Citizenship Flashcards
what are some opportunities to participate in Democracy
voting in elections and referendums
membership in political parties
interest groups, petition groups and e-petitions
what are some barriers when participating in democracy
Age
Time/Money limitations
apathy indifference
what are some advantages to joining a pressure group
meet like-minded people
Further a cause
Gives Minorities a Voice
Raise Awareness.
What are some disadvantages to joining a pressure group
may be subject to harassment/Trolling
The Echo chamber phenomenon
time money commitments
What are some advantages to joining a political party
progression and career opportunities
influencing policy and individual
supporting something you agree with
what are some disadvantages to joining a political party
Costs
Effort and time
Alienation from friends and loved ones
what are some advantages to standing for election
raised profile and status
influencing debates and getting your voice heard
what are some disadvantages for standing for election
time and money commitments
opening yourself for abuse and ridicule
what are the roles of interest groups and pressure groups
raising awareness
campaigning for or against policy or cause
representing specific group
what are the role of trade unions
representing employees
campaigning for employee rights
organising and voting on for industrial action
what are the roles of charities
taking practical action to relieve a problem
providing care for people or services
campaigning and fundraising
When was the magna carta signed
1215
When was Parliament Formed
1259
What happened in 1430
The 40 shilling franchise- to be able to have a say in parliament you must have 40 shillings
What happened between 1536 to 1543
England invades wales
What happened in 1642
The English civil war between the cavaliers and the new model army
What happened in 1649
The fall of the Monarchy
What happened in 1660
the reintroduction of the Monarchy
What happened in 1707
England invades Scotland
What happened in 1801
Ireland gets invaded- Formation of United Kingdom
What happened in 1832
1 in 7 men were able to vote
What happened in 1914
The start of WW1
What happened in 1918
Women get the Vote
What happened in 1945
The rebuilding of the Commons
What happened in 1969
Voting lowered to 18
What is a Democracy
A type of government were the principle of all are equal and hold power is supreme
What does the Legislative do
The Legislative makes law
what is an example of the Legislative
Parliament
What does the Executive do
The executive enforces the Law
Examples of the Executive
Government/Police/Armed Forces/ MI5 (home security)/ MI6 (foreign affairs)
What is the role of the Judiciary
To punish those that break the law
What type of Democracy is the UK
The UK is a Liberal Demoracy
What are our freedoms
We have the:
Freedom of speech
Freedom of movement
Freedom of Media
Freedom of Religion
Freedom of Expression
What is Direct Democracy
Direct Democracy is when Citizens gather together to discuss and decide on issues
What are the values that underpin democracy
The values that underpin democracy are
Democracy
Rule of Law
Equality
Individual Liberty
Tolerance
What are Rights
Rights are legal, social and ethical entitlements everyone has within society
What are Responsibilities
Responsibilities are duties that are placed upon a citizen by a society. For example you are expected to pay taxes and you expected to obey the law
How many are in the House of commons
there are 650 members in the house of commons
How much time is taken up in the commons making Laws
Nearly 50% of all time in the commons is used to make laws
How many are in the House of Lords
760
What are the roles of the House of Lords
They scrutinise laws that are in the process of being made
They conduct a variety of investigations and inquiry’s to help in the making of government policies
What are Civil Servants
Civil Servants are workers in the government who are politically impartial and experts in the field they work in and
Who are civil servants appointed under
the monarchy
What is the constitutional reform act of 2005
The constitutional reform act of 2005 separated the judiciary from parliament and the House of Lords and created the supreme court
What is Devolution
The transfer or delegation of power to a lower power
What are the three types of devolution
Administrative devolution
Financial devolution
Legislative devolution
When was the good Friday agreement signed
1998
What were the terms of the good Friday agreement
There will be an agreed form of power sharing in Northern Ireland
All political prisoners were to be released on licence but if they recommitted they shall serve their full sentence
The decommission of all weapons in the IRA
What are the arguments for devolution
More demand for self governance in the national regions
Each National region has different needs compared to England
More democratic as the people are closer to government
Will reduce the workload of the British parliament and government
What are some arguments against Devolution
May lead to break up of UK
Demand for devolution was over exaggerated
The west Lothian question
What is the closed party list
Voters will cast a single vote for a party. The number of votes a party gets determines the number of party members that are elected
What are the advantages of the Closed Party List
This voting system has more proportionality compared to others
What are the disadvantages of the closed party list
the voter has no choice regarding the order of candidates on the party list
Where is Closed Party List used
European Parliament
What is first past the post
a voting system were the candidates with the most votes wins in a constituency. This is a non-proportional system.
