As the 21st Century unfolds, a constant presence to Australia remains its former colonial 'mother' country, Great Britain (or its 20th Century term the 'United Kingdom'). The UK gave the world: football, the Beatles, Shakespeare, the industrial revolution and the steam engine. But where is the future leading for the British ?
In demographic terms, the United Kingdom is a very crowded set of little islands. In 2011 the total population of
the United Kingdom including Northern Ireland was 63,181,775 while England's share of the
population was found to be 53 million. It is one of the most densely
populated countries in the world, with 383 people resident per square
kilometre in mid-2003, with a particularly strong concentration located in London and the
south-east. The 2011 census put Scotland's population at 5.3 million, Wales at
3.06 million and Northern Ireland at 1.81 million. In percentage terms England
has had the fastest growing population of any part of the UK (including Ireland) in the period
from 2001 to 2011, with an increase of 7.9%.
Research by the OECD has traced
an image of a highly stratified society in Britain where background determines
a person's success to a far higher degree than in almost any other rich
country. According to the OECD, 'education is not as important for social mobility in Britain as
for other countries. Class is the most likely explanation', according to the Paris-based OECD's economics
department.
The aristocracy, including the landed classes, frequently seek to shore up their financial position and admire the middle and professional classes capacity to generate money. Since the end of the Second World War in 1945, many of the landed families who had large estates found they had little direct cash flow to sustain their way of life. During the 1960s and 1970s it was popular for the landed aristocracy to open zoos and wild animal parks on their estates or to open their large manors as quasi museums to the public.
The Middle Class in England although increasingly wealthy still grudgingly aspire to be titled members of the Aristocracy - to marry into or to obtain a title whether inherited or conferred on merit (to be a Lord, Earl, or be Duke or reach a Knighthood) remains important to the British. When Kate Middleton married Prince William Windsor, the Queen's grandson in 2011, it was a middle class wet dream. Kate Middleton not only had joined the monarchy but had also become the Duchess of Cambridge.
Amongst the lower classes are a group called 'chavs'. This class is often characterised as being rough working class with anti-social behaviour matched with drinking, drug taking, wearing Burberry and otherwise living on welfare. There are many in the middle and upper class/aristocratic classes who secretly admire the chavs with their uncouth, 'stuff this' attitude and its a small badge of honour to have chav acqaintances.
Recent changes in the polity have seen devolution of political power to legislatures in Scotland and Wales rather than being run by the central government in London. With constant pressure for more powers to be conferred to these new quasi states, the question which arises is will the United Kingdom become the 'Untied Kingdom' ?
