What are the UK’s Weirdest Political Traditions?

Рет қаралды 187,267

3 ай бұрын

Get Nebula using my link for 40% off an annual subscription: go.nebula.tv/tldrnewsuk
The UK’s political system is full of weird quirks that have persisted for hundreds of years. So in this video, we’ll run you through a day in the life of an MP, and explain the origins of some of the odd traditions they’re likely to come across.
🎞 TikTok: / tldrnews
💡 Got a Topic Suggestion? - forms.gle/mahEFmsW1yGTNEYXA
Support TLDR on Patreon: / tldrnews
Donate by PayPal: tldrnews.co.uk/funding
Our mission is to explain news and politics in an impartial, efficient, and accessible way, balancing import and interest while fostering independent thought.
TLDR is a completely independent & privately owned media company that's not afraid to tackle the issues we think are most important. The channel is run by a small group of young people, with us hoping to pass on our enthusiasm for politics to other young people. We are primarily fan sourced with most of our funding coming from donations and ad revenue. No shady corporations, no one telling us what to say. We can't wait to grow further and help more people get informed. Help support us by subscribing, engaging and sharing. Thanks!

Пікірлер: 557

@PsychoSavager289 3 ай бұрын

When the new Speaker of the House of Commons is elected, they are "dragged" to their new seat, as Speaker was traditionally not a desirable role to have.

@davidioanhedges 3 ай бұрын

Being an MP was unpaid, but since attendance was largely optional it didn't cost much, being the speaker was also unpaid but you had to attend so cost money Also it was a position with no prestige, lots of work, and MP's disliked you ... and one of the requirements was that you didn't desire the position, you couldn't campaign for it

@neilchristensen6413 3 ай бұрын

We do that here in Canada, too. However, as far as I can tell, this is a tradition unique to the Westminster system that we both use.

@brendenwright7957 3 ай бұрын

@@neilchristensen6413 lately I've seen videos of Canada's Parliament voting on whether or not taking a Vow to the monarch and singing God Save the King should become optional, and each time the vote has failed, those that voted to keep it mandatory stand up and start singing God Save the King, much to the annoyance of the opposition...

@potato_nugget 3 ай бұрын

@@davidioanhedgesmore importantly than all of this, the speaker is the one who speaks to the king. So if the house of commons decided on something he doesn't like, he is the one that would get punished or killed

@davidioanhedges 3 ай бұрын

@@potato_nugget Not for a few hundred years ... and this is done in Canada as well and the King didn't ever do this there ...

@johnhughes2124 3 ай бұрын

I believe that you missed the point where during the King's Speech they ritually search the basements beneath the Lords for gunpowder, and ritually take an MP hostage.

@bmyers7078 3 ай бұрын

Guy Fawkes did nothing wrong. /s 😂

@meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee2 3 ай бұрын

@@bmyers7078 Last man to enter parliament with honest intentions.

@NAYRUthunder99 3 ай бұрын

@@bmyers7078Guy Fawkes did nothing wrong.

@Edmonton-of2ec 3 ай бұрын

I feel like an argument for that continuing can be made on the same basis why a lot of businesses have super specific and strange sounding warnings on how to use their products, namely… if it’s happened once before it could happen again.

@CountryTime144 2 ай бұрын

So us in America aren't crazy?

@paologat 3 ай бұрын

Back in 2019, UK missed the opportunity to establish a new tradition: the yearly request to the EU to further extend the deadline for Brexit negotiations. It could have become an unmissable tourist attraction, both in Westminster and in Brussels.

@rolfdekkers1043 2 ай бұрын

The year is 2165 the 28th of october, the yearly signing of the extension document is once again upon us. Members from all over the European union are present as per tradition, no one really knows what the document is for or what it's origins are but its signing is always met by a grand celebration and a week long holiday.

@joeyjojojrshabadoo7462 Ай бұрын

They've never missed an opportunity to miss an opportunity

@CharlesTysonYerkesOfficial 3 ай бұрын

Missed opportunity to mention that MPs have to stand on a stage with all the candidates in their constituency when elected/re-elected. This meant Bojo had to stand next to Elmo, Lord Buckethead, Count Binface and others when he was re-elected in Uxbridge and South Ruislip in 2019.

@stephengray1344 3 ай бұрын

They don't "have to" do this. It's just tradition that they do so, and that they get to make a speech afterwards. There are plenty of instances where candidates have not been on the stage at the formal announcement of the result. Though it's extremely rare for candidates who have a good chance of winning the seats to not do so.

@baraxor 3 ай бұрын

I don't know if many still do, but when the winning candidate is announced by the returning officer, the new MP gives a speech that usually begins by thanking the police.

@davegreenlaw5654 3 ай бұрын

I remember staying up late here in Toronto to catch the results of the UK general election in 2015 (I think) on BBC World News. As I watched one of those results - with one candidate dressed like Boss Hogg from the old Dukes of Hazard TV show, wearing a roundel the size of a dinner platter, and another dressed like Jesus Christ on His way to the Crucifixion - I thought "Okay, so Monty Python and Black Adder weren't *THAT* far off on their parodies of UK election nights."

