Westminster

Definition: Westminster

Westminster

Noun

1. A borough of Greater London on the Thames; contains Buckingham Palace and the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey.

Date "Westminster" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1591. (references)

Specialty Definition: British House of Commons

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

In the politics of the United Kingdom, the House of Commons is the dominant component of the bicameral Parliament, the other half being the House of Lords. It consists of 659 Members of Parliament (MPs) since 1997, each elected by citizens of an electoral constituency to represent that constituency in the House. The House of Commons meets in the Palace of Westminster.

Elections

Constituencies
The country is divided into constituencies by the four permanent independent Boundary Commissions, for England and Wales, for Scotland, and for Northern Ireland. On average each MP represents 69,281 people in England, but fewer in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, although there is considerable variation in the population and size of constituencies. The constituency boundaries are reviewed roughly once a decade although there can be inter-review changes as needed. The last general review increased the number of MPs from 651 (1992) to 659 (1997), England has 529, Scotland has 72, Wales has 40, and Northern Ireland 18. After the next, fifth, review the Boundary Commissions will be absorbed into the Electoral Commission, established in 2000. Following the creation of the Scottish Parliament in 1999 it is expected that the number of Scottish MPs will be reduced in the next review as the over-representation was justified by the lack of a separate parliament in Scotland.

General Elections
Whenever the Parliament is dissolved by the monarch, an election is due. Each constituency returns one member based on the First-past-the-post election system. A citizen of the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, or Commonwealth nation over the age of twenty-one may be elected. However, the following are barred from becoming members:

Members of the House of Lords
Lunatics
Those holding some offices of trust and profit under the Crown (including judges and civil servants, but not including Ministerial positions)
Members of a legislature of a non-Commonwealth nation
Those convicted of treason and not pardoned
Those found guilty of electoral malpractice during the past ten years
Those serving a prison sentence of one year or more
Undischarged bankrupts

There also exists a common law precedent that those who are both deaf and mute are disqualified, but this has not been tested in recent years and would unlikely to be upheld by the courts.
The party winning a majority in the House forms a Government, with its leader becoming Prime Minister. (The Prime Minister and other members of the cabinet are theoretically appointed by the monarch. By constitutional convention, the monarch always appoints the leader of the majority party.) The Prime Minister and a majority of Ministers are members of the House of Commons, though some are members of the House of Lords.
The Parliament's term may last no more than five years. However, the Parliament is almost always dissolved earlier. The monarch chooses the time for dissolution upon the advice of the Prime Minister, which is considered binding. Also, if the House of Commons passes a Motion of No Confidence, then the Government must resign or the Parliament must be dissolved. The defeat of a major item of legislation, such as the annual Finance Bill, also leads to either resignation or dissolution.

By-Elections
Between General Elections, vacancies often occur. These are filled through By-elections within the constituency whose seat is vacant.
Vacancies occur for several reasons. Strangely, resignation is not one of them; members of Parliament are not permitted to resign. If, however, a member of Parliament wishes to leave office, he or she can take advantage of the fact that certain Crown officers are not allowed to serve in the House of Commons. A member wishing to "resign" merely applies to the Chancellor of the Exchequer for appointment to the office of Crown Steward and Bailiff of the Chiltern Hundreds or to the office of Crown Steward and Bailiff of the Manor of Northstead. By tradition, the Chancellor does not refuse such applications. The offices do not involve any real duties; they are used for the sole purpose of allowing resignations. One holder retains an office until another member wishes to resign and is appointed to that office.
Also, if a member is appointed to a "real" Crown office, such as a judicial office, his or her seat immediately becomes vacant.
If a member is detained for a mental disorder, the Speaker may send two specialists to observe that member. Six months after the original visit, a second visit is made by the same specialists. If the specialists declare on both occasions that the member is suffering from a mental illness, the seat is declared vacant.
If a member is declared bankrupt by a court, then six months must elapse without a change in the court's order for the bankrupt member's seat to be declared vacant.
Otherwise, a seat may be declared vacant for death or for elevation to the peerage and appointment to the House of Lords.
Regardless of how a vacancy occurs, the by-election cannot be held unless the Clerk of the Crown issues writs of election, which cannot be done unless the Speaker issues a Warrant authorising the same. The Speaker, in turn, may not issue a Warrant unless the House approves a motion asking him to do so. The motion is traditionally moved by the Chief Whip of the party that formerly held the seat. However, the party may delay the motion as long as it wishes. If no motion is approved by the time of a General Election, then no by-election will be held, and the General Election will fill the seat.
There are two exceptions to the requirement that the House must approve a motion before the Speaker makes his Warrant. If a vacancy occurs due to the death of a member, or the appointment of that member to the House of Lords while the House of Commons is in a recess, two MPs certify that the seat is indeed vacant, the Speaker may issue his Warrant without any motion being approved.

Composition (24 October 2003)

Labour Party 408

Conservative Party 163

Liberal Democrats 54

Scottish National Party 5

Democratic Unionist Party 5

Plaid Cymru 4

Sinn Féin 4

Ulster Unionist Party 3

Independent Unionist 3

Social Democratic and Labour Party 3

Independent Conservative 1

Independent Labour 1

Independent 1

Speaker and Deputies 4

Procedure

Sittings
The House of Commons meets at the Palace of Westminster in London. The Commons Chamber is decorated in green and is rather simple, compared to the grand Lords Chamber. The Chamber consists of two sets of benches, one set on either side of the center aisle (which for historical reasons is always two and half swords lengths wide), which is known as the "gangway." The Speaker's chair is at the front end of the House; the members of the Government sit on the benches on the Speaker's right, while the Opposition occupy the benches on the Speaker's left. Oddly, all members cannot fit in the Chamber, which can seat only 437 of the 659 members.
Formerly, the Commons met only in the Commons Chamber. However, due to recent reforms, the House also sits (for now, on an experimental basis) in a chamber called Westminster Hall. When sitting at Westminster Hall, only uncontroversial and non-partisan matters are usually discussed.
The House of Commons sits on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and on most Fridays. Saturday sessions are only called during national emergencies; the last such occurance was during the Falklands War.
The House holds a number of recesses each year. The longest recess is the Summer Recess, which lasts from mid-July to mid-October. The other recesses, including the Easter, Whit, and Christmas Recesses, usually last for one to two weeks.
Speaker
The House of Commons elects a Speaker, who controls the day-to-day running of the House and is empowered to call on members to speak during debates. He may also discipline members who fail to observe the rules of the House, which are known as the Standing Orders.
There are three deputies to the Speaker: the Chairman of Ways and Means, the First Deputy Chairman of Ways and Means, and the Second Deputy Chairman of Ways and Means. The Speaker's deputies take their title from the Committee of Ways and Means. Even though the Committee has been abolished, the Speaker's deputies retain their titles.
The Speaker is traditionally non-partisan. Upon election, he or she resigns from the political party, and by convention the major parties traditionally do not oppose the re-election of the Speaker in his/her constituency. The lack of partisanship continues even after the Speaker leaves office. If a former Speaker is appointed to the House of Lords, he or she sits as a crossbencher.
Debate and Discipline
Members may only speak if called upon by the Speaker. To get the Speaker's attention, a member must partially rise. There is no recourse if the Speaker fails to call upon a particular member. Nonetheless, it is traditional that the Speaker alternate between calling Government and Opposition members.
Debate must be addressed to the Speaker. If a member wishes to refer to a person other than the Speaker, he or she must do so in the third person. Traditionally, members refer to each other not by name, but by their constituencies. The form used is the Honourable Member for... or, in the case of Privy Counsellors, the Right Honourable Member for... Also, members may refer to office-holders by their titles (for example, the Prime Minister or the Leader of the Opposition.)
The Speaker is required to keep discipline in the House. If a member deviates from obeying the Standing Orders, the Speaker may warn that member. If the member disregards the warning, the Speaker may order the member to leave the Palace of Westminster for the remainder of the day. Should the member continue to disobey the Speaker, the Speaker may invoke a power known as "naming" by stating, "I name Mr. X" (substituting, of course, the actual name of the member for X.) Then, the Leader of the House or another senior member may move "that Mr. X be suspended from the service of the House." If the motion is agreed to, then the member is suspended for five days if the offence was his or her first during the session. For a second offence during the same session, a twenty day suspension applies. For a third offence, the House determines the suspension period. If a suspended member fails to leave the House, he or she may be suspended for the enitre session.
The ultimate punishment that the House may impose is expulsion. Expulsion, however, does not prevent an individual from running for election again. Thus some members have been expelled more than once. There were only three suspensions during the twentieth century.

Voting
As the formal checks on the power of the House of Commons are very limited, a party with a majority in the House has very few formal limits on its ability to change government policies. In addition, Members of Parliament almost always vote with their party. The reasons for this are complex, but derive partly from natural party loyalty, and partly from job security: MPs who vote against their party are unlikely to reach ministerial rank, and may be deselected as official party candidates in the next election (though in some circumstances, an MP may be threatened with deselection if he or she does vote with the party). In addition, unlike presidential systems, a government cannot function without a majority support of the House of Commons, hence the parties have much more interest in ensuring that people do not vote against the party either by pressuring MPs to change their vote, or more often by modifying legislation to avoid an adverse vote.
There are two cases in which MPs will vote against party lines. One is when a party announces a free vote over an issue of conscience in which invidividual members are allowed to vote according to their personal beliefs; in this case, there is no official party line to vote for or against. This is the case ethical issues like the death penalty, abortion etc. MPs representing the majority party occasionally may also vote against their party in large numbers where there is widespread discontent among backbenchers over the government's policies. Since the late 19th century, major backbench rebellions have only occurred once every few years, most recently in 2003 when Labour MPs voted against Tony Blair's support of the United States over the Iraq war. Smaller rebellions, in which only a handful of back benchers vote against their party, are more common when the Government has a very large majority. The Labour Government suffered 16 back bench rebellions in the 1997-2001 Parliament.
Because the outcome of votes are largely predetermined, parliamentary debates are intended less to change the outcome of pending legislation, than for the party in power and those out of power to appeal to the public for the next election.
Even though the outcome may be predetermined, the House must vote on every motion. All motions are originally subject to a voice vote. The Speaker then gives his opinion as to which side won the voice vote. If his assessment is challenged by any member, then a division occurs, signified by the ringing of the Division Bell. On either side of the House Chamber is a division lobby. Those who wish to vote "Aye" (yes) enter one lobby, while those who wish to vote "No" enter the other. As members then exit the lobby and reenter the Chamber, their votes and names are recorded by tellers and clerks. The tellers then announce the numbers of Ayes and Noes to the Speaker, who then announces the result to the House.

