Already answered here:



As a Bloody Foreigner™, I also find it a bit... to put it mildly... unusual. But I have some native friends who swear that it is the best system in the known universe and surrounding villages.

The British legal system and, in extension, life in general, is very much based on the idea of the precedent. In other words, "it is how it is because it's always been that way". That mentality is deeply ingrained in the national psyche and is probably at least part of the reason 52% of the population feel the distance from other countries, with their "it is how it is because the rules say so" mentality. They don't see the reason to have rules: just keep doing what we have always been doing and we will be OK. The ruling party refusing to call an election? Shock, horror, unthinkable! It has never happened before, why should it happen now?

BTW when I say life in general, I really mean it. My favourite example is that the Brits put two separate taps for hot and cold water even in new installations. Why? Because it's always been that way