottom ranks of the European Union table. In comparison, only 5% of Swedes speak no other language but their native tongue.

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