Question Time
One important characteristic of the House of Commons is Question Time, in which members of both the party in power and the opposition parties have a weekly opportunity to ask questions of Cabinet ministers including the Prime Minister. Questions are subject to several rules; for example, questions must relate to the official government activities of a Minister, rather than his activities as a leader of a party or as an MP. Questions may recieve either an oral or a written answer.
Oral questions are part of one category of questions. Under the rules of the House, Question Time, when oral questions may be asked, is the first hour of business on weekdays other than Friday. Question Time occurs in the main chamber rather than in Westminster Hall. The clerks of the House must be notified of questions a certain number of days prior to the day on which it will be asked. The clerks then use computers to randomly select a limited number of questions that will be permitted, for Question Time is not an unlimited period. When the Speaker calls on a member during Question Time, the member need only state his question's number, for the minister will already have been notified of it. Then, the member who asked the original question may ask one supplementary question. Next, other members may pose their own supplementary questions. There is no formal limit to the number of supplementaries; the Speaker merely stops recognising members who wish to speak when he feels that enough supplementaries have been asked.
Government departments are assigned certain days for questions by rotation. More than one department may be questioned on a given day. Usually, each department is questioned for about an hour per month. The Prime Minister, however, is subject to about twice as much questioning, for he answers questions for a half-hour each Wednesday.
Another category of questions is urgent questions. Instead of notifying clerks days earlier, as with oral questions, a member need only notify the Speaker that he intends to ask an urgent question. Only if the Speaker agrees that the question is one of public importance, and is indeed urgent, may the question be asked.
Written questions, the last category of questions, are by far more numerous than any other type of question. If the MP requires an answer by a specific date, notice of at least two days must be given to ask the written question. Alternatively, the MP may decide not to name a date for an answer, in which case the Minister usually replies within a week. Responses are not only to the member who asked the question; they are instead published for the use of all members.

Committees
Unlike in, say, the United States Congress, committees in the House of Commons are not very powerful, and most of the review of legislation occurs in the Cabinet. There exist several types of committees: Standing Committees, Select Committees (including Departmental Select Commmittees and Domestic Committees), Joint Committees, and others.
Most bills are considered by Standing Committees. Though "standing" may imply permanence, the membership of Standing Committees is constantly changing. There is no limit to the number of Standing Committees in existence at any one time, though there are normally no more than ten. These committees are referred to by a letter of the alphabet from A to H, or as the First or Second Scottish Committee, which deal only with bills relating to Scotland. However, the Scottish Committees are essentially obsolete due to the introduction of a separate Scottish Parliament. When a bill is due to be referred to a certain Standing Committee, the Committee of Selection meets and chooses sixteen to fifty MP's to serve as Committee members; the number of members from a particular party is approximately proportionate to that party's membership in the whole house.
Departmental Select Committees scrutinize government activities. Though a bill may be referred to a Select Committee, this method is rarely used. There are eighteen Departmental Select Commmittees:

Constitutional Affairs
Culture, Media, and Sport
Defence
Education and Skills
Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs
Foreign Affairs
Health
Home Affairs
International Development
Northern Ireland Affairs
Office of the Deputy Prime Minister
Science and Technology
Scottish Affairs
Trade and Industry
Transport
Treasury
Welsh Affairs
Work and Pensions

Each committee (except for the Science and Technology Committee) correlates to distinct a government department. However, some committees scrutinize more than one department. For example, the Home Affairs Committee oversees both the Home Office and the Law Officers' Department.
The Committee of Selection chooses the members of the committees, which then choose their own chairmen. Committees consist of eleven members each, except for the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee, which consists of thirteen members, and the Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs Committee, which includes seventeen members. As with standing committees, the number of committee members from a particular party is approximately proportionate to that party's membership in the whole house.
Select Committees known as Domestic Committees oversee the services provided to members of the House. There are four Domestic Committees (each consists of nine members):

Accommodation and Works Committee
Administration Committee
Catering Committee
Information Committee

The House of Commons and the House of Lords have established a number of Joint Committees. Some Joint Committees are established to consider specific bills or topics of legislation; these usually meet for a limited period of time. However, two committees, the Joint Committee on Consolidation Bills and the Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments, are more general and permanent in nature.
Other committees include Advisory Committees and temporarily appointed Special Standing Committees.

Legislative Functions

Conventions
There is a convention known as the Salisbury convention according to which the House of Lords will not oppose any government legislation promised by its election manifesto. And in the case of legislation not covered by this convention, the Parliament Acts 1911 and 1949 apply. They limit the power of the House of Lords to delaying a bill for up to one year, after which it may receive Royal Assent, if the Commons passes it again, without the Lords' consent. In the case of money bills (the main purpose of which relates to taxation or expenditure), the agreement of the Lords is not required at all, though in practice it is usually given.

Restrictions
There are however increasing restrictions on the power of the House of Commons. Under the terms of the European Communities Act 1972 (UK), European Community law overrides any incompatible UK legislation. Although the House of Commons could in theory amend or repeal the European Communities Act, in practice it would be inconceivable for it to do so. Parliamentary legislation that violates UK law can be challenged through both the UK national courts, and the European Court of Justice.
Another restriction is the European Convention on Human Rights. Since the 1940s the European Court of Human Rights has had the power to rule UK legislation to be in violation of the rights guaranteed by the Convention. However, although in all but one case (involving detention of terrorist suspects in Northern Ireland) Parliament stood by the decision of the Court, there was no legal requirement to do so under domestic UK law. The entry into force of the Human Rights Act 1998 dramatically changed this, by incorporating the Convention into British law. British courts now have the power to enforce the Convention rights, including the obligation to interpret parliamentary legislation whenever possible so that it is compatible with those rights. However, in the event of a court being unable to harmonise the legislation with the Convention rights, the court does not have the power to strike it down; all it can do is issue a declaration of incompatibility, stating the legislation to be incompatible. But once this declaration has been issued, there exist under the Act expedited parliamentary procedures to pass legislation to remove the incompatibility.

Royal Approval
The monarch must assent to any legislation for it to enter into law, although it has been convention since the time of William and Mary that the monarch will assent to all legislation passed by Parliament. Queen Anne was the last monarch to refuse Royal Assent to a bill; she refused her approval to a bill relating to the militia in 1707.

Devolution
In addition to European Union membership and the European Convention on Human Rights, devolution has also reduced the apparent power of the House of Commons compared to the past. Many areas of legislation formerly dealt with at Westminster are now dealt with by devolved institutions; this applies especially to Scotland, where the process of devolution has gone the farthest. Although Westminster could in theory legislate in these devolved areas, there is a constitutional convention that Westminster shall not do so in normal circumstances. However it is debatable whether any real power has been lost since the House of Commons can suspend or wind up any of the devolved assemblies at any time, and has indeed already done so at least once in the case of the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Since the abolition of the Northern Ireland Parliament in the 1970s, relatively weak local councils were the only other level of government in the UK. This changed with the formation of the Scottish Parliament, National Assembly for Wales and Northern Ireland Assembly, under the Scotland Act 1998, the Government of Wales Act 1998, and the Northern Ireland Act 1998.

History
The two distinct houses of parliament emerged in the 14th century. One was composed of shire and borough representatives, this became known as the House of Commons. The other was composed of religious leaders (Lords Spiritual) and magnates (Lords Temporal), this became known as the House of Lords.

The Parliament Act 1911
After the election of 1906 the Liberal Party had a large majority in the House of Commons. Due to the naval race with Germany and new social programmes, the Liberal "peoples budget" of 1909 proposed tax increases and new taxes targeting wealthy landowners. These measures were unpopular in the conservative (and legislatively equal) House of Lords, where the budget was refused passage.
The Liberals brought a complaint to the King, Edward VII who said he would intervene if they proved to have a mandate. The House of Commons called an election in 1910 and the Liberals were successfully reelected, though not by as large a margin as the previous election. Threatened with the appointment of 500 new peers if they refused, the Lords passed the Parliament Act. Under it, the House of Lords could only delay a proposal for up to two years, after which the Commons would automatically prevail. On August 10 1911, this came into effect, removing the equal status of the House of Lords and its effective power of veto.

The Parliament Act 1949
The act reduced the delaying power of the 1911 Act in respect of Public Bills other than Money Bills to two sessions and one year respectively, the exception being bills to extend the life of Parliament to beyond five years, in which case the Lords would have full power to defeat the bill.

See also

Act of Parliament
Adjournment debate
Early day motion
Father of the House
Introduction (British House of Commons)
Leader of the House of Commons
Member of Parliament
UK topics

External links

Official web page
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "British House of Commons."

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City of Westminster

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

The City of Westminster is a London borough and a city in its own right, situated to the west of the City of London and north of the River Thames. It was extended in 1965 to include the former Metropolitan Boroughs of St. Marylebone and Paddington in the north. The city contains most of London's West End, and the permanent headquarters of the United Kingdom's government, with the Palace of Westminster, Whitehall, and the Royal Courts of Justice.

