Introduction à la common law
Brunon Anne, The English of law: England & Wales.
Preamble: * The Queen has no real power: “the Queen reigns but does not rule” * Political power is in the hands of parliament and of government * Queen’s role = a symbol of continuity and unity of the kingdom and the Commonwealth of Nations (international) * Elisabeth II (crowned 1952)
Commonwealth:
* Often called the British CMW, or just the CMW * Founded in 1926 by the Statute of Westminster * A voluntary association: * The UK and the dependencies * 53 other sovereign (= independent) states, former (ancient) British colonies (except for Mozambique and Rwanda) * Symbolic allegiance to the British Crown * It has no political power * Goals: to promote values of democracy, human rights, equality between people, sustainable development and protecting the environment (amongst other things) through cooperation between its members. * The CMW games (1940) in Canada
Britain: a multicultural and multi-faith society * RAF * Barristers (avocats) wearing a wig * First ever Asian woman elected Lord Mayoress, Manjula Sood * Cap issued to Rastafarian London underground
* People & peoples from all over the world * Europeans (>300,000 French expatriates in London, Ireland) * Asians (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, China) * Black Caribbeans (Jamaica, Barbados) * Africans (Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya) * A mixture of tradition and modernity, legacy from the past (old legal system, colonialism) + a very rich and dynamic present
PARLIAMENT
House of Lords Monarch (Head of State) House of Commons -----------------------------------
| |
Life peers (=pairs) Hereditary peers (92) | MPs (Members of parliament) | Popular vote/General election Electorate
PARLIAMENT DEBATES AND VOTES LAWS
House of Lords ----------------------- House of