1.1 The U.K. Constitution Flashcards
What happened in the Magna Carta 1215?
It established the rule of law should apply to the monarch and they should operate in the framework of the law, first development of today’s constitution.
What happened in the Bill of Rights 1689?
A bill that created parliamentary sovereignty, so Parliament would have the final say on laws and legislation
What did the Act of Settlement 1701 do?
Act specified the rules to the predecessors to the monarch. The monarch should be Protestant and member of the Church of England
What did the Act of a Union 1707 do?
Created a political union between; England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland. Westminster was sovereign
What did the Parliament Acts of 1911 and 1949 do?
Settled the relationship between the Commons and the Lords
- 1911, Lords could delay a bill for up to 2 years
- 1949, reduced to a delay of 1 year
What did the European Communities Act of 1972 do?
The act that joined the UK to the EU
What is a constitution?
A set of rules that determine how a country is governed
What does codified mean?
Written in a single document
What does entrenched mean?
Has a legal status
What does unitary mean?
Where sovereignty lies in a single place
What is federalism?
A constitutional principle that divides up sovereignty between central and regional governments
What are the twin pillars of the constitution?
- parliamentary sovereignty
- rule of law
What is the rule of law?
The idea that no one is above the law
What are the 5 sources of the constitution?
- statute law
- common law
- conventions
- authoritative works
- treaties
What is statute law?
Acts of Parliament, anything that is passed through Parliament is classed as statue law
