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The Political Parties.

The British democratic system depends on political parties and there has been a party system of some kind since the 17^th century. The Conservative and the Liberal parties are the oldest and until the last years of the 19^th century they were the only parties elected to the House of Commons.

The Conservatives, often called the Tories, have always been the party of the Right, the party of big business, industry, commerce and landowners. It can broadly be described as the party of the middle and upper classes although it does receive some working class support. The party represents those who believe in private enterprise as opposed to state-owned undertakings. The Tories are the most powerful party and are often called a party of business directors. (The word “Tories” is an Irish name for thieves and was applied to the Conservatives by their opponents, but later they adopted the name to describe themselves).

The Tories were opposed by the Whigs, a rude name for cattle drivers. In the middle of the 19^th century the Liberal Party (or the Whigs) represented the trading and manufacturing classes. Its slogan of that time was “Civil and Religious Liberty”. During the second half of the 19^th century many working people looked at the Liberal Party as an alternative to the Conservatives and their policy. At the end of the 19^th century and in the first two decades of the 20^th century, the Liberals lost the support of working – class voters.

Around 1900 the Labour Party was formed as the political arm of the trade unions. It was the party that drew away working people’s support. The Labour Party has always had strong links with the trade unions and receives financial support from them. While many Labour voters are middle-class or intellectuals, the traditional Labour Party support is still strongest in industrial areas.

There are also some other parties: the Social Democratic Party, the Liberal Democrats. The Green Party, The Communist Party, the National Front, the Scottish National Party and the Welsh National Party.

Economic Outline of the UK.

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The UK is a highly-developed country. It lives by manufacture and trade. For every person employed in agriculture eleven people are employed in mining, manufacturing and building. The United Kingdom is one of the world’s largest exporters of manufactured goods per head of population.

Apart from coal and iron ore Britain has very few natural resources and mostly depends on imports. Its agriculture provides only half of the food it needs. The other half and most of the raw materials for its industries such as oil and various metals (copper, zinc, uranium ore and others) have to be imported. Britain also has to import timber, cotton, fruit and farm products.

Britain used to be richly forested, but most of the forests were cut down to make more room for cultivation. The greater part of land is used for cattle and sheep breeding, and pig raising. Among the crops grown on the farms are wheat, barley and oats. The fields are mainly in the eastern part of the country.

In the past century Britain secured a leading position in the world as manufacturer, merchant and banker. After World War I the world demand for products of Britain’s traditional industries - textiles, coal and machinery - fell off, and Britain began expanding trade in new engineering products and electrical goods.

The crisis of 1929-1933 brought about mass unemployment and Britain’s share in the world industrial output decreased. World War II brought about a further weakening of Britain’s might. It has lost its colonies which used to supply it with cheap raw materials.

The original basis of British industry was coal-mining, and the early factories grew up not far from the main mining areas. Glasgow and Newcastle became great centers of engineering and shipbuilding. Lancashire produced cotton goods and Yorkshire woolen, with Sheffield concentrating on iron and steel. Birmingham developed light engineering.

The structure of industry changed substantially in the last half of the 20th century. As coal production declined, oil production replaced it as a major industry. Motor vehicle production became a significant part of the industrial base. British industrial production also expanded into communications equipment, including fiber optics, computers, computer-controlled machine tools, and robots.

The so-called Silicon Glen between Glasgow and Edinburgh is the site of many overseas computer firms. Scotland and Northern Ireland are still noted for their production of whiskey and textiles, especially linen from Northern Ireland and tweed from Scotland.

Nowadays Britain remains an important manufacturing country. Britain mostly produces articles requiring skilled labour, such as precision instruments, electronic equipment, chemicals and high quality consumer goods. It produces and exports cotton and woolen goods, leather goods and articles made of various kinds of synthetic (man-made) materials. The leading traditional manufacturing regions of England are Greater London and the cities and regions around Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, and Newcastle upon Tyne.

