Since I have family in England, I have
visited this rainy, delightful country
dozens of times, stopping off in London to
shop, do research and springboard north to
Scotland to visit my Lindsay clan.
I
can't think of England without looking at
my collection of English bone china
teapots and remember the pungent scent of
the yellow daffodils in the parks while
listening to Andrew Lloyd Webber; or
ponder on their rich history and
tremendous contribution to the world of
literature with authors such as:
Shakespeare, (Romeo and Juliet,)
Jane Austin, (Pride and Prejudice,) Lewis
Carroll, (Alice In Wonderland,) Sir
Arthur Conan Doyle, (Sherlock Holmes,)
Poet Alexander Pope; Charlotte Bronte,
(Jane Eyre,) romantic Lord Byron;
Joanne Kathleen Rowling, (Harry Potter,)
W. Somerset Maugham, (Of Human Bondage;)
and countless other fantastic writers
which, alas, space prohibits me from
mentioning.
I'll never forget the time I drove a car
for hire on the left side of the road
through treacherous London streets.
My husband turned white after I ended up
on the wrong side of a turnabout onto the
path of an oncoming lorry. He said
he would take a taxi if I did not
relinquish the wheel to him forthwith!
But when he got to another roundabout in
the verdant countryside and got lost, I
told him that I'd rather ride the cow
staring at us, than continue for hours in
a car without air conditioning. By the
time we found the hotel we were not on
speaking terms, but we did arrive alive!
At its zenith, the British Empire
stretched over one-fourth of the globe.
The first half of the 20th century
witnessed its strength depleted with two
world wars, and the second half, saw the
dismantling of its empire; and later its
rebuilding into a modern and prosperous
nation. To think that Hitler called
England "a nation of
shopkeepers."
They showed him!
England is slightly smaller than Oregon.
It is 71.6% Christian, comprising of
Anglican, Roman Catholic, Presbyterian and
Methodist. 2.7% Muslim, 1% Hindu, and 23%
unspecified religions. It has 47
boroughs and 36 counties, and many
dependent areas such as: Anguilla,
Bermuda, British Indian Ocean Territory,
British Virgin Islands, Cayman Is.,
Falkland Is., Gibraltar, Guernsey, Jersey,
Isle of Man, Montserrat, Pitcairn Is.,
Saint Helena and Ascension, South Georgia,
The Sandwich Is., Turks and Caicos Is.
England has existed as a unified entity
since the 10th century; its union with
Wales begun in 1284. In the Act of
Union in 1707 it agreed to join Scotland.
The legislative union with Ireland was
implemented in 1801. The Anglo-Irish
treaty of 1921 formalized a partition with
Ireland. Six northern Irish counties
remained part of the United Kingdom, as
Northern Ireland and the United Kingdom of
Great Britain, which was formally adopted
in 1927.
Their legal system is based on early Roman
law and common law traditions. It
uses judicial reviews of Acts of
Parliament and the Human Rights Act of
1998. The chief
of state has been Queen Elizabeth II,
since 1952. The heir apparent is
Prince Charles, born on November 14, 1948.
And the head of their government is
Prime Minister Anthony Blair, since May 2,
1997.
England's political parties are:
Conservative and Unionist Party,
Democratic Unionist Party, Labor Party,
Liberal Democrats, Party of Wales,
Scottish National Party, Sinn Fein,
Social Democratic and Labor Party, and
Ulster Unionist Party.
The Union Jack consists of the red cross
of St. George, patron saint of England, blue
cross of St. Patrick of Ireland, and white
diagonal cross of St. Andrew of
Scotland. The blue ensign has been
the basis for a number of other
Commonwealth countries' flags.
The UK is a leading trading power and
financial center. Over the past two
decades the government has greatly reduced
public ownership and contained the growth
of social welfare programs. Their
economy is one of the strongest in Europe.
British critics state that due to its good
economy there is no need to join the
European Economic and Monetary Union
(EMU.) And the majority of citizens still
oppose the euro. Due to the
government's spending for education,
transport, and health services, taxes have
increased.
I
would be remiss if I did not mention great
English exports like The Beatles, Elton
John, Roger Moore, The Spice Girls, soccer
player Beckham, Andrew Lloyd Webber,
Cadbury's Chocolates, Bovril, Players,
Winston Churchill, and Royal Albert China;
and too many other wonderful English
things to mention here. However, I
can do without the antiquated and
superfluous monarchy, which I find totally
ridiculous, but then I speak as a colonist
and Scot.
"Alinka
at romance novelist, Barbara Cartland's
book
signing (Princesss
Diana's grandmother) in London
I must admit English cooking is not
my favorite, and I do find their
personalities a little dry, but if I had
to choose people to live with on a
deserted island, I would choose the Brits
because I could depend on them, they have
good organizational skills, are honest,
play a good game of field hockey, and they
exhibit common sense; but best of all,
make a great cup of tea, in a china teapot
of course. I think one of their best creations
was cutting off their trousers to invent
Bermuda shorts, which, in this climate, I
live in. I write about some of their
idiosyncrasies in MURDER BY ROSES.
If there is one thing that stands out in
my mind the most, it is the English
character based on integrity and dignity,
which was the foundation stone that led to
the building of this nation.
Alinka Zyrmont