Questions tagged [united-kingdom]
Questions relating to the government and politics of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. If your question relates to a specific country within the Union, be that England, Scotland, Wales, or Northern Ireland, use with the relevant tag.
314
questions
37
votes
1
answer
22k
views
What governmental power does the Monarch hold in Great Britain in practice?
We have been led to believe that much of the power that was once held by the monarchy has been transferred to the Parliament and that the King is mostly a figurehead. However, the government is still ...
- 8,917
4
votes
1
answer
617
views
What personal decision-making powers does the British monarch retain in practice? [duplicate]
De-jure, the Queen is the supreme ruler of the UK and retains significant decision-making power. But in practice she is obliged to follow the instructions of Parliament and the Prime Minister.
...
- 51.4k
47
votes
6
answers
25k
views
Why don't British kings and queens veto laws? [duplicate]
I've learned from Wikipedia that the British king or queen has the right to veto laws, but they don't use the right. Why is that? Is it because of tradition, respect for democracy, some regulations or ...
- 1,647
29
votes
8
answers
3k
views
Could the British government un-trigger Article 50?
At some point, probably early in 2017, the British Prime Minster is likely to trigger Article 50. A number of expert commentators and a large proportion of the British public still believe that it is ...
- 897
55
votes
8
answers
19k
views
Why is it impossible to leave the Single Market without a hard Irish border?
I see a repeated assumption that puzzles me. From another well asked and answered question:
On one hand it is impossible for the UK to leave the Single Market while maintaining an open border with ...
- 652
16
votes
1
answer
3k
views
How do Whips enforce control over MPs in the UK Parliament?
Whips are often used to 'persuade' MPs in their party to vote the way the Party wishes them to vote.
What power, or powers, do Whips have over backbench MPs to enforce this wish?
- 667
26
votes
3
answers
1k
views
What will Scotland's status in the EU be, assuming the Scots vote for independence?
The Scots will vote on whether Scotland should be an independent country or not, on September 18, 2014. Assuming the majority vote is for independence, will Scotland remain in the European Union ...
- 9,631
18
votes
3
answers
1k
views
What treaties or (written) agreements would a hard border in Ireland breach, post-Brexit?
Would the hard border that would come up in a "no deal" Brexit (between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland) be violating any binding agreements that the UK has signed? (And the same goes for ...
- 166k
14
votes
8
answers
2k
views
How could the UK resolve the Irish border conundrum without staying in the Single Market?
Right now the UK seems to be in a stalemate in regards to the Irish border situation post-Brexit:
If they don't leave the Single Market, Brexit would be effectively a farce as the UK would be forced ...
- 51.4k
5
votes
1
answer
715
views
Is there a legal way to postpone or call off a general election in the UK due to concerns one way or another?
I'm asking this as a follow up question after this one when Steve Melnikoff raised an interesting point in the comments as to whether there was a legal mechanism to postpone or call off a general ...
- 8,457
113
votes
13
answers
27k
views
What are the main reasons for why negotiating a proper Brexit deal has been so hard?
When the UK voted for Brexit, then it was generally expected that the pro-Brexit politicians had some idea of how negotiations for a Brexit deal would fare and what the outcome would be.
Now years ...
- 1,127
52
votes
10
answers
18k
views
Why does the EU care so much about the UK divorce payment?
Most current estimates of the UK exit bill show that the sum is somewhere around 50 billion Euros. This is equivalent to 0.3% of the EU's yearly GDP, so it's pretty much a negligible sum for the EU ...
- 51.4k
41
votes
6
answers
9k
views
Must the UK leave the EU?
The BBC has projected that a majority voted for the UK to leave the EU.
To what extent is the referendum binding?
- 4,541
34
votes
2
answers
10k
views
Why don't Sinn Féin take their seats in the UK parliament?
It seems that whatever happens (or happened) in a UK general election, the Irish nationalist party, Sinn Féin, will presumably always be in opposition.
This means that the British government - ...
- 2,757
28
votes
7
answers
7k
views
No deal Brexit : How is it going to help UK to create new trade deals?
There is a lot of optimism that leaving EU's Single Market, will be an opportunity for UK to create new trade deals with other countries outside the EU. I have seen articles and people using this ...
- 523