ABSTRACT
The British system of government is the product of centuries of development that has followed no precise pattern or rigid lines, but rather a course of trial and error. This has at times led to passionate disagreements and bitter feuds, and on some occasions to open conflict. As Britain has no written constitution and relies on a mixture of statute law, common law and convention (that is, practices and precepts which although not part of a legal code are nevertheless generally accepted), the system of government has remained flexible. Sometimes the system has appeared to be too flexible, and different interpretations of the role of certain institutions have been possible at different periods of time. Thus one will find no exact definition of the duties and powers of the head of state, beyond the fact that Britain is a monarchy. In theory the monarch’s powers appear to be as absolute as they were in the Middle Ages, but in practice this power is restricted in a number of ways.