@lemsip207 19 күн бұрын

Except in Finchley in the 80s where the three main candidates had to stand in separate boxes on the stage and all the other candidates shared another box like they were all up in court.

@TheBT 3 ай бұрын

The monarch doesn't own all the swans. It is just mute swans.

@myrddinemrys1332 3 ай бұрын

It's also only certain ones on a certain stretch of the Thames.

@Beckford4000 3 ай бұрын

They are mute, so they can't object to being owned 😂

@myrddinemrys1332 3 ай бұрын

@@Beckford4000 Mute swans aren't actually mute. Just quieter.

@davidioanhedges 3 ай бұрын

@@myrddinemrys1332 ...and only those not owned by the Vintner's or Dyers's company ...

@patriarch7237 3 ай бұрын

The first rule of mute swan club is...

@hanquanphoon5664 3 ай бұрын

Could have ended the video with the mechanism by which an MP resigns from the House, which I think is the weirdest quirk, and we get to hear someone say in the video "The Crown Steward and Bailiff of the Chiltern Hundreds" and "Crown Steward and Bailiff of the Manor of Northstead".

@mittfh 3 ай бұрын

MPs were unpaid until 1911, and of course until the late 1800s, railways didn't exist either, so being an MP wasn't exactly a job you'd aspire to do. Hence MPs aren't technically allowed to resign, but being appointed to "an office of profit under the Crown" disqualifies them from sitting as MPs. However, since 1975, only those two archaic posts (which are now unpaid) still count - so if a bunch of MPs want to resign at the same time, they'll technically hold the office for a few hours.

@thesmithersy 3 ай бұрын

Indeed. Even the vaunted irish republicans Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness were once Her Majesty's Loyal Crown Steward and Bailiff of the Manor of Northstead. Which personally, I find rather amusing!

@lewisknight2226 3 ай бұрын

The only reason the Monarch still owns all the Mute Swans in the country is because they rarely migrate and cant be shipped of to Rwanda.

@bulletflight 3 ай бұрын

I think we should just retroactively apply the migration policy to Rwandans like Suella Braverman and her whole family so that she can show her bravery and principles. Or her cowardice.

@mariokartpro7406 3 ай бұрын

imao

@Dave_Sisson 3 ай бұрын

Does he own black swans as well or only the white ones which are native to the UK?

@davidioanhedges 3 ай бұрын

@@Dave_Sisson Only Mute Swans, only on one stretch of the Thames, and only those not owned by the Vintner's or Dyer's

@lewisknight2226 3 ай бұрын

@@Dave_Sisson just the black ones his ancestors plundered

@fateenshareef8716 3 ай бұрын

Kinda disappointed that you didn't mention the rich tradition until 2019 of Dennis Skinner heckling the Black rod.

@BigBlack81 3 ай бұрын

Truly a high water mark missed. Skinner heckling tradition is one of the things that makes this Yankee from America smile BROADLY. XD LOL

@thesmithersy 3 ай бұрын

Ending in 2019 when The Parliamentary Dinosaur became extinct ;)

@jonbob2 3 ай бұрын

Also worth mentioning that MPs generally don’t refer to the House of Lords by name, rather they call it “The Other Place”.

@kerrieportman4064 3 ай бұрын

Does that stem from Oxbridge?

@thesmithersy 3 ай бұрын

@@kerrieportman4064 No, it was more resentment by the fact that the Lord's is the Upper Chamber. Likewise the Lords do the same for the commons

@OrionTails 3 ай бұрын

Got to respect the mutual disrespect lol.

@draco84oz 3 ай бұрын

Thing you missed? Where do we start? - How new Speakers are dragged to their seat - The bag for member's bills on the back of the Speaker's chair - When you want to ask a question in Quesiton Time, you "bob" - The practice of divisions - Which members have priority seating in the House . . . Heck, a brief explanation on how a bill goes through Parliament to become law might be a good one.

@TroyVan6654 3 ай бұрын

There is a video on this channel for the last point. It is one of their oldest videos.

@jameswright4236 3 ай бұрын

If you're Boris Johnson, by proroguing Parliament and trying to live out some Stalinist fantasy of passing things when you want to. Or suspending Parliament and enacting such totalitarian laws just because someone caught a bad cold.

@edwardblair4096 3 ай бұрын

There is also a whole videovabout the office of the speaker. Powers, duties, and traditions.

@triforium_t 3 ай бұрын

Up there with the quirkiness of Black Rod is "Le Roy le veult!", i.e. the absolutely hilarious manner of which the monarch signifies to the House of Commons that he or she has given their royal assent to a bill passed by both houses, therby passing it into the law. This is done at the closing of each parliamentary session (also an occasion where the Commons are summoned to the Lords). The Clerk of the Crown reads out the title of each bill which has been given assent, and then the Clerk of the Parliaments turns around to face the Commons and exclamates in old Norman French, for each bill: "Le Roy le veult!" or "La Reyne le veult!" meaning "the King/Queen wills it!" Norman French is still being used in the parliament of the UK over 500 years after the parliament stopped conducting its business in French. Oh you brits!

