Summary of Lecture 1: The Monarchy and British Political Institutions

1. Overview

• Focus on the British constitutional monarchy, its structure, and evolution.
• Located in the UK, with the monarch as the symbolic head of state.
• The monarchy’s power is limited and largely ceremonial; real authority resides with Parliament.
• Key ideas: the monarch’s constitutional role, historical power shifts, development of the British constitution, and recent constitutional crises (e.g., Brexit).

2. Core Concepts & Key Elements

• Constitutional Monarchy: Monarch shares power with a constitutional government.
• Royal Prerogatives: Historically significant rights of the monarch, now exercised mainly on advice of government.
• The Sovereign’s Role:
  • Executive: Appoints Prime Minister and Cabinet; head of armed forces.
  • Legislative: Gives Royal Assent; opens and prorogues Parliament; "King in Parliament."
  • Judicial: Appoints judges; courts act in the name of the Sovereign.
• Power Limitations:
  • In practice, monarch’s powers are exercised ceremonially; decisions made by government.
  • Power is symbolic, fostering national unity; obsolete vestige of feudal history.
• Historical Decline of Royal Power:
  • Magna Carta (1215): Limits on royal arbitrariness, rule of law.
  • Bill of Rights (1689): Parliament’s sovereignty, rights of individuals.
  • Glorious Revolution (1688-1689): Establishment of constitutional monarchy.
• Development of British Constitutional Monarchy:
  • Power shifted from monarch to Parliament over centuries.
  • Key acts: Act of Settlement (1701), Union Acts (1707), Parliament Acts (1911).
  • The Bill of Rights (1689): Foundation of parliamentary sovereignty.
• Constitutional Conventions:
  • Unwritten rules (e.g., appointment of Prime Minister, royal assent, prorogation).
  • Evolved from practice, not law, but form part of the constitution.
• British Constitution:
  • Uncodified, flexible, based on statutes, common law, conventions, works of authority.
  • Not a single document; developed incrementally.
• Recent Crises & Brexit:
  • 2019 prorogation case: Supreme Court declared prorogation unlawful.
  • Brexit: tested constitutional principles; led to calls for codification.
• Monarchy Today:
  • Increasingly apolitical, ceremonial; symbol of national unity.
  • Power organized around parliamentary sovereignty; no real political power.

3. High-Yield Facts

• Royal Prerogative: Right of monarch to make decisions without Parliament (e.g., appoint PM, royal assent).
• Magna Carta (1215): Limited royal power, established rule of law, rights.
• Bill of Rights (1689): Parliament’s sovereignty, rights of individuals.
• Act of Settlement (1701): Prevents Catholic succession.
• Union of England and Scotland (1707): Formation of the UK.
• First Prime Minister: Robert Walpole.
• Key constitutional acts: Parliament Acts (1911, 1949), European Convention on Human Rights (1951), UK Human Rights Act (1998).
• EU Law: Retained EU law (REUL) via EUWA 2018.
• 2019 prorogation case: Supreme Court ruled prorogation unlawful.
• Brexit: 52% voted in favor; caused constitutional strain.
• Succession Act 2013: Heir can marry a Catholic.
• Constitutional conventions: Unwritten rules (e.g., appointment of PM, royal assent).

4. Summary Table

5. Mini-Schema

British Monarchy
 ├─ Role & Power
 │   ├─ Ceremonial, symbolic
 │   └─ Limited constitutional powers
 ├─ Historical Power Decline
 │   ├─ Magna Carta (1215)
 │   ├─ Bill of Rights (1689)
 │   └─ Glorious Revolution (1688-1689)
 └─ Development of Constitution
     ├─ Acts of Parliament
     ├─ Common Law
     ├─ Conventions
     └─ Works of Authority

6. Rapid-Review Bullets

• The UK is a constitutional monarchy with limited royal powers.
• Royal prerogatives are exercised mainly on government advice.
• Magna Carta (1215) limited royal authority and established rule of law.
• The Bill of Rights (1689) confirmed parliamentary sovereignty.
• The Glorious Revolution (1688-1689) established constitutional monarchy.
• Power shifted gradually from monarch to Parliament over centuries.
• Key acts: 1701 Act of Settlement, 1707 Union, 1911 Parliament Act.
• Conventions are unwritten but binding rules (e.g., appointment of PM).
• The British constitution is uncodified, based on statutes, common law, conventions.
• 2019 prorogation case: Supreme Court ruled prorogation unlawful.
• Brexit caused constitutional strain, raising questions about codification.
• The monarchy remains largely ceremonial and apolitical today.
• Power resides with Parliament; sovereignty is parliamentary.
• No immediate plans to codify the British constitution despite crises.