2006-08-10 15:06:16 · 9 answers · asked by Anonymous in Politics & Government ➔ Government
Keep in mind that I'm American, but I believe it started with the Magna Carta - a medeival contract between King John and the Noblemen (property holders and vassels) that limited the king's power.
Now that's just the start of the process, but I'm pretty sure that Parliment is key as well.
And also, their constitution is important to their form of democracy as well. It's not a single document with various amendments like ours, but consists of a series of contracts, precedents, and court rulings. It's really quite interesting and strikes me as much more of an organic, adaptable thing than ours.
Hope I helped.
2006-08-10 15:20:58 · answer #1 · answered by Jay H 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Magna Carta (Latin for "Great Charter", literally "Great Paper"), also called Magna Carta Libertatum ("Great Charter of Freedoms"), is an English charter originally issued in 1215. Magna Carta was the most significant early influence on the long historical process that led to the rule of constitutional law today. Magna Carta was originally created because of disagreements between Pope Innocent III, King John and his English barons about the rights of the King. Magna Carta required the king to renounce certain rights, respect certain legal procedures and accept that the will of the king could be bound by law.
There are a number of popular misconceptions about Magna Carta, such as that it was the first document to limit the power of an English king by law (it was not the first, and was partly based on the Charter of Liberties); that it in practice limited the power of the king (it mostly did not in the Middle Ages); and that it is a single static document (it is a variety of documents referred to under a common name).
Magna Carta was renewed throughout the Middle Ages, and further during the Tudor and Stuart periods, and the 17th and 18th centuries. By the early 19th century most clauses had been repealed from English law. The influence of Magna Carta outside England can be seen in the United States Constitution and Bill of Rights. Indeed just about every common law country with a constitution has been influenced by Magna Carta, making it one of the most important legal documents in the history of democracy.
makes you proud to be a Brit, don't it?
then Blair comes along.
2006-08-10 22:25:23 · answer #2 · answered by mad john 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They became democratic when they started staying up with america most of the time, everyone knows there that Tony Blair is just George W. of England.
2006-08-10 22:22:21 · answer #3 · answered by billc4u 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It's not democratic. It's a constitutional Monarchy. And even if it were democratic the politicians would do just what they wanted, not what people wanted, so who needs it or them?
2006-08-10 22:22:09 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
Well, they TRIED something like it with Cromwell, but that lasted about five minutes... similarly, the noble ideals of the French Revolution sank quickly into terror and much bloodletting (the "derapage," which is literally "the slide").
Love, Jack
2006-08-10 22:17:15 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
They Ain't
They are a Parliamentary Monarchy.
2006-08-10 22:12:51 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
There not. Even when they say they are free like us. They are not. They have no clue what freedom really is.
2006-08-10 22:22:38 · answer #7 · answered by Jay 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
... They are a so called monarchy.. but they do have democratic elections...
2006-08-10 22:34:03 · answer #8 · answered by Debra H 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
...and here all along I thought they were a representative monarchy...
2006-08-10 22:11:43 · answer #9 · answered by lowflyer1 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