Governance and Policy-Making Flashcards
Britain’s codified constitution is unique in the sense that it can be modified more easily than the American constitution. True or False
False
Widely agreed-on rules of conduct, rather than law or U.S.-style checks and balances, set the limits of governmental power. True or False
True
In the British system, absolute principles of government are many providing a fundamental and stable structure for the organization of the state and central to governance, policy-making, and patterns of representation. True or False
False
Parliament can make or overturn any law; the executive, the judiciary, and the throne do not have any authority to restrict, veto, or otherwise overturn parliamentary action. True or False
True
Similar to the American presidential system, a British prime minister can veto any acts of Parliament that he deems unacceptable to the public interest. True or False
False
In a classic parliamentary democracy, the prime minister is answerable to the House of Commons and may be dismissed by it. True or False
True
When Britain joined the European Economic Community (EU) in 1973, it acknowledged that European law has force in the United Kingdom without requiring parliamentary assent and that European law overrides British law. True or False
True
The Labour government of Tony Blair introduced a far-reaching program of constitutional reform that created a quasi-federal system, allowing some government decision-making power for legislative bodies in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. True or False
True
Unlike the cabinet in the U.S. government where the president must acknowledge its decisions, a British prime minister can ignore his cabinet as he sees fit. True or False
False
Unlike the French Constitution, which prohibits a cabinet minister from serving in the legislature, British constitutional tradition requires overlapping membership between Parliament and cabinet. True or False
True
A constitutionally mandated mechanism for checking the prime minister is a defeat on a vote of no confidence in the House of Commons. True or False
True
In principle, a prime minister does not need to gain the support of the majority of the members of his cabinet to implement the major legislative agenda. True or False
False
Margaret Thatcher’s style of cooperation and loyalty to her cabinet is what allowed her to serve for over a decade as prime minister. True or False
False
Under Blair, cabinet meetings were usually less than an hour and could not seriously take up (much less resolve) policy differences. True or False
True
Because the cabinet system and the core executive concentrate power at the top, London does not suffer from Washington-style gridlock. True or False
True