British Constitution Flashcards
Key features of the English constitution
Uncodified
Unitary
Rule of law
Parliamentary sovereignty
What are the sources of the uk constitution
Statute law
Common law
Conventions
Treaties
Works of authority
When was the Magna Carta
1215
When was the Bill of Rights
1689
When was the Act of Settlement
1701
When was the European Communities Act
1972
When were the Parliament Acts
1911
1949
When was the Freedom of information act
2000
When was the Fixed-term parliament act
2011
What does uncodified mean
Found in a variety of sources
What does unitary mean
All power ultimately derives from central government
What does rule of law mean
Everyone is equally subject to the laws of the land
What does parliamentary sovereignty mean
Parliament is the supreme authority
Statute law example
Human Rights Act 1998
Common law example
Right to free expression
Convention example
Salisbury convention
Authoritative works example
The English Constitution
Treaty examples
ECHR
What principles did the Magna Carta introduce
Everyone, including the king, was subject to the law
Fair trial
What principles did the Bill of Rights introduce
Elections must be free
Freedom of speech within parliament - parliamentary privilege
No taxation without parliaments approval
What principle did the Act of Settlement introduce
Only Protestants could become monarch or married to the monarch
What principles did the Parliament Acts introduce
1911 - removed absolute veto (2 year delay)
1949 - delay to 1 year
What did the European Communities Act do
Entry into the EU
When was the House of Lords reformed
1999
How was the House of Lords reformed
All but 92 hereditary peers removed
What act was introduced in 1998
HRA
When was the Constitutional Reform Act introduced
2005
What did the Constitutional Reform Act do
Supreme Court established
JAC created
Law Lords removed
Lord Chancellor role reformed
In the Freedom of Information Act 2001 how could you receive information
Published annual reports
Freedom of information requests
Strengths of the Freedom of Information Act 2001
Popular - 44,000 cases in 2020
Scrutiny via requests
Example of scrutiny via the Freedom of Information Act
MPs expenses scandal 2009
Weakness of the Freedom of Information Act 2001
Refuse requests - 50% declined in 2020
Due to the Fixed Term Parliament Act what did Parliament need for an election
2/3 majority
Vote of no confidence
When was the Fixed Term Parliament Act repealed
2021