@DylanSargesson 3 ай бұрын

This doesn't actually happen for every bill though - only those bills that need their Royal Assent close to the end of the Session. At other times, the Royal Assent Act 1967 allows the Monarch to just sign the Bill and then the Bill has RA as soon as the Speakers of both Houses publicly announce that has happened. The King also retains the Right to go to Parliament and give his Assent in person, but that hasn't happened since Queen Victoria.

@triforium_t 3 ай бұрын

@@DylanSargesson Thanks for the clearification! I edited the comment, but I would still say the practice is absolutely hilarious as well as very cool

@DylanSargesson 3 ай бұрын

@@triforium_t There are other French usages too for Royal Assent. For example, if it's a supply bill the phrase is "Le Roy remercie ses bon sujets, accepte leur benevolence, et ainsi le veult" ("The King thanks his good subjects, accepts their bounty, and wills it so"). And for Personal Bills it's "Soit fait comme il est désiré" ("Let it be done as it is desired"). The Norman French is actually also used on messages that are passed between the two Houses on bills. These are called endorsements, and the Standing Orders of both Houses list different endorsements to use in different circumstances (depending on if they agree or disagree, if there are amendments etc etc). For example when the House of Commons passes a bill, the physical bill is walked over to the Lords Chamber, and on the top of the first page the Clerk of the House of Commons will have written "Soit baillé aux Seigneurs" ("Let it be sent to the Lords").

@jamesbeesley2767 3 ай бұрын

… or “Le Roy s’avisera”, if the King refuses Royal Assent

@bikkiikun 3 ай бұрын

Let's not forget the fact that the most Kingly of English Kings, the English King to end all English Kings... Richard the Lionheart, was French, of the House Plantagenet.

@DTWTheWanderingMuzungu 3 ай бұрын

Snuff was last used in 1989 because they've transitioned to a much more modern powder.

@leweoldag8882 3 ай бұрын

It isn’t actually that modern.

@Edmonton-of2ec 3 ай бұрын

@@leweoldag8882Kinda is. 1860 isn’t that far back as far as psychoactive substances go

@scotttyson607 2 ай бұрын

Coke?

@Edmonton-of2ec 2 ай бұрын

@@scotttyson607 No Scotty, they obviously mean ground up placentas *Yes coke*

@leometz7287 Ай бұрын

@@scotttyson607yes, but not the diet coke type of coke

@fateenshareef8716 3 ай бұрын

I'm from India and I think your system is fantastic, the best part being your PMQ's where the PM MUST come to answer questions from the whole house. It helps to keep politicians on their toes and prevents complacency.

@thebighon6854 3 ай бұрын

If only the PM actually answered them!

@lucasdolding6924 3 ай бұрын

The PM has to respond to questions not answer them, since Sunak has never answered a single question in PMQs, neither did Johnson and nor Truss either but she only had a couple before she was booted out.

@alexanderkowal5710 3 ай бұрын

PMQs is complete theatre, it could be done well though in a less adversarial environment

@abydosianchulac2 3 ай бұрын

You left out the weirdest part of the King's Speech/opening of Parliament ceremony. After the Black Rod is shut out once and then let in to summon the Commons, they are _required_ as a group to be loud and boisterous and irreverent as they head for the House of Lords. This is pageantry as much as everything else is, to show how coarse and low the members of the Commons are compared to the nobility of the Lords with their fur robes and orderly behavior. It's just rare that the prescribed behavior of a governmental ritual/tradition is "be a gentle mob."

@lemsip207 19 күн бұрын

The PM and the Leader of the Opposition walk together in front of the other MPs chatting. When it were David Cameron and Jeremy Corbyn a comedian deciphered their conversation as banter about the pig's head. The first time I saw a state opening of Parliament on TV they showed the MPs in the lobby beforehand acting as they would on a normal day in Westminster as if it isn't to be expected to being taking place that day. They are required to talk about other things but the state opening of Parliament.

@anubis3669 3 ай бұрын

When I toured the House of Commons, I asked about the books on the table that are in every picture and video. The tour official in the room told me they are there to hide the cable from the microphones. If they were useful in the past he didn’t know

@lordbusiness-qs4ok 3 ай бұрын

Remember that MPs technically* can’t quit

@lemsip207 19 күн бұрын

They apply to the Chiltern Hundreds a nominal position unless they stand down in an election.

@fistsofham8474 3 ай бұрын

By far our strangest tradition in the House of Commons is that we address MPs as the "Honourable" member for somewhere or other, despite so few of them having even the merest scrap of such a notion.

@davidioanhedges 3 ай бұрын

It's retained to slow down speech to keep it from becoming an argument - It takes longer to say "The Right Honorable member for Richmond" rather than Rishi

@patriarch7237 3 ай бұрын

And also that MPs cannot address each other directly, only in the third person. All speeches and arguments have to be directed at the Speaker.

@michaelgreen1515 3 ай бұрын

it isn't to slow down speech because in some cases it might have been quicker than someone's official titles. There are also Right Hon; Sirs & Dames; Learned's (like Sir Keir & The Right Hon the Learned member for South Swindon) and other titles which go with the honour of that the House is supposed to respect. Friend - in theory someone you have joined with to try and choose a PM; Colleague - any MP; Member for - respecting the fact that they represent everyone from that place even if they didn't vote for them. Colleagues should even tell each other if they will visit another members' constituency on house; government; or political business.