City of Westminster

Demographics

Population: 181,286 (2001)

Ethnicity: 73% white, 4% black, 3% indian

Geography

Formerly: Westminster, Paddington, St Marylebone

Villages: Whitehall, Mayfair, St John's Wood

Neighbours: Brent, Camden, City
Lambeth, Kensington, Wandsworth

Stations: Paddington, Marylebone, Victoria
Politics

Executive: Conservative

MPs: Mark Field, Karen Buck

GLA: West Central London

Areas included in the city:

Bayswater
Belgravia
Holborn (southern part, perhaps)
Maida Hill
Maida Vale
Marylebone
Mayfair
Millbank
Paddington
Pimlico
St James's
St John's Wood
Soho
Strand
Westbourne Green
Westminster

Demographics of Westminster
According to the 2001 census the borough has a population of 181,286. 73% of the population are white, 4% black african and 3% indian. 35% of households are owner-occupiers.

External links
Westminster City Council - http://www.westminster.gov.uk/
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "City of Westminster."

City of Westminster

Demographics
Population:	181,286 (2001)
Ethnicity:	73% white, 4% black, 3% indian
Geography
Formerly:	Westminster, Paddington, St Marylebone
Villages:	Whitehall, Mayfair, St John's Wood
Neighbours:	Brent, Camden, City Lambeth, Kensington, Wandsworth
Stations:	Paddington, Marylebone, Victoria
Politics
Executive:	Conservative
MPs:	Mark Field, Karen Buck
GLA:	West Central London

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Metropolitan Borough of Westminster

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

The Metropolitan Borough of Westminster was a metropolitan borough under the County of London from 1888 to 1965, when it was amalgamated into the London Borough of Westminster along with the Metropolitan Borough of Paddington and the Metropolitan Borough of St Marylebone.
It consisted of the part of the London Borough of Westminster south of Oxford Street and Bayswater Road. It included Soho, Mayfair, St James's, Strand, Westminster, Pimlico, Belgravia, and Hyde Park.
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Metropolitan Borough of Westminster."

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Palace of Westminster

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

The Palace of Westminster is the home of both Houses of Parliament in the United Kingdom. Buildings have occupied the site since at least Saxon times, though the oldest buildings still in existence date from around 1097. On January 20, 1295 the first meeting of the first English parliament was conducted here. The palace gives its name to the parliamentary system known as the Westminster System.

19th Century view of the Palace of Westminster from Westminster Bridge
It was originally (and still officially is) a Royal Palace, which led to the area becoming the centre of government in the United Kingdom as it transitioned from a monarchy to a parliamentary democracy. The palace was the main London residence of the monarchs of England until Henry VIII took over the Palace of Whitehall in 1530.
The House of Commons made its first permanent home at St Stephen's Chapel, a part of the palace.
Much of the complex was destroyed by fire on October 16, 1834, and rebuilt by 1870, when the Houses of Parliament moved into their current residences.
The Current Palace

The Palace in 2003, with The London Eye in the background.
The current complex occupies approximately 3.24 hectares (8 acres), with 265.8 metres (872ft) of waterfront along the river Thames. It contains 1000 rooms, 100 staircases, and two miles of passageways.
The design was the result of a national competition, and was the work of Augustus Pugin and Charles Barry. The building is built from Anstone, a sandy magnesian limestone quarried in the village of Anston near Rotherham, South Yorkshire. The stone blocks were originally laid with the strata the wrong way, and had to be replaced in 1902.
The 320ft high clock-tower is the most famous feature, and houses the bell known as Big Ben.

Events
On May 11, 1812, Prime Minster Spencer Perceval was assassinated by a bankrupt banker in the lobby of the House of Commons.
During World War II the House of Commons was destroyed by the Luftwaffe in a May 10, 1941 air raid, but was rebuilt and resumed use on October 26, 1950. In the interim, the Commons sat in the Lords Chamber, with the Lords sitting in the adjacent Kings's Robing Room.
See Also

Palace
Palace of Whitehall - Royal residence from 1530 until 1698
St James's Palace - Royal residence from 1702 until 1837
Buckingham Palace - Royal residence since 1837
Portcullis House

UK topics
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Palace of Westminster."

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Parliament of the United Kingdom

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland consists of the Queen, an upper house of Parliament called the House of Lords and a lower house called the House of Commons and is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom and its overseas territories. The Parliament is bicameral in that it contains two houses. Both Houses meet in the Palace of Westminster, sometimes called the Houses of Parliament.

Composition of the Houses of Parliament
While the House of Commons is directly elected by universal adult sufferage on average every four to five years, the House of Lords is made up largely of appointed members, along with Bishops of the Church of England and a small number of hereditary peers elected by members of the hereditary peerage. All hereditary peers except those holding titles in the Peerage of Ireland used to have seats in the House of Lords by right, though females and Peers of Scotland (the latter having been represented by 16 of their number under the 1707 Treaty of Union) only obtained this right in 1963. That right was removed in 1999. Further reform of the membership of the House of Lords is planned by the present Government. See House of Commons and House of Lords.

The Houses of Parliament (Palace of Westminster) in 2003,
with The London Eye in the background.
The United Kingdom possesses an uncodified constitution (often called an unwritten constitution), that is to say that there is no one single constitutional document. Instead Britain's constitution consists of important Acts of Parliament, constitutional conventions and traditions. Many of these govern parliament and the relationship between the parliament, as the legislature, and the executive, Her Majesty's Government.
Parliamentary functions
For the judicial function of the House of Lords see Judicial functions of the House of Lords.

Legislation
Laws, in draft form known as Bills, may be introduced by any member of either house, a Member of Parliament or MP in the House of Commons, or Peer of the Realm with a seat in the House of Lords. Each Bill goes through a number of stages in whichever House it originated in, before being sent to the other House. Both Houses need to pass the Bill, but in the event of a disagreement, under a series of Parliament Acts, the House of Commons, after a set period of time, can deem a Bill to have gone through the Lords. The final stage involves the Bill being sent to the Queen of the United Kingdom to receive the Royal Assent. Without the Royal Assent, a Bill cannot become law. However no monarch since Queen Anne at the beginning of the eighteenth century has refused to give the Royal Assent (ie, vetoed a Bill). When the Queen signifies her Assent, a Bill becomes an Act of Parliament.
While any MP or peer can introduce a Bill, in reality most Bills are introduced by Ministers of the Crown (ie members of the cabinet) with regard to areas that are the responsibility of their government department. The role of Parliament is largely to revise and to improve legislation coming from the government.

Supporting the executive
The British government is answerable to the lower house, the House of Commons. However, neither the prime minister nor members of the government are elected by the House of Commons. Instead, the Queen asks the person most likely to command a majority in the House, normally the leader of the largest party in the House of Commons, to form a government. A government cannot operate without the confidence of the House of Commons.
Unlike some countries where the legislature and executive are separated, in the United Kingdom all ministers must be members of either House of Parliament. Thus, Parliament acts as a recruiting ground for ministers.

Scrutinising the executive
Parliament controls the executive by passing or rejecting its Bills and by forcing Ministers of the Crown to answer to parliament for their actions (known as Question Time or Parliamentary Questions - known as PQs: questions to the Prime Minister are called PMQs or to answer questions in a parliamentary committee) or in extreme cases by forcing a government to resign or call a general election (the option of which route to take if defeated rests in the first instance with the Prime Minister). The House of Commons can force a government down this route by

voting down a Motion of Confidence
passing a Motion of No Confidence
withdrawing Supply (ie, by rejecting a budget.)

In any one of these cases, a resignation or a general election must follow.
Many votes are automatically considered votes of confidence. The new government's policy agenda is outlined in the Queen's Speech, also known as the Speech from the Throne, in which the Queen at the State Opening of Parliament formally reads a speech written by the government outlining its policies and what Bills it proposes to introduce into parliament. Once the speech has been delivered it is then debated in the House of Commons, allowing the MPs to approve or reject it. Sometimes other votes may be designated confidence votes by the Government, meaning that it will resign if it does not win the vote.
Where a Government has lost the confidence of the House of Commons, the Prime Minister must either (a) resign, or (b) seek a parliamentary dissolution and call a new general election. Where a prime minister has ceased to retain a majority in that vote and requests a dissolution, the Queen can in theory reject his request, forcing his resignation and allowing the Leader of the Opposition to be asked to form a new government. This power however is very rarely used, and is only used in emergencies. The conditions that should be met to allow such a refusal are known as the Lascelles Principles.
In practice, the House of Commons' scrutiny of the Government is very weak. Since there is a first-past-the-post voting system in general elections (rather than e.g. proportional representation) the governing party tends to enjoy a large majority in the Commons; there is often limited need to compromise with other parties. Since many governing party MP's are employed within the government, then they form part of the so-called payroll vote and are reluctant to oppose the government in the divisions (when the MP's divide to enter the voting booths to cast their votes). Modern British political parties are so tightly organised that they leave relatively little room for free action by their MP's, and the power of Parliament vis-a-vis the Executive has definitely dclined since the late 19th century. Nonetheless, power is still exercised in less dramatic and obvious ways, by select committees (set up in 1979 to scrutinise government departments) and by government backbenchers through the party.