Britain has a large and sophisticated service sector. The service industries include finance, retailing, wholesaling, tourism, business services, transport, insurance, investment, advertising, public relations, market research, education, administration, and government and professional services. Telecommunications has become a dynamic growth industry, particularly with telex, facsimile, and e-mail communications.

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London is one of the most exciting and cosmopolitan cities in the world. To some – it is simply home, a place to live and work in, while to others who only visit – it means a city of history and culture, full of museums, galleries and historic buildings. But both visitors and residents appreciate its rich heritage, its fine architecture and amazing diversity of cultures. London’s most famous sights range from the historic Tower of London and the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace to the everyday views withits black cabs and red double-decker buses.

The heart of London is the City, the oldest area, which is rich in historic traditions. Today it is well known as one of the world’s leading financial and commercial centres, where all the major British and foreign banks and finance houses are represented.

The Tower of London comes first among the historic buildings of the City. If you want to get some glimpses of London it’s just from here that you had better start sightseeing. The Tower of London was founded by Julius Caesar and rebuilt in1066 by William the Conqueror. The Tower served as fortress, palace and state prison. Its history is associated withthe place of murder and execution. Now it is a museum of armour and attracts thousand of visitors. The large black ravens have a long association with the Tower; it is believed that if they ever disappear England will fall and that ill-fortune will befall anyone who harms them. Consequently they are very well cared for.

A twenty minutes walk from the Tower will take you to another historic building – St. Paul’s Cathedral, the greatest of English churches. It was built by a famous English architect Sir Christopher Wren, who spent 35 years of his life supervising every part of its construction. St. Paul’s Cathedral with its huge dome and rows of columns is considered to be a fine specimen of Renaissance architecture. Nelson and other great men of England are buried in the Cathedral.

Not far away, in Westminster another important part of London where most of the Government buildings are situated is Westminster Abbey. Many outstanding English statesmen, painters and poets with Newton, Darwin and Tennyson among them are buried here. Westminster Abbey has been the coronation place of all 39 English Kings and Queens since William the Conqueror in 1066.

Across the road from Westminster Abbey there is Westminster Palace, the seat of the British Parliament. Its two graceful towers stand high above the city. The higher of the two contains the largest clock in the country and the famous Big Ben. The name actually refers not to the clock tower or the clock itself but to the huge 13,5-ton bell that strikes every quarter of the hour.

If we walk along Whitehall which is not at all a hall but just a street where the chief government offices are to be found, we shall soon come to Trafalgar Square. It was so named in memory of the victory at the battle of Trafalgar, where on October 21, 1805 the English fleet under Nelson’s command defeated the combined fleet of France and Spain. The victory was won at the cost of Nelson’s life. In the middle of Trafalgar Square stands Nelson’s monument – a tall column with the figure of Nelson at its top. The column is guarded by four bronze lions. Nowadays Trafalgar Square is a favourite gathering place for both locals and visitors.

The fine building facing the square is the National Gallery and adjoining it (but just round the corner) is the Portrait Gallery.

Not far away is the British Museum – the biggest museum in London. It contains the priceless collection of different things: ancient manuscripts, coins, sculptures, etc. The British museum is famous for its library – one of the richest in the world.

Buckingham Palace has been the London residence of the Queen since the 18^th century. It is around Buckingham Palace and nearby St James’s Palace that London’s most powerful pageantry takes place, where the sights of the daily Changing of the Guard, or the procession of Life Guards riding down the Mall cannot fail to attract attention.

And you cannot leave the city without visiting one more place of interest – Hyde Park (or “the Park” as Londoners call it) with Kensington Gardens adjoining it in the west is the largest in London. When you are walking along its shady avenues, sitting on the grass, admiring its beautiful flowerbeds or watching swans and ducks floating on the ponds, it seems almost unbelievable that all around there is a large city with its heavy traffic and smoke.

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