ABSTRACT
In 1972 the British Constitution was modified by adherence to the eec. Britain is, through adherence to the treaty, subject to the regulations already in force, having been made without Britain’s participation. Many of these were temporary in their effect, but the permanent ones are substantial, and a steady flow of new regulations will continue to affect British citizens. Primary responsibility for Britain’s relations with the Community was given to a minister with a seat in the Cabinet; the ancient sinecure office of Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster was used for this purpose, though the title may be rather mystifying to non-British members of the Community. Like the other larger countries Britain was allocated thirty-six seats in the enlarged European Parliament, the assumption being that, as with other national parliamentary delegations, the seats would be distributed on a proportional basis among the parties according to their strength in the Lower House of the legislature.