Origins of Parliamentary Democracy
Prior to the 1640s, there was no standing Parliament in England. The word 'parliament' designated one of a series of temporary committees, summoned occasionally at the pleasure of the King. Parliaments had no right to give orders to the King, and no means to enforce their wills. Their power was based primarily on the fact that the King, lacking a centralized bureaucratic government, greatly needed the willing and sympathetic cooperation of the English gentry in order to govern. Their power also had some basis in the prestige they held in the eyes of many Englishmen. By the early 17th century a King who mistreated his parliaments courted unpopularity.
Parliamentary supremacy arises primarily from the English Civil War in the seventeenth century when members of the Long Parliament organized a Parliamentary army to resist the army of King Charles I. Parliamentary forces defeated the forces of King, and the remaining members of Parliament declared themselves the legitimate government of England. They tried and executed the King (the first time in European history that a King was tried by his own subjects) and reorganized the nation as a republic. In order to avoid certain connotations that the term republic carried at the time, they chose to describe the new state as the Commonwealth. The new government failed to become stable, however, and had to be reorganized several times, until finally Oliver Cromwell, whose military successes in the war had made him the most respected man in the government, took supreme power as Lord Protector (a politically acceptable term for dictator).
After Cromwell's death, no single man was able to fill the same role. The Monarchy was reinstated and Charles II invited back in 1660, with Parliament remaining as a full-time part of the system of governance. In the Glorious Revolution of 1688, Parliament deposed the Roman Catholic King James II/VII [1] and his infant heir and gave the throne to his protestant daughter and her husband, William of Orange. They reigned jointly as Mary II and William III. Parliament excluded all catholic descendants of James II/VII from the throne. Since then the monarch has been generally subservient to parliament. But full parliamentary control of the executive did not occur until the Great Reform Act of 1832, that broadened the voting franchise and so made parliament the full representative of public opinion. Since then, parliament had been dominant, though the monarch still remains an important player in government, with government governing through the Royal Prerogative (ie, powers of the monarch) and with the monarch's formal approval still being required for Acts of Parliament and Orders-in-Council (executive orders).
Since the creation of the Kingdom of Great Britain that unified the crowns of England and Scotland in 1707, Parliament has been very nearly sovereign (known as the supremacy of Parliament), with the power to make or repeal nearly any law. That dominance continued in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland (formed in 1801 when the crowns of Great Britain and Ireland were merged) and the modern United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (formed in December 1922 when twenty-six of Ireland's thirty-two counties left to form the Irish Free State. However Parliament has never been completely sovereign, although it has often acted as if it were. In particular its sovereignty over the Church of Scotland was disputed for three centuries with Parliament finally admitting its lack of sovereignty in the 1920s. More recently sovereignty has been further eroded by the European Union which, since Britain's accession to the European Economic Community in 1973, has the power to make laws which must be enforced in each member state, including Britain. On a regional level, a series of sub-parliaments or devolved adminstrations took over the day to day governance of certain regions, specificially Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. However, whereas it cannot block European legislation from the European Union (to which at a governmental level it can contribute and help shape) it can vary the powers of the devolved parliaments or even abolish them by a simple Act of Parliament.
A Parliament of sorts (consisting of the Barons, without any commoners) has existed for a very long time; the Barons first started stripping the King's powers away with the Magna Carta in 1215 but Parliament in a more recognisable form did not arise until many centuries later. Also, unlike now, Parliament only convened for short periods of time, and was then disbanded until the King called it again. Kings disliked calling Parliament, because the Members of Parliament were not under their control and so could cause problems. However, Parliament held the purse strings, so the King could not always ignore them, or bribe them, given that parliaments were not representative of public opinion, with many MPs elected from Rotten boroughs (corrupt constituencies where often only a handful of electors lived and could be bribed to elect a supporter or opponent of the King). These origins are reflected in the modern role of the monarch. It is she who formally summons, prorogues and dissolves parliament. At the moment that the latter royal order is made, all the MPs cease to hold office, with the resultant vacancies being filled by a general election. However this is always done on the advice (instruction) of Her Majesty's Government, which as it is answerable to parliament does parliament's wishes, or at least does not ignore the view of parliament, though parliament itself is not consulted.
See also:
Constitutional monarchy
Prime Minister
unwritten constitution
HP Sauce
Black Rod
Intelligence and Security Committee
Cabinet of the United Kingdom
UK topics

Note
[1] James II/VII's two ordinals denote his position as King James II of England and King James VII of Scotland. After England and Scotland were joined by the 1707 Act of Union British monarchs ceased to use Scottish ordinals. Were they still doing so, the modern Queen Elizabeth II would be Queen Elizabeth II/I, reflecting the fact that there never was a Queen Elizabeth I of Scotland. In fact GPO letter boxes in Scotland do not have EIIR for the insignia for this very reason. They use ER for the insignia unlike English, Welsh and Northern Irish letter boxes.

External Link

Live broadcasts of both houses of Parliament (when sitting)
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Parliament of the United Kingdom."

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Westminster

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

Westminster is an area in central London, part of the City of Westminster.
"Westminster" is often used as shorthand for the Palace of Westminster, which houses the Parliament of the United Kingdom and also, in a similar but contrary way, for the government (rather than legislature), which has many departments in the area (see Whitehall).
"Westminster" is also used in reference to the Westminster System, the democratic system of government that has evolved in the United Kingdom. The Westminster System is used or adapted for use in some nations, especially those formerly part of the British Empire and currently in the British Commonwealth.
"Westminster" is also sometimes used as shorthand for Westminster Abbey, the traditional place of coronation and burial for English monarchs, or for Westminster School, a particularly grand and ancient English public school.
Westminster is also the name of a number of places in the United States of America:
Westminster, California
Westminster, Colorado
Westminster, Maryland
Westminster, Massachusetts
Westminster, South Carolina
Westminster, Vermont

Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Westminster."

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Westminster (town), Vermont

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

Westminster is a town located in Windham County, Vermont. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 3,210.
Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 119.5 km² (46.1 mi²). 119.3 km² (46.1 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.0 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 0.06% water.
Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there are 3,210 people, 1,246 households, and 843 families residing in the town. The population density is 26.9/km² (69.7/mi²). There are 1,412 housing units at an average density of 11.8 persons/km² (30.6 persons/mi²). The racial makeup of the town is 97.73% White, 0.40% African American, 0.28% Native American, 0.22% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 0.34% from other races, and 1.03% from two or more races. 0.69% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race. There are 1,246 households out of which 34.6% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.5% are married couples living together, 8.8% have a woman whose husband does not live with her, and 32.3% are non-families. 24.4% of all households are made up of individuals and 6.7% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.58 and the average family size is 3.06. In the town the population is spread out with 27.3% under the age of 18, 5.5% from 18 to 24, 29.8% from 25 to 44, 27.1% from 45 to 64, and 10.3% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 38 years. For every 100 females there are 95.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 93.1 males. The median income for a household in the town is $44,263, and the median income for a family is $49,615. Males have a median income of $32,365 versus $26,303 for females. The per capita income for the town is $20,019. 10.0% of the population and 7.1% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 10.8% are under the age of 18 and 8.1% are 65 or older.
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Westminster (town), Vermont."

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Westminster (village), Vermont

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

Westminster is a village located in Windham County, Vermont. As of the 2000 census, the village had a total population of 276.
Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 3.4 km² (1.3 mi²). None of the area is covered with water.
Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there are 276 people, 118 households, and 78 families residing in the village. The population density is 80.7/km² (209.1/mi²). There are 124 housing units at an average density of 36.3 persons/km² (93.9 persons/mi²). The racial makeup of the village is 100.00% White, 0.00% African American, 0.00% Native American, 0.00% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 0.00% from other races, and 0.00% from two or more races. 0.00% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race. There are 118 households out of which 28.0% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.6% are married couples living together, 7.6% have a woman whose husband does not live with her, and 33.1% are non-families. 25.4% of all households are made up of individuals and 10.2% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.34 and the average family size is 2.85. In the village the population is spread out with 20.3% under the age of 18, 9.4% from 18 to 24, 21.0% from 25 to 44, 33.3% from 45 to 64, and 15.9% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 44 years. For every 100 females there are 84.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 86.4 males. The median income for a household in the village is $47,969, and the median income for a family is $54,643. Males have a median income of $30,833 versus $26,375 for females. The per capita income for the village is $22,261. 2.7% of the population and 0.0% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 0.0% are under the age of 18 and 5.1% are 65 or older.
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Westminster (village), Vermont."

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Westminster Abbey

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

The Abbey at night, from Dean's Yard (Large)
Formally titled The Collegiate Church of St Peter, Westminster, this mainly Gothic church, on the scale of a cathedral, in London is the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English monarchs.

History
First built by Edward the Confessor between 1045 - 1065 in the Norman style, it replaced an earlier church on the same site. It was built as an abbey for the Benedictine monks and was consecrated on December 28, 1065. It was rebuilt in the Gothic style between 1245 - 1517, with Henry VII adding a perpendicular style chapel in 1503.

Westminster Abbey
In 1579, Elizabeth I re-established Westminster as a "royal peculiar" -- a church responsible directly to the sovereign, rather than the Archbishop of Canterbury -- and made it a school, the Collegiate Church of St. Peter. Since then, the head has been not a bishop (although the Abbey is the seat of the Bishop of London) but a dean, appointed by the monarch. Until the 19th century, Westminster was the third seat of learning in England, after Oxford and Cambridge. It was here that the first third of the King James Bible Old Testament and the last half of the New Testament were translated.

Coronations
William the Conqueror was the first monarch crowned in the Abbey and all subsequent English monarchs (except Edward V and Edward VIII, who did not have coronations) have been crowned there. The Archbishop of Canterbury is the traditional cleric in the coronation ceremony.

Burials
The church contains the bones of St Edward the Confessor as well as the remains of many other famous people. These include:

Clement Attlee
Robert Browning
Geoffrey Chaucer
Charles Darwin
Charles Dickens
John Dryden
William Ewart Gladstone
George Friderich Handel
Dr Samuel Johnson
Ben Jonson
Lord Kelvin
Rudyard Kipling
David Livingstone
Isaac Newton
Laurence Olivier
William Pitt the Younger
William Pitt the Elder
Henry Purcell
Ernest Rutherford
Edmund Spenser
Alfred Lord Tennyson
Ralph Vaughan Williams

Oliver Cromwell was buried in the abbey but Charles II ordered his remains removed. There is also a memorial statue of William Shakespeare, though his remains are interred in Stratford-upon-Avon.

Schools
Westminster School and Westminster Abbey Choir School are also on the grounds of the Abbey. Westminster School was originally founded by the Benedictine monks in 1179.

Transport
Nearest London Underground stations:
St. James' Park (District, Circle lines)
Westminster (Jubilee, District, Circle lines)

See also

List of other famous burial sites

External links

Westminster Abbey
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Westminster Abbey."

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Westminster School

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

Motto: Dat Deus Incrementum
Westminster School (in full, The Royal College of St. Peter at Westminster, but almost always referred to as Westminster School'\, or even just Westminster', for short) is an ancient English public school, located by Westminster Abbey in Westminster, in central London, and with a history stretching back to the 12th century.