@noah_gaming_yt5225 3 ай бұрын

They are additionally referred to as 'the Right Honourable' if they are members of the Privy Council, and sometimes also my Honourable/Right Honourable Learned or Gallant friend if they are serving in the armed forces or as a barrister respectively.

@NAYRUthunder99 3 ай бұрын

In Italy too deputies (lower chamber) are addressed to as Honorable ("onorevole"); and I suppose it happens in other countries as well.

@TommyCrosby 3 ай бұрын

My favourite weirdest political tradition that even exists here in Canada is the dragging of the newly elected House Speaker. It's just the most unexpected thing you can see in the Chamber of Commons.

@PrograError 3 ай бұрын

well, I don't think Singapore even follow that... I guess it's just that weird...

@soccerguy325 3 ай бұрын

I would start watching Parliamentary debates if Sunak and Starmer broke out in sword fight.

@jameswright4236 3 ай бұрын

They'd certainly sort more out in that than the last 5 years of Tory government.

@rivenoak 10 күн бұрын

spot the 2 red lines in the house of commons ...those are more than a sword lenght apart for exactly that reason ;)

@mcsaworld2898 3 ай бұрын

In Australia every citizen is entitled to a free portrait of the monarch, currently King Charles III. You just need to request it from your federal MP. Portraits of Queen Elizabeth II are already a sort after collector's item.

@ScratchyYard 3 ай бұрын

i wish the uk had that

@bt3743 3 ай бұрын

@@ScratchyYardwhat a fantastic waste of taxpayers money that would be

@igorlopes7589 3 ай бұрын

@@bt3743Nope, it would not be a waste

@igorlopes7589 3 ай бұрын

@@bt3743You sound like people who think patriotism doesn't matter or is bad

@NAYRUthunder99 3 ай бұрын

@@igorlopes7589based

@azgaard 3 ай бұрын

The now-defunct tradition of only being able to raise a Point of Order with the Speaker if you were wearing a top hat.

@maxjjackson 3 ай бұрын

Top hats are bloody expensive items, (not that gentlemen wear hats inside anyway) Which is the reason why you will see a bunch of MPs waving a piece of paper in the air or holding a file/documents over their heads - whilst braying like donkeys - it's supposed to be a representation of you covering your head with your hat.

@PLuMUK54 3 ай бұрын

Don't forget that your MP is not allowed to die in the Palace of Westminster. Deceased are recorded as dead on arrival at hospital. You could have mentioned the use of the Woolsack in the House of Lords.

@dariusalexandru9536 3 ай бұрын

That s so cool ,a law who forbit dying . Well check mate Grim Reaper .

@DavidPashley 3 ай бұрын

It's not true.

@davidioanhedges 3 ай бұрын

You can die in the houses ... people have

@DavidPashley 3 ай бұрын

@@davidioanhedges famously Spencer Percival

@antonyeastham4564 3 ай бұрын

The putting on of the Top Hat to ask a question? Rees-Mogg too.

@DylanSargesson 3 ай бұрын

The top hat was phased out as a requirement in the 1990s - interestingly the Australian House keeps the tradition of needing to be covered to (to get the Speaker's attention during a division), but pretty much always do it with a random sheet of paper.

@antonyeastham4564 3 ай бұрын

@@DylanSargesson Yes it was, but really, a top hat as recently as the 1990s. Facepalm.

@thebighon6854 3 ай бұрын

@@antonyeastham4564 It was only during a 'division' (vote) because it drew attention the MP wishing to speak when other members might be on their feet and milling around...

@antonyeastham4564 3 ай бұрын

@@thebighon6854 Yep. Still ridiculous.

@CarneyBarney-qo7wq 3 ай бұрын

I'm running for York outer just so I can use the parliamentary snuff box

@merseyviking 3 ай бұрын

If Gove got his way, it would be the parliamentary coke box.

@jameswright4236 3 ай бұрын

If David Cameron got ahold of it, it'd be the Parliamentary Glory Box.

@johndeltuvia7892 2 ай бұрын

There's that weird thing where Commons MP's can't resign, so if they want to resign, they're appointed to be either the Steward and Bailiff of the Chiltern Hundreds or the Steward and Bailiff of the Manor of Northstead, which essentially kicks them out of Commons.

@thesmithersy 3 ай бұрын

You forgot to mention that the Palace of Westminster is a Royal Palace so technically certain laws don't apply there (like the smoking ban) but MPs agree to follow the spirit of them.

@andrewhopkinson2503 3 ай бұрын

MP's don't go and sit in the Lords for the King's Speech. They stand at the back. One MP has to go to Buckingham Palace to act as hostage for the King's safe return.

@Mr_P 3 ай бұрын

What about the fact that MPs cannot officially resign, but need to be given one of two positions in the government, which are now obsolete by the way, to set off a rule that states that persons who hold that position cannot be MP, effectively relieving the MP of his/her duties.

