Definitions (Ch 6+9)

Question 1

Bill of rights

Answer 1

Authoritative statement of rights of citizens

Question 2

Codified constitution

Answer 2

Single document that sets out rights of citizens and powers of state

Question 3

Uncodified constitution

Answer 3

Powers of state and rights of citizens drawn from several different sources, both written and unwritten

Question 4

Entrenchment

Answer 4

Making a law secure in constitution and very difficult to change (codified constitution)

Question 5

Fundamental law

Answer 5

Law that forms the foundation of a government

Question 6

Judicial review

Answer 6

Power of senior judges to review actions of government to decide if they are lawful or not

Question 7

Statute Law

Answer 7

Law derived from Acts of Parliament and subordinate legislation

Question 8

Common law

Answer 8

Law derived from decisions in court cases and general customs

Question 9

Royal prerogative

Answer 9

Discretionary powers of the crown that are exercised by government ministers

Question 10

Conventions

Answer 10

Established norms if political behaviour rooted in past experiences rather than law

Question 11

Parliamentary sovereignty

Answer 11

Parliament is supreme law making body and not subject to higher authority

Question 12

Rule of law

Answer 12

System of rule where the relationship between the state and individuals is governed by law

Question 13

Civil liberties

Answer 13

Fundamental freedoms that all citizens are entitled to in a liberal democracy

Question 14

Unitary state

Answer 14

Power is concentrated in the political centre and all parts of the state are governed in the same way

Question 15

Union state

Answer 15

A state in which different parts are governed slightly differently but with a strong central element

Question 16

Constitutional monarchy

Answer 16

Monarch is formal head of state but all powers are exercised by the government

Question 17

Devolution

Answer 17

Transfer of political power from central government to regional or subnational government

Question 18

Decentralisation

Answer 18

Devolving power away from executive to separate, non-governmental bodies

Question 19

Civil law

Answer 19

Disputes between individuals or groups that are settled by courts

Question 20

Criminal law

Answer 20

Deals with crimes by an individual or group against the state

Question 21

Supreme Court

Answer 21

Highest court of appeal in the UK

Question 22

Constitution

Answer 22

Set of laws, rules and practices that control the institutions and individuals of the state

Question 23

Judicial Independence

Answer 23

Those in the judiciary are free from political control

Question 24

Judicial neutrality

Answer 24

Judges operate impartially in their administration of justice

Question 25

Ultra vires

Answer 25

Going beyond powers/authority

Question 26

3 Labour constitutional reforms

Answer 26

Decentralisation
Devolution (Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly)
Parliamentary reform (abolished hereditary peers in HoL)

Question 27

Rights

Answer 27

Legal or moral entitlements to have something or believe in a certain way

Question 28

Civil Liberties

Answer 28

Fundamental freedoms enjoyed by all in a liberal democracy