History
The School originally became a public school (and so available to all members of the public, provided that they could pay for tuition costs) in 1179, as the educational part of the Roman Catholic Abbey at Westminster, the Benedictine monks being required to provide a small charity school by decree of Pope Alexander III.
However, this arrangement changed in 1540, when King Henry VIII ordered the dissolution of the Benedictine Monasteries of the Catholic Church in England, the King ensuring the School's survival by statute, becoming The College of St. Peter and carrying on, with forty "King's Scholars" funded from the royal purse. Although during Queen Mary I's brief reign the Abbey was reinstated as a Roman Catholic monastery, it was redissolved on Queen Elizabeth I's accession, and neither of these events had a major impact on the School.
Elizabeth I formally founded the School as a separate body in 1560 with an endowment to keep 40 "Queen's Scholars" at all times, with this date being generally accepted as the date that the school was "founded", although final independence from the Crown was only achieved with the 1868 Public Schools Act.
In 1943 Westminster Under School was formed as a semi-separate entity for the teaching of day pupils from the ages of 8 to 13 (now 7 to 13). Originally situated in Little Dean's Yard (the main square of the School), it later took residence in Vincent Square after it was left to the School by Lord Vincent. In 1967 the first girl pupil was admitted to the School, with girls becoming full members of the (Upper) School from 1973 onwards.

Little Dean's Yard from Liddell's Arch (Large)

Location
The School is located primarily in the former grounds of the now-defunct monastery at Westminster Abbey, its buildings surrounding the (private) square Little Dean's Yard (known as 'Yard'), off Dean's Yard, where Church House, the headquarters of the Anglican Church, is sited, along with some of the Houses, the Common Room, and College Hall. The humanities are taught in Sutcliffe's on the neighbouring Great College Street (named after the sweet shop that used to occupy the ground floor of the building in the 19th century), and the Robert Hooke Science Centre is located some way away, just off Smith Square. Further, College Garden, to the East of Little Dean's Yard, is believed to be the oldest garden in England, under continuous cultivation for at least the last thousand years.

Notable buildings
The 14th century Abbott's dining hall, now named 'College Hall', is thought to be one of the oldest and finest examples of medieval refectory in existence.
'College' (which houses the Houses of College, Dryden's and Wren's) is a dressed stone building bordering College Garden, the former monastery's Infirmary garden, which is now the property of Westminster Abbey. It dates from 1729, and was designed by the Earl of Burlington based on earlier designs from Sir Christopher Wren.
'School', the School's main hall and former monks' Dormitory, which is used for Latin Prayers (a weekly assembly with prayers spoken in the Westminster-dialect of Latin), exams, and large concerts, plays and the like. It was formerly used, from 1599 onwards, to accommodate the pupils when taught, the Upper and Lower Schools being split by a curtain hung from a 16th century bar made of pig iron, which remains the largest piece of pig iron in the world. The stone steps and entranceway to School have been attributed as the work of Inigo Jones, and is engraved with the names of many pupils who bothered to hire a stonemason, though the practice no longer occurs. The panelling within the hall similarly bears the coats of arms of many former pupils, though in a more formal manner.
The roofs of both School and College were destroyed by an incendiary bomb in 1941 dropped as part of The Blitz, the buildings being re-opened by George VI in 1950.
Customs
A service is given in Latin each year in Westminster Abbey, called 'Little Commem', in which the School celebrates its founders, most notably Elizabeth I. Every third year a much larger service is given in its place, and called 'Big Commem'.
On Shrove Tuesdays since 1753 the 'Greaze' takes place in School, in which the head cook is required to throw a horsehair pancake over the bar that used to separate the parts of the schoolroom, over which elected members of the school are to fight for one minute whilst being watched over by the Dean of Westminster Abbey and the Head Master, the pupil with the largest piece after the minute is up being the winner, and awarded a sovereign. Were the cook to fail to get the 'pancake' over the bar within 3 tries, he or she would have been booked, or beaten to death with (rather heavy) Latin primers; it is rumoured that this has taken place on (at least) one occasion.
The privilege of being the first in the land to acclaim the coronation of the new sovereign at coronation in Westminster Abbey is reserved for the current Queen's Scholars, who sit in a high chamber in the main tower of the Abbey.
The Latin Play, acted by members of College is presented annually in College, with a prologue and humorous epilogue given (in Latin) by the head of the House (known as the Master Of The Queen's Scholars, regardless of their sex) on contemporary events. No other school in the world can claim to have carried this ancient custom, inaugurated by Elizabeth I in 1560, almost without interruption to the present day.

Entry
There are 4 main points of entry for prospective pupils:

For the Under School, at ages 7 and 11, judged by combination of internal exam and interview.
For the Lower School, at age 13, judged by either Common Entrance, a standardised, national (though not official) set of exams for entrance to independent schools, for standard entry, and the Challenge, an internal set of exams, for scholarship entry, as well as interview.
For the Upper School, at age 17, judged by GCSE results and interview. Only this point of entry is allowed for girls.

As well as the "Queen's Scholars", whereby one third of the fees are paid from endowment, and of which there are (almost always) 8 in each year, pupils applying for entry under the Challenge have available a small number, usually 2, of (non-monetary) Honorary Scholarships. Those entering the Lower School also have the opportunity to obtain scholarships based on musical talent, and bursaries for those whose parents are not able to fund their tuition. Ignoring scholarships and bursaries, annual fees before incidentals range from £9000 (approx. $15000 US) for pupils at the Under School to £19000 (approx. $30000 US) for boarding pupils.

Year names
Westminster has an unusual system for naming the school years, which can cause confusion to those not familiar with the system. For this reason the Under School changed to the nationally standard year names in September 1997.

Under School (no longer in use)
Year 3: Year not in existence until after names were dropped
Year 4: Petty B
Year 5: Petty A
Year 6: Form 1
Year 7: Form 2
Year 8: Remove
Great School
Year 9 : Vth Form
Year 10: Lower Shell
Year 11: Upper Shell
Year 12: VIth Form
Year 13: Remove

When the above names were phased out, entrance to the Under School was at 'about' 8 (though in practice, many entrants were 7); now the cut-off is precise (pupils must be 7 on the first day of the school year to join Year 3), which means that while direct comparison is not possible, it has been speculated that Year 3 would have been called 'Petty C'.

Houses
The School is split into 11 Houses, some which are 'day Houses' (and only admit day-pupils, those who go home after school), the others having a mix of day-pupils and boarders. The Houses are named after OWW (Old Westminsters) well known to the school if not the world in general. Houses are used as a focus for pastoral care and social and sporting activities, as well as bedrooms for boarders.
Day houses:
Asburnham
Dryden's
Hakluyt's
Milne's
Wren's

Boarding houses:
Busby's
Grant's
Rigaud's
Liddell's
Purcell's (girl boarders only)

There is also 'College', the House for the Queen's Scholars (all of whom board), but which has assigned to it some of the (non-boarding) girls who enter the School in the VIth form.

Rigaud's House (far right), Grant's House (right), residence of the Master of the Queen's Scholars (centre) and College (far left) (Large)

Sport
The School has one of only a few Eton Fives courts in the world, being different from Fives in having a buttress and step, and semi-regularly fields pupils as national entries in international competitions in rowing, or "Water", and fencing.

Former pupils
The following people were educated at Westminster, and are usually listed with OW (Old Westminster) after their name (collectively, OWW):

Ben Jonson (1573 - 1637), poet and dramatist
George Herbert (1593 - 1633), public orator and poet
John Dryden (1631 - 1700), poet and playwright
John Locke (1632 - 1704), philosopher
Sir Christopher Wren (1632 - 1723), architect and scientist, co-founder of the Royal Society
Robert Hooke FRS, SRS (1635 - 1703), British scientist
Henry Purcell (1659 - 1695), composer
Charles Wesley (1707 - 1788), Methodist preacher and writer of over 6,000 hymns
Edward Gibbon, FRS (1737 - 1794), historian
Jeremy Bentham (1748 - 1832), lawyer, eccentric, and philosopher
A. A. Milne (1882 - 1956), author and journalist
Sir John Gielgud (1904 - 2000), actor and director
Sir Peter Ustinov (born 1921), actor, writer and director
Tony Benn (born 1925), politician
Peter Brook (born 1925), theatre director
Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber (born 1948), composer and producer
Helena Bonham Carter (born 1966), model and actress
Dido Armstrong (born 1971), British musician under the name "Dido"

A more comprehensive list is available.

External links

Westminster School website
Westminster School Boat Club website

Further reading

John Field - The King's Nurseries: The Story of Westminster School - James & James - 1987 - ISBN 0-907-38301-7
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Westminster School."

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Westminster System

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

The Westminster System is a democratic system of government modelled after that of the United Kingdom and in use in a number of Commonwealth nations such as Canada, Australia, Singapore, Jamaica, Ireland, New Zealand, and India. It is a series of procedures for operating a legislature. Although Westminster systems are parliamentary systems, there are parliamentary governments, such as Germany and Italy, whose legislative procedures differ considerably from the Westminster system.
Aspects of the Westminster system include:
an executive branch made up of members of the legislature;
the presence of opposition parties;
a bicameral or unicameral legislature, where each house usually is elected on a different basis and/or for different terms, or where the members of the upper house (=British House of Lords, Australian Senate) are somehow appointed - the upper house usually has less power than the lower house (=British House of Commons, Jamaican house of Representatives). See Senate, House of Commons;
a ceremonial head of state who is different from the head of government who may possess reserve powers which are not normally exercised.

Most of the procedures of a Westminster system are typically defined by convention, practice and precedent rather than codification through a written constitution. In fact, it is common for the constitutional documents of a Westminster system not to even mention the head of government.