@MrUnderworm 3 ай бұрын

The Remembrancer of the city of the london is a curious one you could havetalked about

@freezombie 3 ай бұрын

Some fairly weird ones that few British people would think of as weird: - tax changes are announced by the government as part of the budget (often with fairly little notice) - the budget lives in a red box - the new prime minister is appointed within hours of the election

@GRegBellay 3 ай бұрын

You guys really like that picture of Ben XD

@sharkyk0223 3 ай бұрын

An interesting person you could cover with the up coming London mayoral election is 'Count Binface' who is, in my opinion, among the strangest and best of British politics in current year.

@PrograError 3 ай бұрын

oh and the lottery system... apparently you can bet for near anything with an odd...

@pyrokar1990 3 ай бұрын

Isn't the house speaker historically dragged to his seat upon being chosen? As this was the position most likely to end in beheading, if the monarch didn't take quite well what the parliament decided?

@AlansLessons 3 ай бұрын

The father, mother and baby of the commons. That parliament used to have a shooting range where MP’s could fire pistols / rifles.

@steve3425 3 ай бұрын

Canada’s parliament mirrors most of the quirks of the British parliament too.

@ciaran_oneill8756 3 ай бұрын

I love these traditions, they add so much character, even a sense of legitimacy, to the whole show

@robertobrien3122 7 күн бұрын

Most importantly, you missed the tradition of Dennis skinner heckling Black rod for decades....

@GreatgoatonFire 3 ай бұрын

Voting by walking through doors seems very odd and dated

@sm6allegro 3 ай бұрын

Germany does it too though

@Born2EditHD 3 ай бұрын

I think it's good, we don't need to change it for any important reason and it keeps abit of history.

@GreatgoatonFire 3 ай бұрын

@@Born2EditHD what about MPs with movement disabilities, another pandemic or someone who cannot attend in person? The current system isn't without issues.

@GreatgoatonFire 3 ай бұрын

@@sm6allegro sucks that both the UK and German are stuck so far back in the tech tree.

@LordDim1 3 ай бұрын

@@GreatgoatonFire Members with mobility issues can simply use their wheelchair or other method of movement to go through the voting lobbies without issue. As for people not being in attendance, what of it? I don’t believe any parliament allow absentee members to vote. Norway for example uses electronic voting in its parliament, but you have to be physically present in the Parliament chamber in order to vote.

@mittfh 3 ай бұрын

There's also the system of "Parliamentary Privilege", whereby Members of the Houses of Commons and Lords are entitled to freedom of speech, freedom from arrest on civil matters, freedom of access to the sovereign, and that 'the most favourable construction should be placed on all the Houses' proceedings' - so they're free to make defamatory or libellous comments about someone, or breach the Official Secrets Act, as long as it's during "ordinary parliamentary proceedings" and in the Westminster Estate (it doesn't apply to the devolved administrations or any other tier of government).

@davidioanhedges 3 ай бұрын

It allows them to speak with complete freedom - very sensible

@igorlopes7589 3 ай бұрын

Who would decide what is acceptable to speak or not? This person would be the true legislator, not the parliament

@ceemage 2 ай бұрын

It's now been discontinued, but until fairly recently, if an MP wanted to raise a Point of Order during a division, they had to sit down and cover their head (order paper, borrow a hat from a lady member,, or get the foldable opera hat kept under the Speaker's chair, kept in a manila envelope).

@lukealexander1696 Ай бұрын

The King's Speech is only ever in the Lords now, because the last time a Monarch went into the Commons, he tried to arrest MP's, which caused a Civil War, and ended with his head being chopped off (Although George VI when he was "Off Duty" did visit the Commons chamber to see the finished product after it was rebuilt following its bombing in WWII)

@waynehanley72 3 ай бұрын

The ceremony with black rod originates because Charles I invaded the Commons to arrest the leaders. The slamming of the door is a rejection of the notion that the monarch can control the Commons! It's an important lesson!

@AnnaBellaChannel Ай бұрын

This is all about how the UK national parliament works but the UK political system at local level is also very unique and has unique traditions based on each local area.

@williamsutter2152 2 ай бұрын

I still think the weirdest aspect of the UK is that it's the only country on Earth where heroin is legally used as a prescription painkiller. In many other countries like Australia, heroin is banned and not recognized as having medical uses at all, whereas some other European countries do recognize its utility in the treatment of heroin addicts but not as a painkiller. And in the UK, an intranasal heroin spray is even used to treat severe pain in kids.

@tisFrancesfault 3 ай бұрын

Rituals are very important to a society, and should not be removed for the sake of itself. Change for the sake of change does not improve anything. I do tend to find the most aggrieved by British rituals, seem to be fairly middle-class, typically republican and more than happy to visit other countries and wax on about their wonderful traditions and sense of culture; though ostensibly would see its being discarded for being antiquated "clown-shows".

