Out of the 195 countries across 6 continents, 190 have a ‘national legislature,’ or in other words, a parliament. The thing is, every country has its own take on a governing body. The story of Britain’s Westminster system is one that binds commonwealth countries together and differentiates them at the same time, with quirky takes on a quirky system.
Brittain: The Real Birthplace of Democracy
While this might sound like a contemptuous claim, I will endeavour to present the evidence as clearly as possible:
Magna Carta
Ever seen Robin Hood? Or better yet, read the books? Well, Robin’s nemesis, the villainous King John, was a very real king of England, and a pretty tyrannical one at that.
At the time, England’s barons—noblemen who got land for fighting the king’s wars, mostly against the French—were getting fed up. The wars in Normandy had gone badly, and they saw John as weak, nicknaming him “softsword.” To win back Normandy, John raised taxes, but still failed.
Don’t feel sorry for him; even by medieval standards, his rule was brutal. You could be blinded, castrated, or killed for poaching, or starved for rebelling. He had run-ins with the church, ignored the barons, and imprisoned many without trial. His nephew mysteriously disappeared.
By 1215, the barons had had enough. A group formed an army in the north and marched south to meet the king at Runnymede.
So what’s this got to do with parliament? Well, the barons drafted laws that everyone, including the king, had to follow—a step toward a constitutional monarchy. The 63 clauses of the Magna Carta included limits on taxation, the right to trial, and rules like “the punishment should fit the crime” and the “right to due process.”
These ideas may not seem radical today, but at the time, they were. Other European powers later followed suit, but Magna Carta’s influence was uniquely far-reaching.
Westminster
Magna Carta doesn’t mention parliament—none existed. King John’s barons must off taken turns hosting dinner parties and drafting laws, consulting the king via ‘the great council,’ which evolved into parliament.
There’s no single moment parliament as we know it began, but over time the council grew to include not just nobles and clergy, but also commoners, forming the two chambers we know today: the House of Lords and the House of Commons.
By the 13th century, Edward I summoned county and borough representatives, the first glimpse of elected governance (though not by the people). The shift was slow but hit a key moment in 1642, when Charles I and Parliament fell out over religion, power, and taxes. Long story short: Cromwell led Parliament’s forces, overthrew Charles, and separated his body from his head.
After a brief stint as ‘Lord Protector,’ Cromwell died. The exiled heir, Charles II, returned, proving the English love a king.
This new king had far less power. By the Glorious Revolution and the 1689 Bill of Rights, it was clear: monarchs would now reign, not rule.
Australia: A Federation with a Westminster Heart
As you probably know, the King is head of state in Australia, in reality, a symbolic position. Because England is a long way away, the King is represented by the Governor General, Sam Mostyn.
As to the government, power is divided between the six states and the commonwealth or central government. The central government is divided between two houses, the Senate and the House of Representatives, with an independent judiciary. While this sounds pretty similar to the American System, in reality, it’s more Westminster; the party in control and the prime minister are accountable to the government without the executive order and commander-in-chief stuff that American presidents get.
On the other hand, federalism is not really a Westminster thing; federal systems are closer to ancient Greek models of city states and, of course, the US.
Australia’s take on Westminster is also shaped by its unique political culture—pragmatic, consensus-driven, and, if the 2025 elections use of social media is anything to go by, pretty cheeky. Of course, Aussies enjoy the classic Question Time, where strong characters like Bob Katter make big statements and arguments that can get heated. At the same time, there’s a strong culture of holding ministers to account.
The voting system is different too: Australia uses preferential voting, which means voters rank candidates by choice rather than picking just one. This often leads to coalition governments and gives smaller parties more influence—something that doesn’t fly in the British system, where first-past-the-post usually favours two big parties and coalitions are incredibly rare.
Canada: Dual Legal Heritage and Parliamentary Roots
Okay, so the king is head of state, but ceremonially, etc., Power lies in the House of Commons, where the Prime Minister and their government propose laws, and the opposition holds them to account through debate, questioning, and scrutiny. This is where most of the real political action happens.