What are the advantages of first past the post
the system is simple to use
What are the disadvantages of first past the post
People can be elected on a minority vote
Governments are elected on a minority of the vote
smaller parties are under-represented
Where is First past the post used
UK parliament
Local authority elections in England
What is Single transferrable vote
proportional system were the electors place candidates in number order of who they want to vote
Each candidate must reach a quota of votes to win
if candidate reaches above the quota then vote is moved to voters lower choices
What are the advantages of Single transferrable vote
Every vote does help elect someone
the result closely matches the votes cast for each party
What are the negatives of Single transferrable vote
Coalition governments are more likely to happen
results can take a long-time to count
Where is single transferrable vote used
European parliament (Northern Ireland)
Northern Ireland Assembly
Northern Ireland local councils
Scottish local councils
How does supplementary vote work
Voters pick a first and second candidate
Once votes have been counted up every candidate except the candidate with the most amount of votes and the runners up are eliminated
Then the candidate who wins is the candidate with the most amount of secondary votes
What are the advantages of Supplementary vote
ensures that the winner has over 50% of the votes cast
What are the disadvantages of Supplementary vote
often the winner relies on others’ second choices
Where is supplementary vote used
Directly elected mayors
Police and crime commissioners
How does the Additional member system work
voters have two votes
one vote is for a candidate to represent the voter which is done through first past the post
The second vote is where you choose the party or individual candidate to represent your region
7 candidates are chosen to represent your region
What are the advantages of the Additional member system
ensures that the wishes of the voters are more closely aligned to the outcome
What are the disadvantages of the Additional member system
Ends up with a member that was directly elected and a member voted from a list
Where is Additional member system used
Scottish parliament
Welsh assembly
Greater London authority
What are the four different types of bills
Public bills
Private bills
Hybrid bills
Private members’ bills
What are Public bills
Proposed by government ministers
these change the law as it applies to the entire population
What are Private bills
Promoted by organisations like local authorities and private companies
only change the law in regard to that one organisation or body
What are Hybrid bills
Bills that affect the general public but also a significant impact on those who proposed the bill
What are Private members’ bills
a form of public bill as they affect the entire population but cannot involve raising taxation. introduced by MP’s and Lords who are not government ministers
What are the steps in making a law
The Green paper
The First Reading
The Second reading
The Committee stage
The Report stage
The Third Reading
The Royal Assent
What is the Green Paper stage
the discussion document about a possible new law. Government will invite MP’s and others to make suggestions.
What is the First Reading
Government publishes White paper which is a proposal for a new law. This becomes a Bill which is then formerly announced.
No discussion at this stage
What is the Second Reading
This the stage where discussions take place about the bill and votes take place at the end of the debate
A second reading is the stage of the legislative process where a draft of a bill is read a second time. A vote is taken on the general outlines of the bill before being sent to committee.
What is the Committee stage
Groups of MP’s from each party will discuss the Bill line by line and vote on amendments
What is the Report stage
Work of the committee is voted on and discussed in the house of Commons
What is the Third Reading
amended legislation is voted upon and is sent to the House of Lords were steps from the first reading to the third reading is repeated and voted upon. Bill returns to house of Commons if Lords Make amendments were further votes take place until Bill is accepted
What is Royal Assent
The Legislation is agreed and signed by the monarch.
