Background: Great Britain, the dominant industrial and maritime power of the 19th century, played a leading role in developing parliamentary democracy and in advancing literature and science. At its zenith, the British Empire stretched over one-fourth of the earth's surface. The first half of the 20th century saw the UK's strength seriously depleted in two World Wars. The second half witnessed the dismantling of the Empire and the UK rebuilding itself into a modern and prosperous European nation. As one of five permanent members of the UN Security Council, a founding member of NATO, and of the Commonwealth, the UK pursues a global approach to foreign policy; it currently is weighing the degree of its integration with continental Europe. A member of the EU, it chose to remain outside the Economic and Monetary Union for the time being. Constitutional reform is also a significant issue in the UK. The Scottish Parliament, the National Assembly for Wales, and the Northern Ireland Assembly were established in 1999, but the latter is suspended due to bickering over the peace process.
June 22nd 2008Europe » United Kingdom » Wales » Newport Saturday came and went and I can’t believe that I am still in Wales, led on my sofa pondering.
Did they drink a toast to an absent friend on the plane?
Did Denise go through with her i ... [full story]
June 18th 2008Europe » United Kingdom » Wales » Newport With less than a week to go, I have faced many dilemmas.
· Whether to start watching Big Brother knowing that I won’t be able to see the whole series.
· Whether to have malaria tablets wit ... [full story]
April 21st 2008Europe » United Kingdom » Wales » Newport » Gwent
Planning and prep is well under way after it seemed that we were never going to book our flights! Following a couple of confusing visits to the travel agents we have settled on a departure date of ... 3 photos[full story]
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