Operation
In a Westminster system, the members of parliament are elected by popular vote. A government is then formed by a party or coalition of parties that can command the support of the majority of parliament (usually in fact the majority in the lower house). The leader of this group is then named head of government by the ceremonial head of state, usually called the President (in republics), King/Queen (in independent monarchies) or Governor-General (in states where the Head of State is the Queen of the United Kingdom and the Governor-General is her representative in the State; in this case the Governor-General who is usually appointed by the Queen, acts as the de facto head of state).
The head of government, usually called the Prime Minister must be able to control a majority of seats within the elected legislative chamber. If the parliament passes a resolution of no confidence or if the government fails to pass a major bill such as the budget, then the government must resign and new elections are called. The head of government can ask the head of state to dissolve the legislature and call for new elections and must do so periodically. Although the dissolution of the legislature and the call for new elections is formally done by the head of state, by convention the head of state acts according to the wishes of the head of government and does not possess any independent authority.

Ceremonies
The Westminster system has a very distinct appearance when functioning, with many British customs incorporated into day-to-day government function. A Westminster-style parliament is usually a long, rectangular room, with two rows of seats and desks on either side. The chairs are positioned so that the two rows are facing each other. The intended purpose of this arrangement is to create a visual representation of the conflict-filled nature of parliamentary government. Traditionally, the opposition parties will sit in one row of seats, and the government party will sit in the other. Of course, sometimes a majority government is so large, it must use the "opposition" seats as well.
At one end of the room sits a large chair, for the Speaker of the House. The speaker usually wears a black robe, and in many countries, a wig. Robed parliamentary clerks often sit at narrow tables between the two rows of seats, as well.
Other ceremonies associated with the Westminster system include an annual throne speech (or equivalent) in which the Head of State gives a special address (written by the government) to parliament about what kind of policies to expect in the coming year, and lengthy "opening of parliament" ceremonies that often involve the presentation of a large, ceremonial mace.

Consequences
There are a number of consequences of the Westminster system. They tend to have extremely well-disciplined legislative parties in which it is highly unusual and generally suicidal for a legislator to vote against their party and in which no confidence votes are very rare. Also, Westminster systems tend to have strong cabinets in which cabinet members other than the prime minister are politicians with independent basis of support. Conversely, legislative committees in Westminster systems tend to be weak.
Another convention of the Westminster system at least used to be that ministers were responsible for the actions of their department (even though government departments can be huge bureauracies with powerful senior staff), so if the department was responsible for a major misjudgement, blame would fall on the minister regardless of whether they were involved or even aware of the situation. Such a convention of ministerial responsibility, if it were ever explicitly followed, is now ignored, with ministers now only forced to resign when they become such an embarrassment to their government that they are too much of a political liability to leave in their post.
A related convention is that members of the Cabinet are collectively seen as responsible for government policy and ministers must publicly support the policy of the government regardless of their private reservation. A minister is duty-bound to resign if they cannot publicly support the government's position.
Countries that follow the Westminster system, at least partly, include:
The United Kingdom -- see British politics
Canada -- politics of Canada
Australia -- politics of Australia
New Zealand -- politics of New Zealand
Singapore
Jamaica
India

See also:
Magna Carta
English Civil War
Glorious Revolution
English Bill of Rights
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Westminster System."

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Westminster tube station

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

Westminster tube station on the London Underground serves the Circle, District and Jubilee lines. It was re-opened on December 22 1999 as part of the Jubilee Line Extension (although the Circle and District line services never stopped running). A vast 30m (90ft) cave was excavated underneath the old station to house the escalators to the deep-level Jubilee Line, the deepest ever excavation in central London. The station also serves as the foundations for Portcullis House, home to MP's offices.
As with other stations on the Jubilee Line Extension, the Jubilee Line platforms at Westminster have a glass barrier, with its own set of sliding doors, between the platform and the tracks to assist in controlling air circulation (and presumably, extra safety).

Westbound Jubilee line platform (Large)
The station's cavernous design, by Michael Hopkins & Partners, won it a 2001 Royal Institute of British Architects Award and earned it a place on the shortlist for the RIBA's prestigious Stirling Prize.

Escalators down to the Westbound Jubilee line platform (Large)

Nearby attractions

Westminster Abbey
Palace of Westminster
Downing Street
The London Eye
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Westminster tube station."

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Westminster, California

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

Westminster is a city located in Orange County, California. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 88,207.
Geography

Westminster is located at 33°45'5" North, 117°59'38" West (33.751418, -117.993929)¹. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 26.2 km² (10.1 mi²). 26.2 km² (10.1 mi²) of it is land and none of it is covered by water.
Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there are 88,207 people, 26,406 households, and 20,411 families residing in the city. The population density is 3,368.6/km² (8,724.2/mi²). There are 26,940 housing units at an average density of 1,028.8/km² (2,664.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 45.79% White, 0.99% African American, 0.61% Native American, 38.13% Asian, 0.46% Pacific Islander, 10.19% from other races, and 3.84% from two or more races. 21.70% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race. There are 26,406 households out of which 37.8% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.4% are married couples living together, 12.4% have a female householder with no husband present, and 22.7% are non-families. 16.9% of all households are made up of individuals and 7.4% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 3.32 and the average family size is 3.71. In the city the population is spread out with 25.9% under the age of 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 32.6% from 25 to 44, 21.5% from 45 to 64, and 11.2% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 34 years. For every 100 females there are 99.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 97.9 males. The median income for a household in the city is $49,450, and the median income for a family is $52,677. Males have a median income of $37,157 versus $28,392 for females. The per capita income for the city is $18,218. 13.5% of the population and 10.7% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 18.0% are under the age of 18 and 7.9% are 65 or older.
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Westminster, California."

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Westminster, Colorado

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

Westminster is a city located in both Adams County, Colorado and Jefferson County, Colorado. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 100,940.

Geography
Westminster is located at 39°52'24" North, 105°3'26" West (39.873418, -105.057222)¹.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 85.1 km² (32.9 mi²). 81.6 km² (31.5 mi²) of it is land and 3.5 km² (1.4 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 4.14% water.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there are 100,940 people, 38,343 households, and 26,034 families residing in the city. The population density is 1,236.9/km² (3,203.9/mi²). There are 39,318 housing units at an average density of 481.8/km² (1,248.0/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 84.19% White, 1.23% African American, 0.74% Native American, 5.48% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 5.52% from other races, and 2.76% from two or more races. 15.23% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 38,343 households out of which 35.7% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.6% are married couples living together, 9.6% have a female householder with no husband present, and 32.1% are non-families. 23.7% of all households are made up of individuals and 4.5% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.62 and the average family size is 3.15.
In the city the population is spread out with 26.9% under the age of 18, 9.6% from 18 to 24, 36.0% from 25 to 44, 21.0% from 45 to 64, and 6.5% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 33 years. For every 100 females there are 100.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 98.9 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $56,323, and the median income for a family is $63,776. Males have a median income of $41,539 versus $31,568 for females. The per capita income for the city is $25,482. 4.7% of the population and 3.1% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 5.1% are under the age of 18 and 6.3% are 65 or older.
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Westminster, Colorado."

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Westminster, Louisiana

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

Westminster is a town located in East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 2,515.
Geography

Westminster is located at 30°24'34" North, 91°5'19" West (30.409491, -91.088678)¹. According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 3.0 km² (1.1 mi²). 3.0 km² (1.1 mi²) of it is land and none of it is covered by water.
Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there are 2,515 people, 978 households, and 718 families residing in the town. The population density is 851.8/km² (2,206.4/mi²). There are 1,009 housing units at an average density of 341.7/km² (885.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the town is 93.92% White, 3.34% African American, 0.12% Native American, 0.80% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 0.52% from other races, and 1.31% from two or more races. 2.07% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race. There are 978 households out of which 31.0% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.3% are married couples living together, 9.6% have a female householder with no husband present, and 26.5% are non-families. 22.5% of all households are made up of individuals and 7.5% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.52 and the average family size is 2.96. In the town the population is spread out with 23.8% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 24.4% from 25 to 44, 29.9% from 45 to 64, and 15.1% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 42 years. For every 100 females there are 95.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 89.0 males. The median income for a household in the town is $54,929, and the median income for a family is $70,972. Males have a median income of $47,475 versus $38,405 for females. The per capita income for the town is $28,087. 1.9% of the population and 1.9% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 1.7% are under the age of 18 and 0.0% are 65 or older.
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Westminster, Louisiana."

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Westminster, Maryland

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

Westminster is a city located in Carroll County, Maryland. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 16,731. It is the county seat of Carroll County⁶.
Geography

Westminster is located at 39°34'36" North, 77°0'0" West (39.576551, -77.000120)¹. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 14.8 km² (5.7 mi²). 14.8 km² (5.7 mi²) of it is land and none of it is covered by water.
Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there are 16,731 people, 6,420 households, and 3,762 families residing in the city. The population density is 1,131.3/km² (2,929.4/mi²). There are 6,755 housing units at an average density of 456.8/km² (1,182.7/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 91.28% White, 5.49% African American, 0.23% Native American, 1.20% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.65% from other races, and 1.11% from two or more races. 1.78% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race. There are 6,420 households out of which 32.4% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.5% are married couples living together, 12.6% have a female householder with no husband present, and 41.4% are non-families. 34.2% of all households are made up of individuals and 14.5% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.35 and the average family size is 3.05. In the city the population is spread out with 24.1% under the age of 18, 14.5% from 18 to 24, 31.4% from 25 to 44, 16.8% from 45 to 64, and 13.2% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 33 years. For every 100 females there are 87.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 83.4 males. The median income for a household in the city is $40,477, and the median income for a family is $50,879. Males have a median income of $37,186 versus $28,419 for females. The per capita income for the city is $20,320. 9.6% of the population and 7.9% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 11.5% are under the age of 18 and 9.5% are 65 or older.
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Westminster, Maryland."