How many regions is Britain spit into
9
What are some examples of unitary authorities
Derby, Bristol, Luton
What are unitary authorities responsible for
Education
Highways
Transport planning
passenger transport
social care
Housing
Libraries
Leisure and recreation
Environmental health
Waste collection
Waste disposal
Planning applications
Strategic planning
Local tax collection
What are county councils responsible for
Education
Highways
Transport planning
Passenger transport
Social care
Housing
Libraries
Waste disposal
Strategic planning
How many county councils are there
27
How many district councils are there
201
What are district councils responsibilitys
Housing
Environmental health
Refuse collection
planning
leisure and recreation
What are the roles of a local councillor
represent interests of the local community they were elected by
represent their political party if they stood on the council
campaign for the best interests of the council area
help decide on council policy including the level of council tax and its spending plans
How are local councillors made accountable for their actions
Local media report on the work of the local councillors
Financial expenses claimed from the council by councillors are published
Examples of anti-discrimination legislation
Race relations act 2000
Equal pay act 1970
Sex discrimination act 1975 and 2002
Disability discrimination act 1995 and 2005
Equality acts 2006 and 2010
Who are the members of the jury
randomly selected citizens who determine the outcome of trials
What powers do the police have
they have the ability to stop and search
They are able to arrest
They can entry, search and seize
What is procedure the police have to go through when arresting someone
They must identify themselves as police
They must tell the person they are being arrested
tell the person what crime the police think they committed
Explain why it was necessary to make that arrest
Explain that the arrested person is not free to leave
What are the roles of judges
They preside over court hearings
interpret and apply the law
create case law- when law is unclear judges make new rulings
decide sentencing
protect citizens from overbearing state- can adjudicate if citizens have a grievance about the power of the state
Who are solicitors
people who help in the preparation of the case and advocate it. They also help in the formation of wills, commercial work and land and building issues
Who are barristers
Barristers are employed by solicitors to advocate for their clients in courts- they usual work in Crown, High or appeal court.
What are tribunals
Tribunals are specialist courts who deal with certain areas of the law
What are Ombudsmen
An official who is appointed to check on government activities on behalf of an individual citizen and to investigate complaints that are made
What are the adv of tribunals
can deal with specialised issues
simple and informal procedure
can be cheaper than conventional courts
can be quicker than the court system
What are the disadv of Tribunals
Applicants who pay for legal professionals to represent them have a higher success chance for cases- may highlight financial inequalities
Reasons for decisions reached aren’t always clear
What are the adv of ombudsmen
problems may be solved quickly
may lead to recommended changes taking place in government agencies or local bodies
No cost
Independent from government
What are the disadv of ombudsmen
power restrained as they cannot deal with matters that can be dealt by courts
complaints must be made through elected representative-can be barrier to citizens trying to participate wishing to scrutinise government actions
What are some examples of custodial sentences
Prison
life sentence
extended sentence
determinate sentence
suspended sentence
What is an extended sentence
someone serving an extended sentence must spend at least two-thirds of the sentence in prison and can only be released from prison before the expiry of the full sentence if the Parole Board considers that they no longer pose an unacceptable level of risk to the public; and secondly, the period served on licence can be extended by up to a maximum of five years for a specified violent offence and up to eight years for a specified sexual offence
What is a determinate sentence
fixed term in prison
What is a suspended sentence
sentenced to a maximum of two years but carries out court orders such as unpaid labour or receives treatment for drugs and alcohol to avoid time in prison
What are some non-custodial orders
community service
fine
Ancillary orders
Discharge
What are some ancillary orders
drink banning order
compensation order
restraining order
football banning order
What are unitary authorities
Local authorities that are responsible for all government functions in its area.
How are taxes raised
Sales such as passport applications
Fines and penalties e.g. speeding tickets
income tax, VAT, National insurance
What is the job of parliament
Voting on the passing of legislation
Amending and updating legislation
Representing their constituency
Holding government to account
What is the job of the civil service
Carrying out routine administration
Enacting decisions made by ministers
advising ministers
What is the job of the monarch
Being a figurehead of the united kingdom
meeting weekly with the prime minister
Acting as an experienced advisor
What is the job of the judiciary
interpreting laws passed by Parliament
Deciding on liability and sentencing
interpreting complex legal systems
setting a precedent
What criteria do you need to fulfil to be able to vote
You must be 18 to vote
You must be British, Irish or a commonwealth citizen
You must be registered to vote
You must be resident at a UK address
You cannot have been legally excluded from voting
What are some arguments for reducing the voting age to 16
Young people pay some taxes
Young people are affected by elections
it would encourage young people to be interested in politics
Arguments against reducing the voting age
There are many things which cannot be done at 16
Young people have less life experience
Young people do not always have the majority to make informed decisions
What are factors that affect voter turnout
The weather
The date of elections
big issues of the day
Voter apathy
The average age of the electorate in the constituency
The closeness of the lections
