2007 G8 Summit Magazine - (Page 48) United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland T he United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is composed of four parts: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Alongside English, Welsh, Gaelic and Cornish are spoken as regional languages. The United Kingdom is 243,000 sq. km in area and its population is around 60 million, among whom are many immigrants from former colonies. The capital is London. The United Kingdom joined the EU in 1973, together with Denmark and Ireland, in the first round of European enlargement. It is also a member of NATO, among other international organisations. 1984, 1991 (Summits in London) and in 1998 (Birmingham). The most recent Summit to be held under the British presidency, at Gleneagles in 2005, focused on the issues of Africa and climate change. Political system Great Britain is a parliamentary monarchy with a cabinet government answerable to parliament. There is no written constitution. The monarchy plays a largely formal and ceremonial role, while the Prime Minister has a strong position in Cabinet and in politics more generally. The Head of State since 1952 has been Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. She is also Head of the Commonwealth of Nations and worldwide head of the Anglican church. Prime Minister Tony Blair is head of government. The British Parliament has two chambers: political power lies mostly with the directly elected lower house, the House of Commons, with its 659 members. The governing party is the Labour Party, the Opposition being formed of the Conservative and Liberal Democrat parties. The House of Lords, which is the upper house, currently has 711 members. It has few powers - such as the right to delay the passage of certain types of legislation. Twelve of its members (“Law Lords”) form the highest court in the land. Great Britain is centrally governed and administered, although devolution has seen limited powers conferred upon the regions (Scotland and Wales) and on the capital city, London. G8 The United Kingdom has taken part in the world economic summits since the first was held at Rambouillet in 1975. It held the presidency in 1977, Economy British economic policy pursues market solutions, promoting | -48-
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