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Westminster, Massachusetts

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

Westminster is a town located in Worcester County, Massachusetts. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 6,907.
Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 96.7 km² (37.3 mi²). 92.0 km² (35.5 mi²) of it is land and 4.7 km² (1.8 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 4.90% water.
Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there are 6,907 people, 2,529 households, and 1,954 families residing in the town. The population density is 75.1/km² (194.5/mi²). There are 2,694 housing units at an average density of 29.3/km² (75.9/mi²). The racial makeup of the town is 97.50% White, 0.46% African American, 0.14% Native American, 1.14% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 0.14% from other races, and 0.61% from two or more races. 1.11% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race. There are 2,529 households out of which 36.9% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.8% are married couples living together, 8.1% have a female householder with no husband present, and 22.7% are non-families. 17.7% of all households are made up of individuals and 6.6% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.73 and the average family size is 3.09. In the town the population is spread out with 26.8% under the age of 18, 6.1% from 18 to 24, 28.9% from 25 to 44, 27.3% from 45 to 64, and 10.9% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 39 years. For every 100 females there are 99.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 95.4 males. The median income for a household in the town is $57,755, and the median income for a family is $61,835. Males have a median income of $45,369 versus $31,818 for females. The per capita income for the town is $24,913. 3.1% of the population and 3.0% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 1.5% are under the age of 18 and 5.1% are 65 or older.
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Westminster, Massachusetts."

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Westminster, South Carolina

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

Westminster is a city located in Oconee County, South Carolina. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 2,743.
Geography

Westminster is located at 34°39'59" North, 83°5'43" West (34.666292, -83.095352)¹. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 8.9 km² (3.4 mi²). 8.9 km² (3.4 mi²) of it is land and none of the area is covered with water.
Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there are 2,743 people, 1,191 households, and 761 families residing in the city. The population density is 307.9/km² (796.6/mi²). There are 1,333 housing units at an average density of 149.6/km² (387.1/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 85.60% White, 11.81% African American, 0.04% Native American, 0.18% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 1.20% from other races, and 1.17% from two or more races. 2.48% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race. There are 1,191 households out of which 26.9% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.7% are married couples living together, 14.6% have a female householder with no husband present, and 36.1% are non-families. 32.2% of all households are made up of individuals and 13.9% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.30 and the average family size is 2.90. In the city the population is spread out with 23.5% under the age of 18, 9.6% from 18 to 24, 27.0% from 25 to 44, 24.6% from 45 to 64, and 15.3% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 38 years. For every 100 females there are 89.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 84.0 males. The median income for a household in the city is $30,802, and the median income for a family is $36,678. Males have a median income of $30,104 versus $21,690 for females. The per capita income for the city is $17,121. 9.3% of the population and 6.8% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 14.2% are under the age of 18 and 9.8% are 65 or older.
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Westminster, South Carolina."

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Westminster, Texas

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

Westminster is a city located in Collin County, Texas. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 390.
Geography

Westminster is located at 33°21'19" North, 96°26'50" West (33.355228, -96.447358)¹. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.7 km² (1.8 mi²). 4.7 km² (1.8 mi²) of it is land and 0.55% is water.
Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there are 390 people, 140 households, and 112 families residing in the city. The population density is 82.7/km² (214.7/mi²). There are 161 housing units at an average density of 34.2/km² (88.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 97.18% White, 0.26% African American, 0.26% Native American, 0.26% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 2.05% from other races, and 0.00% from two or more races. 5.90% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race. There are 140 households out of which 32.1% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.9% are married couples living together, 11.4% have a female householder with no husband present, and 20.0% are non-families. 17.1% of all households are made up of individuals and 4.3% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.79 and the average family size is 3.13. In the city the population is spread out with 27.7% under the age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 31.5% from 25 to 44, 25.9% from 45 to 64, and 6.9% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 35 years. For every 100 females there are 97.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 104.3 males. The median income for a household in the city is $42,083, and the median income for a family is $45,000. Males have a median income of $30,938 versus $24,063 for females. The per capita income for the city is $17,248. 10.4% of the population and 5.9% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 18.8% are under the age of 18 and 0.0% are 65 or older.
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Westminster, Texas."

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Synonym: Westminster

Synonym: City of Westminster (n). (additional references)

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Synonyms within Context: Westminster

Context	Synonyms within Context (source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus).
Tribunal	Assize, eyre; wardmote, burghmote; barmote; superior courts of Westminster; court of record, court oyer and terminer, court assize, court of appeal, court of error; High court of Judicature, High court of Appeal; Judicial Committee of the Privy Council; Star Chamber; Court of Chancery, Court of King's or Queen's Bench, Court of Exchequer, Court of Common Pleas, Court of Probate, Court of Arches, Court of Admiralty; Lords Justices' court, Rolls court, Vice Chancellor's court, Stannary court, Divorce court, Family court, Palatine court, county court, district court, police court; sessions; quarter sessions, petty sessions; court-leet, court-baron, court of pie poudre, court of common council; board of green cloth.
Source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus.

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Crosswords: Westminster

English words defined with "Westminster": Arches Court ♦ City of Westminster, Collegiate church, Common pleas, coronate, crown ♦ Downing Street ♦ Edward the Confessor ♦ Fan vaulting ♦ Nisi prius ♦ Saint Edward the Confessor, St Edward the Confessor ♦ The lord chamberlain of England, Trial at bar ♦ Westminster Abbey, Westminster Confession. (references)

Specialty definitions using "Westminster": AFFIDAVIT MEN, ARTHUR, Astrea ♦ Blind Magistrate ♦ Charing Cross, Coronation Chair, CROMWELL ♦ Dirty Lane ♦ GALLEY FOIST ♦ Hammer of the Scotch, Havering ♦ IRVING ♦ Jerusalem Chamber ♦ LONG MEG, Long Meg of Westminster ♦ Misnomers, Monk of Westminster ♦ Peeping Tom of Coventry, Poets, Poets' Corner, Poets Laureate, Primate ♦ Queen's Day ♦ Rare Ben, Rings Noted in Fable ♦ Saxon Relics, Schools, Sitting in Banco, Slums, Sun Inn ♦ WESTMINSTER WEDDING. (references)

Non-English Usage: "Westminster" is also a word in the following languages with English translations in parentheses.

Hungarian (Westminster), Swedish (Westminster).

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Modern Usage: Westminster

Domain

Usage

Movie/TV Titles

King Edward and Queen Alexandra on Their Way to Westminster (1902)

The King and the Queen Returning from Westminster (1902)

Westminster Street (1900)

The Marriage of the Earl of Crewe and Lady 'Peggy' Primrose at Westminster Abbey (1899)

Westminster Abbey (1996)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

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Commercial Usage: Westminster

Domain	Title
References	National Westminster Bank Plc: International Competitive Benchmarks and Financial Gap Analysis (reference) Royal Boskalis Westminster NV: International Competitive Benchmarks and Financial Gap Analysis (reference) Westminster Capital, Inc.: International Competitive Benchmarks and Financial Gap Analysis (reference) (more reference examples)

Books	Breeding and Showing Purebred Dogs: More Adventures on the Road to Westminster (reference) The Westminster Guide to the Books of the Bible (reference) Top Dogs : Making it to Westminster (reference) Westminster Confession of Faith: A Study Manual (reference) (more book examples)

Periodicals	National Westminster Bank Quarterly Review (reference) Westminster Herald (reference) Westminster Theological Journal (reference) Westminster Window (reference) (more periodical examples)

Theater & Movies	Christmas Glory from Westminster (reference) Westminster Kennel Club Dog Ca (reference) For God & Country - Canterbury / Westminster Abbey - A House of Kings (reference) Westminster Abbey: A House of Kings (reference) (more DVD examples; more video examples)

Music	Popular Organ Music from Westminster Abbey (reference) (more classical music examples; more popular music examples)
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

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Image Slideshow: Westminster

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Photo Album: Westminster

Thumbnail	Description & Credit	Thumbnail	Description & Credit
	The New Order of St. Katherine for Nurses : A Sketch in the Bouverie Ward, Westminster Hospital. Credit: National Library of Medicine.		Westminster Hospital and Abbey Church / Drawn by T.Salmon from a sketch by R. Garland. Engraved by I. Woods. Credit: National Library of Medicine.
	Westminster St., Providence, Rhode Island. Credit: Library of Congress.		Richard II on the throne in England--From an ancient painting in Westminster Abbey. Credit: Library of Congress.
	Westminster High Bridge, Bellows Falls, Vt. Credit: Library of Congress.		S.O. Grimes general store, Westminster, Md. Credit: Library of Congress.
	Victory Gardens--for family and country. A thriving Victory Garden--not on an island, but in a London bomb crater, close to Westminster Cathedral. Where the Nazi's sowed death, a Londoner and his wife have sown life-giving vegetables. Credit: Library of Congress.		Westminster Station (vicinity) Vermont, along U.S. Highway 5. Credit: Library of Congress.
	Edwin H.B. Pratt, residence, Westminster School, Simsbury, Connecticut. Dining room. Credit: Library of Congress.		Westminster Chapel, West Hartford, Connecticut. Entrance detail. Credit: Library of Congress.
Source: pictures compiled by the editor from various references; see picture credits.

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Digital Photo Gallery: Westminster


"Westminster" by Daniel Mohorovic Commentary: "Amazing panorama from the london eye, london..."	"Westminster Abbey" by Philip Jackson Commentary: "Westminster Abbey, London. taken fro a Westminster boys school window."
Source: photographs selected by the editor, with permission from the photographers.