@LordDim1 3 ай бұрын

Yup, its strange. It is however far from new, George Orwell himself observed this back in 1941, saying: “England is perhaps the only great country whose intellectuals are ashamed of their own nationality. In left-wing circles it is always felt that there is something slightly disgraceful in being an Englishman and that it is a duty to snigger at every English institution, from horse racing to suet puddings. It is a strange fact, but it is unquestionably true that almost any English intellectual would feel more ashamed of standing to attention during God save the King than of stealing from a poor box”

@Imfernolistico 3 ай бұрын

0:10 Brutal joke lmao, gave me a good chuckle

@miguelvales5125 2 ай бұрын

I love how the English say rebelled and forced him to sign the Magna Carta: "advised him" indeed. I'll be sure to "advise" plenty of people to do what I want once I'm an english Baron, I'm sure no one will mind.

@lemapp 3 ай бұрын

The video thumbnail showed a golden ceremonial Mace. Historical, maces were clubs used in war. Over time they became symbols of local authority. Here in the US, somr of the older cities that pre-date the revolution, still have their maces. They were presented by the Crown. I live in Norfolk, Virginia and we recently allowed the city's Mace to be displayed in the St. Patrick's Day Parade. [Actually there are two: a replica on display in the local museum and the original locked away for safe keeping.]

@HootMaRoot 3 ай бұрын

I think MP's are fans of sticking other stuff up their nose these days and not snuff

@user-fg8it6kp3e 3 ай бұрын

The monarch owns the swans because people were eating so much of them that they were going extinct. So making them the monarchs property stopped them being eaten and becoming extinct.

@NECKBOLTZ Ай бұрын

The ceremonial mace that is required for parliament to conduct business. And the few cheeky MPs who’ve stolen it in order to stop debate.

@ScotiaPreasent 8 күн бұрын

All this makes Britain sound like some fantasy kingdom in a land unknown to many

@adamcrocker4853 3 ай бұрын

No MP has been up to snuff since 1989, makes sense

@wolfgang6517 3 ай бұрын

Symbolism is important. The closing of the door on the Black Rod´s face for example goes is the living incarnation of Britain´s democratic system while the Kings Speech embodies the Monarchy role within the state. These traditions are the living embodiment of Britain´s organic democratic and royal institutions, unbreakable for centuries past and centuries yet to come.

@markw2016 3 ай бұрын

Don’t forget…DIVISION!! CLEAR THE LOBBY!

@Hfil66 3 ай бұрын

What I find particularly irksome is that MPs are called to vote on matters where they are not expected to sit through the debate. In other words they vote on matters they clearly have no idea about but merely follow instructions as to how to cast a vote as if it was their own considered and reasoned opinion.

@A190xx 3 ай бұрын

This is not quite the whole story. They receive a pack with the main parts in advance and they can listen to debate, which is often reiterating points in the papers. No doubt some votes are based on party whips, but most MPs will be able to support the reasons for their votes.

@DavidPashley 3 ай бұрын

@@A190xx yep they watch the debate in their offices while they do other work like committee or constituency work. It would be a complete waste of time for every MP to spend their whole day in the chamber if they're not going to talk.

@meganfrancis1628 3 ай бұрын

Part of this is for many votes MPs are ‘whipped’ which means they must votes how their party wants even if they personally disagree or they will get punished by the ‘whips’ so many MPs just turn up and vote where they are told, that’s also why voting records are not always a reliable indicator of an MP’s politics

@alexanderkowal5710 3 ай бұрын

Arguments are often predictable

@kristofkozari9040 3 ай бұрын

I think this is not unique to the UK, basically this is how it works everywhere.

@EclipsePheniox 3 ай бұрын

I feel it's things like these that give a government and nation some personality rather than being a group of people arguing.

@chapmje 2 ай бұрын

I was in a London pub across from the House of Commons years ago. A bell rang and everyone started downing as many drinks as possible one after another for about five minutes. It rang again and they all got up and left. We asked the waitress what the deal was and she said it was the MPs being called back to vote.

@Jedsa009 3 ай бұрын

Churchill was a staunch imperialist; His decision to rebuild a parliament to be precisely the same reflected his ideal (British Exceptionalism).

@igorlopes7589 3 ай бұрын

I fail to understand why preserving national tradition is equal to imperialism

@Vielenberg 3 ай бұрын

All those outdated customs seem to me as theater of nonsense. But on the other hand - isn't it that this theater is the reason why millions of tourists visit the UK every year?

@Odin029 3 ай бұрын

People think they want efficiency until they realize that completely efficiency is as boring as watching paint dry or grass grow.

@TroyVan6654 3 ай бұрын

@@Odin029The European Parliament can get through about a hundred votes in an hour. A roll call vote takes about 10 seconds from start to finish. If boringness is the price to pay to get the people's business done, then so be it.

@Odin029 3 ай бұрын

@@TroyVan6654 All joking aside, getting through 100 roll call votes in an hour scares the crap out of me. Who debated those bills? Did they consider all the ramifications? Did the real debate happen behind closed doors? No law affecting 100s of millions of people should be rushed through. Now house keeping stuff or rubber stamps I can understand. For instance in the US the Senate has to approve executive branch appointees to almost every major position in the US government. There are debates for the top level people, but once those are in place the lower positions can be approved hundreds at a time, but laws shouldn't work that way. I my opinion it lets the government get ahead of the people and that shouldn't be the case.