Then there’s the Senate, Canada’s upper house, which reviews and revises legislation. Like the House of Lords in the UK, the Senate technically has to approve all bills before they become law. In theory, they could block legislation, but in practice, they rarely do, usually opting for amendments rather than outright rejection.
Interesting, Canada’s Senate is not elected like Australia’s–where senators have 6-year terms and half of them are reelected every 3 years. Instead, senators are picked to represent their regions by the prime minister and appointed by the governor general. Senators can serve until they are 7, with one serving for over 30 years.
As you can imagine, this institution, like the House of Lords, is a little controversial, with critics arguing it lacks democratic legitimacy. Supporters, however, claim its independence allows for more thoughtful, less politically driven review of legislation. The debate continues.
Another fun Canadian creation is the Quebec party, which won a significant 22 seats this year, and advocates national sovereignty for Quebec, so if they did win a federal election, I guess they would declare Quebec independent, but awkwardly find themselves in control of Canada?
New Zealand: From Colony to Independent MMP
Beginning as a colony and transitioning into independence, NZ did not take the federal route basically because it’s tiny, and one government to rule over 5 million is plenty. Today, it operates a unicameral parliamentary system with a single House of Representatives, where the prime minister and cabinet are drawn from elected MPs and remain accountable to the legislature.
Interestingly, NZ uses MMP or Mixed Member Proportional representation to fill its benches, where you have two votes on election day: 1) for a party, 2) for a candidate in your electorate. 71 of the 120 seats in parliament are filled by option 2, while the rest, derived from the party vote, are used to “top up” each party’s total seats with ‘list MPs” so that their share in parliament matches their share of the party vote, making coalition governments the norm and giving small parties a chance for a seat as long as they win more than 5% of the vote.
Unlike Canada and Australia, NZ has a long history of partnership between the crown and the indigenous Māori. In 1840, the founding document of New Zealand, the Treaty of Waitangi, was signed by around 500 Māori chiefs, essentially giving the crown power to govern and protect all peoples. Although this treaty is still hotly debated, it laid the groundwork for the current system of partnership with Māori. Of course, the path from colonial power to modern democracy representing the rights of both European settlers and Māori has not always been smooth, and there are issues to this day.
India: A Democratic Giant Born from Colonial Rule
This behemoth of a country took the framework of the British Westminster system and turned it into the world’s biggest democracy. With over 900 million voters, its national parliament has two houses: the Lok Sabha (like the UK’s House of Commons), where the real power lies, and the Rajya Sabha, which represents the states.
The prime minister leads the government and is chosen from the party with the most seats in the Lok Sabha. The president is head of state but mainly symbolic.
Unlike the UK, India is a federal country—power is shared between the central government and 28 states, each with its own government. It also has a written constitution that lays out how everything should work, mixing British ideas with local values and leadership.
India’s democracy isn’t perfect—corruption, communal tensions, and political pressure on institutions are real issues. But the system still works, and elections are hotly contested and hugely participated in. From colonial rule to independence in 1947, India’s journey has created a unique version of Westminster that runs at a scale no one else comes close to.
An Everlasting Legacy?
While every one of these countries has adopted and adapted the Westminster system, the process has not always been smooth. To this day, there are republican movements in Canada, Aus, and NZ with varying degrees of support behind them. The real question is, how long will the British crown reign supreme (on paper at least)? Given the support for the recently crowned king is strong, and the crown is so intertwined with the law in all three countries, I don’t see republicanism making headway any time soon.
Another issue that is not unique to the commonwealth is the independent judiciary–another British idea. Often overlooked, an independent judicial branch exists in all of these countries, but what happens when the country’s most senior judges get too powerful? This is the issue that has led to protests in Israel, as Netanyahu argued that the judiciary is too powerful. On the other hand, just last year, Korean President Yoon attempted a coup to bypass a disagreeable legislature–a move that luckily ended in his impeachment.
I don’t have the answers, and a “good balance of power” is clearly the ideal, but a wishy washy idea. Hopefully, we can build on the institutions that have traveled thousands of miles around the globe to strengthen our free, independent, and democratic nations.
