, the Queen is head of the executive, an integral part of the legislature, head of the judiciary, the commander-in-chief of all armed forces of the Crown, and the "supreme governor" of the established Church of England. The Queen today acts on the advice of her ministers as much of the Crown's power has been progressively reduced over the years (Britain 1991, 1991, 35-37).
The government of Margaret Thatcher came to power in 1975 and lasted until 1991. Her Conservative Party is one of the major parties in England, the other being the Labour Party. Her conservative government spent most of its tenure privatizing government services and reducing government involvement in various institutions. The major issue facing the two parties in recent years has been European unity, with Thatcher opposed to the EC and to any cession of British power to a European government while the Labour Party has emerged as having a genuine commitment to European unity. Thatcher resigned in the face of a growing lack of confidence in her leadership and was replaced by John Major, also a Conservative. He has been trying to build a consensus for Conservative programs and still has to deal with the question of European unity, showing more flexibility on the issue than did Thatcher. She continues to work from outside the government in opposition to the European Economic Community and various specific provisions related to it. The public seems more willing to join the EC than does Thatcher (Banks, 1990, 681-682).
In the recent election in Great Britain, the labour Party came to power, headed by the new Prime Minister, Tony Blair, who se
...