@TroyVan6654 3 ай бұрын

@@Odin029 Well... These bills ("proposals" for them) will have been debated before the vote, either on the day or on a previous day. And a voting session typically go through about two dozens of bills, resolutions, and decisions. There are so many votes because a few of them will have dozens of amendments, and they can vote on that many amendments to a single bill because, again, they can go through a hundred votes in an hour.

@gothicgolem2947 3 ай бұрын

@@TroyVan6654 depends on if there is a division. If there isnt a division on votes the Uk parliament could do the same. Tho the Uk parliament rarely has that many votes on one day

@CallemJay_McNeill 2 ай бұрын

You're a good looking guy so I thought I'd support your channel by joining Nebula TV using your link in the description. I'm actually quite happy with the vast amount of content available. Thanks for the introduction 😊 Just subbed to this channel too, had actually found it while searching for news regarding the May 02 election.

@napoleonibonaparte7198 2 ай бұрын

I don't know about yous, but strange traditions is what makes the UK special.

@garethaethwy 3 ай бұрын

You missed Dennis Skinner's regular contribution to Black Rod's presence in the Commons...

@jesseberg3271 3 ай бұрын

One thing you missed, you glossed over it twice, is having a monarch at all. Less than 10% of the world's population live in countries that have one, and that's including all your Commonwealth countries that _have one_ but which don't actually *have it* on a day to day basis.

@tinayoung5436 3 ай бұрын

I loved this video....don't ever change TLDR 😂 Also,great thumbnail...way to go Ben 🫅

@03.achyuthans39 3 ай бұрын

British Parliamentary Traditions are actually lovely.. they give some character to the running of the nation. Ofc lords reform, honours system reform, peerage reform, common election commission, reducing the commons constituencies and moving to a MMP or MMR system etc are all needed but even with them, should be able to retain some ceremonial stuff

@Earthcomputer 3 ай бұрын

You missed that royal assent is still announced in the house of lords in Norman French, instead of English

@Pablo24000 2 ай бұрын

In Norman French or in French ?

@Earthcomputer 2 ай бұрын

@@Pablo24000 norman french

@maciej_viking 3 ай бұрын

1 missed weird thing in the British parliament. The way they vote. No electronics. Just going around corridors and through special doors. The vote for "yes" is "aye". Another weirdness.

@Edwards-Videos 3 ай бұрын

5:45 Members of the House of Commons cannot sit in the House of Lords, even during the Throne Speech. They stand through the speech.

@rivenoak 10 күн бұрын

a difficult issue, because sometimes the PM was a peer. the late Marquess of Salisbury was the last PM ruling commons from the Peer's chamber and Alec Douglas-Home had to renounce his earldom to become PM

@supercolinblow 3 ай бұрын

Someone commented on the tradition of addressing remarks through the Speaker of the House of Commons and not referring to another MP by name. As far as I can tell that is pretty standard throughout the western world, including the two chambers of the US Congress. You have to address all remarks to the Chair (Mr/Mme Speaker or Mr/Mme President) and refer to members passively: "The distinguished gentleman/gentlewoman from California..." or "The Senior Senator from South Carolina". And, as in the UK, you cannot say "the senior senator from New York is lying..." no matter how much bull**** they're spouting. Members of both houses have parliamentary privilege and can say anything on the floor that doesn't violate the rules (accusing another member of lying or making a threat to them) and are privileged from arrest except for "treason, felony or breach of the peace". So they can lie their asses off while speaking in the House/Senate and get away with it.

@guyatkinson2301 3 ай бұрын

0:03 Flag's the wrong way up.

@GRHmedia 3 ай бұрын

You missed a huge aspect. The British government betraying the citizens in favor of foreigners. Stomping on their citizens rights and traditions in favor or not upsetting people or Oh my goodness offending someone.

@kylegamana8155 3 ай бұрын

These should be continued till the end.❤

@kaithompson3074 3 ай бұрын

My favorite traditional position of the British Government is the Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office, which is held by a cat.

@stephenrobins4756 2 ай бұрын

You could have mentioned the lobby between the two houses where anyone can speak to their MP. This is where the term "lobbying" comes from.

@aduro9519 3 ай бұрын

When the monarch speaks in the House of Commons fir the State Opening of Parliament, the commons send a hostage, theoretically to execute them if the monarch is killed.

@TomSalesJr 3 ай бұрын

I wish that Dennis Skinner mocking Blackrod had entered into the constitution

@bernardk5137 2 ай бұрын

In 1998, the Modernisation Select Committee came along and ruined everything. “In practice this means that an opera hat which is kept at each end of the Chamber has to be produced and passed to the Member concerned. This inevitably takes some time, during which the Member frequently seeks to use some other form of covering such as an Order Paper. This particular practice has almost certainly brought the House into greater ridicule than almost any other, particularly since the advent of television.'”

@jameswelsh4479 3 ай бұрын

I'm pretty shore mps have another box in parliament where they snort something other than snuff

@2SNesbit 3 ай бұрын

As my old grandmother used to say, "Gooder than snuff and not half as dusty." However, I think she might have been referring to something else.

