stated the main ideas of the constitutional monarchy with the legislative power in the Parliament »s hands, the king having no rights to refuse signing the bills proposed by it or decide on creating a standing army. Still, so far the Parliament was not yet all-powerful, the executive power remained with the king; the protestant non-conformists were given religious liberty by the so-called «Toleration Act» while Catholics and all sorts of dissenters were not allowed to occupy government posts or teach at Universities. The succession was no longer determined by hereditary right but by an Act of Parliament.of Orange died in 1702 and in accordance with the stipulations of 1689 compromise his wife «s sister and daughter of James II, Anne was crowned (1702-1714). Then another daughter of James II was to reign, and in the event of her death without an heir a Hanover Prince, the husband of the next protestant heiress, grand-daughter of James I Stuart, was to get the throne of England. [3, pp.113-114] Stuart monarchs, from James I onwards, were less successful than the Tudors. They quarreled with Parliament and this resulted in civil war. The only king of England ever to be tried and executed was a Stuart. The republic that followed was even more unsuccessful, and by popular demand the dead king »s son was called back to the throne. Another Stuart king was driven from the throne by his own daughter and her husband. For the first time the king was elected by Parliament in 1688. Parliament was then beyond question more powerful than the king, and would remain so. Its power over monarch was written into the Bill of Rights in 1689. When the last Stuart, Queen Anne, died in 1714, the monarchy was no longer absolutely powerful. It had become a «parliamentary monarchy» controlled by a constitution. [4, p.87]
4. The Modern British Parliament
.1 The British Parliament Today
Britain is known as Mother of Parliaments. This is because in the Western world she was the first to introduce a workable body, an assembly of elected representatives of the people with the authority to resolve social and economic problems by free debate leading to the making of law.is one of the oldest and most honored parts of the British government. One of the fundamental principles of the unwritten constitution is the sovereignty of Parliament. It means that Parliament has unlimited power in the legislative and the executive spheres and there is no institution that can declare its acts unconstitutional. [12, p.90] main functions of Parliament are as follows: to pass laws, to provide the means of carrying on the work of Government, to control the Government policy and administration, to debate the most important political issues of the day. Nevertheless, the principal duty of Parliament is legislation. [16, p.93] is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom. It is free to make, unmake or alter any laws it wishes; to destroy established conventions or turn a convention into binding law. It could even prolong its own life beyond the normal period of five years without consulting the electorate. In practice, however, Parliament does not assert its supremacy in this way. Its members bear in mind the common law which has grown up over the centuries, and have tended to act in accordance with precedent and tradition. [13, p.56] knew short and long parliament ...
