1.1 The Nature and sources of the UK Constitution Flashcards
Define a constitution
The set of political principles by which a state is governed, especially in the rights of the people it governs
Define Constitutional convention
Unwritten rule which is considered binding even though it is not law
What did the Magna Carta do and in what year?
1215 - established the rule of law.
- Monarch was to act within the framework of the law
What year was the Bill of Rights and what did it do?
- It was in 1689.
- Parliament became sovereign
- Ultimate power on legislation and finances
What year was the Act of Settlement and what did it do?
- 1701
- Monarch as ruler of the UK
- Hereditary principle: succession to the throne
What year was the Act of Union and what did it do?
- 1707
- Abolished the Scottish Parliament
- Sovereignty resided in Westminster
The Parliament Acts 1911 and 1949
- Parliament became sovereign
- Ultimate power on legislation and finances
European Communities Act 1972
- UK joined in 1973 - EU law overrides UK law
Define Codified Constiution
- Contained in a single document
- Created at a single moment in time
- Constitutional laws are clearly separated from other non-constitutional laws
Define Uncodified Constitution
A constitution that is made up of rules what are found in a variety of sources in the absence of a single document
Define Entrenchment
Something that is firmly established and difficult or unlikely to change
Define Unentrenched
Something not firmly ingrained and therefore easier to change according to circumstances
Define Devolution
The decentralisation of governmental power
Define Quasi-federal
A division of powers between central and regional government that has some features of federalism without a formal federal structure
Define Unitary Constitution
A constitution that concentrates sovereign power in a single body