@tulliusexmisc2191 3 ай бұрын

"...MPs had slunk off for a cheeky mid-afternoon pint. Many of these now though don't work." Nadine Dorries, for example.

@scottmartin3816 3 ай бұрын

UK, never give up your charm.

@edwardblair4096 3 ай бұрын

If you haven't already, you should put together a playlist of some of your pre-brexit political and Parliament explainer videos. They were very interesting to watch

@napalmholocaust9093 3 ай бұрын

The width for swords may be for the original sheathed ones at the hip before the ban. I've worn a basket hilt, it sticks out far behind. They were not worn up and down, more at 30°'s off horizontal or a bit less.

@RealWatch1 3 ай бұрын

slamming the door has to be one of the very best quirks

@gameofender4463 3 ай бұрын

I wonder, if Britain/the UK became a republic, what would the name of the country be. Can’t really be a “United Kingdom”. Maybe it would be the “Union of Britain” or “Commonwealth of Britain” or something else.

@TheFactsMan 3 ай бұрын

United Republic

@JoeeyTheeKangaroo 3 ай бұрын

I'd rather not break these traditions. I'm not a monarchist but the monarchy controls the military & prevents a government coup, it's a safeguard in case any tits in the commons get any ideas.

@matthewparker9276 3 ай бұрын

They'd probably call it The Republic of the United Kingdom of Great Britton and Northern Ireland. Each time they change the form of government they can just add an extra word or two to the name.

@gameofender4463 3 ай бұрын

@@TheFactsMan “United Republics of Britain”, maybe. I think “Union of Britain” is quicker/easier and sounds better.

@gameofender4463 3 ай бұрын

@@JoeeyTheeKangaroo I agree.

@thfh890 3 ай бұрын

If I remember correctly Parliament is not allowed to start their daily session if the mace is not present. Hence the reason why it is removed from the house if the house is prorogued.

@MeowAdi_108 Ай бұрын

They are not weird traditions. One is weird if he/she thinks that they're wierd.

@someinteresting 3 ай бұрын

Don't worry, even after you explain what is snuff the reaction is still WTF. 🤣🤣🤣 Never change.

@NighttimeNubbs 3 ай бұрын

Today I found out snuff is snorted because growing up people around me would dip snuff or actually had dip and called it snuff incorrectly.

@guss77 3 ай бұрын

Parliamentarians taking quite a bit of recess and not working a full year is quite common: here, where I live, the parliament has a month and a half vacation during spring and 3 months holiday through summer and fall. The US Congress also "works" only about 30 odd weeks out of the year, but at least they have the excuse that they have to campaign for their next election throughout their service 😅

@iainawatson 3 ай бұрын

Didn't take in a word of this after "Barton-in-the-Beans" was mentioned because that was then all i could think of.

@joelijasonditoka771 Ай бұрын

The MPs don’t actually sit when they come to the upper house, there isn’t any room, they sort of crowd around standing at the back… also the dragging of the speaker when a new one is elected is an interesting quirk you didn’t mention (unless the UK doesn’t do that any more?) Some of the other parliaments in the commonwealth still do…

@michaelchantler334 3 ай бұрын

The Commons wasn’t designed to be adversarial, in the 14c they met in St Stephen’s chapel in the old Palace of Westminster so the design is that of quire stalls you would see in a church.

@edmerc92 3 ай бұрын

Choir?

@karldelavigne8134 3 ай бұрын

Traditions are not "weird", unless you think anything with which you are not familiar is alien.

@PoniesNSunshine 3 ай бұрын

The ritual kidnapping of an MP by the king isn't considered bizarre? The fact that the neither house can start business unless the King's Mace has been been brought into the room, and that MPs have tried to run off with them in order to force the house to shut down?

@FarberBob678 3 ай бұрын

You missed the ceremonial dragging of the speaker to his seat

@mattbrichacek8978 2 ай бұрын

Bro that snuff box is the Stanley cup of parliament door keepers.

@getnohappy 3 ай бұрын

Perhaps the weirdest tradition is how a political party can have absolute control of government with about 35% of the popular vote

@A190xx 3 ай бұрын

Well the alternatives are endless coalitions, inaction and horse trading. As Churchill might have said, it is the worst form of government bar all the others. Imagine trying to run a company with 3-10 managers with opposing views and varied share holdings.

@davidioanhedges 3 ай бұрын

So do over 40 other countries including to some degree the USA and Canada ...

@getnohappy 3 ай бұрын

@@A190xx I know, imagine having to govern in a way that reflects the beliefs of the actual people of the country, having to compromise for the majority opinion rather than concentrate on whistling to die-hard supports and romancing swing seats. Sounds a terrible way to run a **checks notes** democracy.

@theconqueringram5295 3 ай бұрын

*Speaker of the House of Commons clears throat* Speaker of the House of Commons: "PRIME MINISTER!"

@FurretG 2 ай бұрын

You forgot to mention the parliament can’t parliament without the mace. Also the commons should’ve continued the tradition started by Denis Skinner, of quipping every time the black rod summons the commons. He did it for decades. This should’ve made it a part of the convention already.