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Historic Usage: Westminster

Author	Date	Quotation
Winston S. Churchill	1946	I am glad to come to Westminster College this afternoon, and am complimented that you should give me a degree. ("Iron Curtain" Speech)
Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

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Non-Fiction Usage: Westminster

Subject	Topic	Quote
Business		This sector is also covered comprehensively by the International Franchise Research Center (IFRC) at the University of Westminster through various reports and special studies, all of which are published by Lloyds Bank Plc and the IFRC. The following data are drawn either from the annual BFA survey published in 1998 the IFRC reports. (references)
Economic History	St. Lucia	St. Lucia is a parliamentary democracy modeled on the Westminster system. (references)
	Belize	Belize is a parliamentary democracy on the Westminster model and is a member of the Commonwealth. (references)
	The Bahamas	As under the Westminster system, the government may dissolve the parliament and call elections at any time. (references)
Political Economy	Jamaica	Jamaica is a member of the British Commonwealth and follows the Westminster Parliamentary model. (references)
	Trinidad	Trinidad and Tobago is a parliamentary democracy based on the Westminster model, with an active opposition and lively political debate in the media. (references)
	Uk	The Northern Ireland Assembly was elected in 1998 and significant powers, including education and regional development, were devolved from Westminster to the Northern Ireland Executive in December 1999. Westminster retained important authorities, including taxation and security. (references)
Trade	Senegal	Its foreign correspondent banks include Bankers Trust Company in New York, Swiss Bank Corporation, Royal Bank of Canada, National Westminster Bank of London, ING in Holland and Standard Bank of South Africa. (references)
Lexicography	Devil's Dictionary	PRIMATE, n. The head of a church, especially a State church supported by involuntary contributions. The Primate of England is the Archbishop of Canterbury, an amiable old gentleman, who occupies Lambeth Palace when living and Westminster Abbey when dead. He is commonly dead.
Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits.

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Spoken Usage: Westminster

Speaker	Phrase(s)
Dennis Miller	Look, you have to admit that Israel is in more of a no-win situation than a Ballpark Frank entering the Westminster Dog Show.
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

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Usage Frequency: Westminster

"Westminster" is generally used as a noun (proper) -- approximately 97.79% of the time. "Westminster" is used about 2,167 times out of a sample of 100 million words spoken or written in English. Its rank is based on over 700,000 words used in the English language. Some parts-of-speech are not covered due to the samples used by the British National Corpus. (note: percents less than one-hundredth of one percent have been omitted)

Parts of Speech	Percent	Usage per 100 Million Words	Rank in English
Noun (proper)	97.79%	2,119	4,106
Noun (singular)	2.21%	48	49,194
Total	100.00%	2,167	N/A

Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.

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Usage in Company Names: Westminster

Country	Name	Country	Name
Netherlands	Royal Boskalis Westminster NV	United Kingdom	National Westminster Bank Plc
USA	Westminster Capital, Inc.
	(more examples...)

Source: compiled by the editor from Icon Group International, Inc.

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Cities: Westminster

1. Westminster, CA (city, FIPS 84550)
Location: 33.75140 N, 117.99305 W
Population (1990): 78118 (25852 housing units)
Area: 26.0 sq km (land), 0.0 sq km (water)
Zip Code(s): 92683
Country: USA

2. Westminster, CO (city, FIPS 83835)
Location: 39.88150 N, 105.05085 W
Population (1990): 74625 (29868 housing units)
Area: 69.4 sq km (land), 0.3 sq km (water)
Zip Code(s): 80021, 80030
Country: USA

3. Westminster, LA (CDP, FIPS 80920)
Location: 30.40705 N, 91.08977 W
Population (1990): 2582 (979 housing units)
Area: 3.0 sq km (land), 0.0 sq km (water)
Country: USA

4. Westminster, MA
Zip Code(s): 01473
Country: USA

5. Westminster, MD (city, FIPS 83100)
Location: 39.57877 N, 77.00766 W
Population (1990): 13068 (5469 housing units)
Area: 14.3 sq km (land), 0.0 sq km (water)
Country: USA

6. Westminster, SC (town, FIPS 76165)
Location: 34.66621 N, 83.09163 W
Population (1990): 3120 (1367 housing units)
Area: 9.0 sq km (land), 0.0 sq km (water)
Country: USA

7. Westminster, TX (town, FIPS 77680)
Location: 33.35887 N, 96.45788 W
Population (1990): 388 (156 housing units)
Area: 4.7 sq km (land), 0.0 sq km (water)
Country: USA

8. Westminster, VT (village, FIPS 81325)
Location: 43.07626 N, 72.45602 W
Population (1990): 399 (125 housing units)
Area: 4.3 sq km (land), 0.0 sq km (water)
Country: USA

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Expression: Westminster

Expressions using "Westminster": city of Westminster ♦ North Westminster ♦ Westminster Abbey ♦ Westminster Assembly ♦ Westminster Confession ♦ Westminster East ♦ Westminster South. Additional references.
Hyphenated Usage
	Beginning with "Westminster": westminster-directed, Westminster-hall, westminster-style.
	Ending with "Westminster": Devizes-westminster.
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

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Frequency of Internet Keywords: Westminster

The following statistics estimate the number of searches per day across the major English-language search engines as identified by various trade publications. Hyperlinks lead to commercial use of the expression at Amazon.com.

Expression	Frequency per Day	Expression	Frequency per Day
westminster md	497	westminster maryland	57
westminster ca	436	city of new westminster	56
westminster	403	california mall westminster	44
westminster co	294	savings westminster	42
westminster abbey	272	westminster sc	41
westminster college	217	westminster choir college	39
westminster mall	168	westminster california	36
westminster dog show	146	westminster theological seminary	35
city of westminster	122	westminster confession	35
university of westminster	110	westminster real estate	34
westminster colorado	110	westminster school district	32
national westminster bank	93	westminster teak	32
new westminster	81	duke westminster	31
westminster home	81	new westminster canada	28
westminster school	78	church presbyterian westminster	28
club kennel westminster	77	ca mall westminster	27
westminster ma	69	westminster confession of faith	26
westminster hotel	60	westminster cathedral	26
city of westminster colorado	58	westminster wood	26
westminster high school	58	city of westminster california	25
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

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Modern Translation: Westminster

Language		Translations for "Westminster"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses.
Bulgarian		Английският Парламент, Уестминстерското Абатство. (various references)

Chinese		威斯敏斯特. (various references)

Danish		ur med westminsterklokkespil (Westminster chiming clock). (various references)

Dutch		Westminsterklok (Westminster chiming clock). (various references)

French		carillon de Westminster (Westminster chiming clock). (various references)

German		Uhr mit Westminster-Schlag (Westminster chiming clock). (various references)

Greek		καριγιόν του Ουέστμινστερ (Westminster chiming clock). (various references)

Hungarian		Westminster. (various references)

Italian		carillon di Westminster (Westminster chiming clock). (various references)

Korean		웨스트민스터. (various references)

Manx		Yn Mannishter Heear. (various references)

Pig Latin		estminsterway.(various references)

Portuguese		catedral ocidental. (various references)

Russian		Английский Парламент, Вестминстер. (various references)

Serbo-Croatian		vestminster. (various references)

Spanish		carillon de Westminster (Westminster chiming clock). (various references)

Swedish		Westminster. (various references)
Source: compiled by the editor from various translation references.

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Misspellings: Westminster

Misspellings
	"Westminster" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: westminister. (additional references)
Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references).

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Anagrams: Westminster

Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams
	Words within the letters "e-e-i-m-n-r-s-s-t-t-w"
	-1 letter: strewments.
	-2 letters: insetters, interests, misenters, sternites, strewment, triteness.
	-3 letters: emitters, entwists, insetter, interest, metrists, minsters, misenter, missteer, newsiest, retwists, sentries, sternest, sternite, stinters, termites, trientes, trimness, trisemes, twenties, twinsets, twisters, westerns.
	-4 letters: emetins, emitter, entires, entries, entwist, ermines, estrins, inserts, merises, messier, metiers, metisse, metrist, minster, minters, missent, misters, mittens, nemesis, nesters, netters, nettier.
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro.

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INDEX

1. Definition
2. Synonyms
3. Crosswords
4. Usage: Modern

5. Usage: Commercial
6. Images: Slideshow
7. Images: Photo Album
8. Images: Digital Art

9. Quotations: Historic
10. Quotations: Non-fiction
11. Quotations: Spoken
12. Usage Frequency

13. Names: Company Usage
14. Cities
15. Expressions
16. Expressions: Internet

17. Translations: Modern
18. Derivations
19. Anagrams
20. Bibliography

	Labour Party	408
	Conservative Party	163
	Liberal Democrats	54
	Scottish National Party	5
	Democratic Unionist Party	5
	Plaid Cymru	4
	Sinn Féin	4
	Ulster Unionist Party	3
	Independent Unionist	3
	Social Democratic and Labour Party	3
	Independent Conservative	1
	Independent Labour	1
	Independent	1
	Speaker and Deputies	4

Westminster

Definition: Westminster

Westminster

Noun

Specialty Definition: British House of Commons

External links

City of Westminster

Demographics of Westminster

Metropolitan Borough of Westminster

Palace of Westminster

Parliament of the United Kingdom

Note

Westminster

Westminster (town), Vermont

Geography

Demographics

Westminster (village), Vermont

Geography

Demographics

Westminster Abbey

See also

External links

Westminster School

Further reading

Westminster System

Westminster tube station

Westminster, California

Geography

Demographics

Westminster, Colorado

Westminster, Louisiana

Geography

Demographics

Westminster, Maryland

Geography

Demographics

Westminster, Massachusetts

Geography

Demographics

Westminster, South Carolina

Geography

Demographics

Westminster, Texas

Geography

Demographics

Synonym: Westminster

Synonyms within Context: Westminster

Tribunal

Crosswords: Westminster

Modern Usage: Westminster

Movie/TV Titles

Commercial Usage: Westminster

References

Books

Periodicals

Theater & Movies

Music

Image Slideshow: Westminster

Photos:Westminster

Illustrations:Westminster

Computer Images:Westminster

Photo Album: Westminster

Digital Photo Gallery: Westminster

Historic Usage: Westminster

Winston S. Churchill

Non-Fiction Usage: Westminster

Lexicography

Devil's Dictionary

Spoken Usage: Westminster

Dennis Miller

Usage Frequency: Westminster

Usage in Company Names: Westminster

Royal Boskalis Westminster NV

National Westminster Bank Plc

Westminster Capital, Inc.

Cities: Westminster

Expression: Westminster

Frequency of Internet Keywords: Westminster

Photos:
Westminster

Illustrations:
Westminster

Computer Images:
Westminster