British culture and society

Most people in Britain are English, Scottish, Welsh or Irish. But in the cities, you can meet people of

many different nationalities, as over the centuries people from many parts of the world have come to

settle in Britain.

At the peak of its power, in the late 1800s and early 1900s, Britain ruled over one quarter of the world.

After the Second World War the former colonies became independent, and people there were

welcomed to Britain, to work in the growing post-war economy.

The largest groups of immigrants came from the West Indies and the Indian subcontinent in the 1950s

and 60s. Many settled in the industrial areas of the North and the Midlands, and in the big cities,

especially London.

Around 25 percent of all Londoners are from minority ethnic groups. In London schools there are now

children with more than 300 different mother tongues.

There are a lot of stereotypes to describe the different British people, e.g. that the Welsh are good

singers, the Scots are careful with their money, the English are reserved towards anything foreign, etc.

Some traits, however, might be seen as general for all British people.

British judges are still wearing old-fashioned white wigs in court. Also, in the UK, driving on the left

remains the rule. The British tend to stick to their old traditions and are not very keen on making

changes to adapt to European standards. When Britain introduced metric standards for measurement

in the mid-1970s, you would still hear the market stall holders shouting their day-special-offers using

the old weight standards of pounds and ounces for years to come. Maybe this trait of traditionalism

comes from the isolated geographical position of the British Isles? Their outward orientation has

traditionally been towards their former colonies, rather than Europe, and Britain has tended to export

its own culture rather than pick up new habits from others

British children learn formal politeness from an early age. Even the youngest toddler is taught to say

"please" when asking for something, and "thank you" when getting it. Anything else would be

considered very rude. This is something to remember when visiting Britain; you should rather use too

many polite phrases than too few! Another example of politeness is the way people hold the door

open for the next person; you will rarely have the unpleasant experience of a door being slammed in

your face. Also, British queue discipline is famous worldwide, even the most aggressive-looking punk is

not likely to jump a queue.

The British are famous for their well-developed sense of humor. Their humor tends to be verbal, with

the use of puns and irony. Making jokes and teasing someone is often a sign of approval. Performing

artists will for instance often be met with heckling, slightly abusive, but friendly, comments from the

audience.

There is also the British art of understatement, making a point of something by playing it down. The

writer Oscar Wilde is famous for his elegantly dressed ironic statements. Here are a couple of

examples:

" I can resist anything but temptation."

" I am not young enough to know everything."

Social classes are still alive in British society. Traditionally we speak of three main social classes; the

upper class, the middle class and the working class. The upper class basically consists of the gentry,

the titled lords and ladies. These people are often associated with wealth and the term "stiff upper

lip"1

. Middle class people are mainly people with more than the basic education. The working class

1

Someone who has a “stiff upper lip” does not show their feelings when they are upset.

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consists of those employed in trade and industry. The class system is visible for instance in the

educational system; the upper and the upper middle classes send their children to independent

schools. Most top lawyers and conservative politicians, for instance, have attended private schools.

For some people, the ideal is climbing the social ladder, working your way up in society, for others it is

to remain a loyal member of your own class. In either case, class consciousness is firmly rooted in the

identity of most British people.

Clothes are part of the British image; bowler hats, Scottish kilts, and policemen's helmets, are all

images of Britain that are recognized worldwide. In British primary schools as well as in most

secondary schools, school uniforms are required. Each school has its own colors and styles, and this

dress code must be followed rather strictly.

In some areas British dress code seems to be giving way to international influence from less formal

cultures. Thus, the businessman's uniform, dark suit and tie, is disappearing in many workplaces.

Instead comes a more informal no-tie dress policy.

British fashion designers have attracted much international attention with their daring and youthful

styles and are setting trends all over the world. One trademark of the British designers is that while

they know the rules for cutting a good dress or a good suit, they will sometimes break them and

introduce elements of bad taste and humor. The British fashion scene is also known for being daring; it

could be argued that nowhere do you find shorter skirts, more daring color combinations and more

experimental hair styles than in Britain.

Everywhere in Britain, no matter how small the village, you will find a pub (short for public house). In

fact, there are nearly 50,000 of them. Even the Romans, who came to Britain in AD 43, noted after

their arrival: "The Britons regularly meet in their taverns to drink ale and discuss problems." Pubs are

no longer a typical male arena; they are also popular for family outings, like pub lunches. A pub is a

meeting place and a social center for the local community where people meet to discuss political

problems and local affairs and, no less importantly, to watch football and share a good laugh.

Arguably, it is in the pub you will discover the soul of Britain.

Unlike most other countries, Britain has no written constitution. The system of government is based

on tradition and laws and documents, the oldest being Magna Carta dating all the way back to 1215.

Magna Carta limits the power of the monarch and allows Parliament to take part in the political

decision making.

Britain is a monarchy, which means that the head of state is a queen or a king. In practice, however,

the monarch is mainly a symbolic figurehead with very little real power.

Britain is a parliamentary democracy which means that the political power is held by an elected

parliament representing the people. This concentration of power in Parliament is very different from

the American system, where the power is divided between three branches of government.

The British Parliament is made up of two houses, the House of Lords and the House of Commons. The

House of Lords is made up of hereditary and life peers and has lost most of its political power over the

years. The only real power left to the House of Lords is the ability to delay the passage of a bill or a law

for up to one year.

The House of Commons is the country's main lawmaking body. It also grants money and levies taxes.

In addition, it monitors the government very closely, and the opposition will not hesitate to criticize

Cabinet Ministers, who then have to appear on the floor of the House to defend themselves.

Political power in Britain rests mainly in the House of Commons, which is elected by the people in

general elections held at least every five years. The two dominant parties are the Labour Party and the

Conservative Party. There are 650 constituencies in the UK, and each constituency sends one member

of Parliament (MP) to Parliament. Thus, there are 650 MPs in the House of Commons. Elections in the

UK are based upon a system called “first past the post”: the candidate who receives the majority of

the votes in his constituency is the only one who is elected. Votes for other candidates in this

constituency are “wasted”. So hypothetically, if Labour gets 51 per cent of all the votes in every

constituency and the Conservatives gets 49 per cent, then 100 per cent of the MPs will be members of

the Labour Party.

The leader of the majority party in the House of Commons becomes Prime Minister. He appoints the

other Cabinet Ministers and becomes leader of the Cabinet and Government. The Government runs

the state's affairs on a day-to-day basis and proposes new legislation and budgets. It is also the

government's task to put laws into effect once they have been passed by Parliament