Government: Constitution

Question 1

What does a constitution mean?

Answer 1

The rules and practises that define the political system of a state (country).

Question 2

What does an uncodified constitution mean?

Answer 2

When the constitution comes from multiple different sources, not written as one single document.

Question 3

What does a codified constitution mean?

Answer 3

The constitution is written as one single document.

Question 4

What is a constitutional monarchy?

Answer 4

When a monarch is subjected to constraints on their power by a constitution, they therefore have limited power.

Question 5

What four things does a constitution define?

Answer 5

• How power is distrusted
• The rights of citizens
• How a political system works
• The powers and functions of a government

Question 6

What type of constitution does Britain have?

Answer 6

Uncodified

Question 7

Why is a constitution needed?

Answer 7

A constitution is a solution to the problems of power.

Power tends to corrupt.

Question 8

Britain is an __________ constitution.

Answer 8

Evolutionary

Question 9

What does an evolutionary constitution mean for Britain?

Answer 9

They have never had a revolution, but it was close in 1650’s when Oliver Cromwell was Lord Protector.

Question 10

When was the Magna Carta made?

Answer 10

1215

Question 11

When was the Bill of Rights?

Answer 11

1689

Question 12

What does the Magna Carta state?

Answer 12

The king is not above the law and it established the Rule of Law, which is still used today.

Question 13

Why is the Bill of Rights important?

Answer 13

+ Affirmed the rights of parliament
+ Regular elections
+ Free elections
+ Freedom of speech within parliament

Question 14

When was the Act of Settlement?

Answer 14

1701

Question 15

What does the Act of Settlement state?

Answer 15

Establishes the right of parliament to determine the line of succession to the throne.

Question 16

When were the Acts of Union?

Answer 16

1707

Question 17

Why is the Acts of Union still important?

Answer 17

Lead to the creation of Great Britain until the Scottish Devolution in 1997 when Scotland got their own parliament

Question 18

Who proposed the “Fusion of Powers”?

Answer 18

Walter Bagehot

Question 19

What does the Fusion of Powers mean?

Answer 19

The UK’s system in which members of the executive are also members of the legislature.

Question 20

When was the Constitutional Reform Act?

Answer 20

2005

Question 21

What are the 5 features of a U.K. Constitution?

Answer 21

• Parliamentary sovereignty
• The rule of law
• Unitary state
• Parliamentary Government
• Constitutional Monarchy

Question 22

What does Parliamentary sovereignty mean?

Answer 22

• Parliament is the bases of all power
• Has the power to shape/ re-shape the constitution
• Above the government

Question 23

What does the Rule of Law mean?

Answer 23

• Nobody is above the law, particularly MP’s.

- Subject to legal checks, constraints and the same justice.

Question 24

What does unitary state mean?

Answer 24

• Federal country
• Highly centralised state
• Retained government
• Regional parliaments
• Can be taken away from parliament

Question 25

What does a parliamentary government mean?

Answer 25

• There’s a fusion of powers between the executive and parliament
• The government and parliament overlap / inter-lock
  + They govern through and in parliament

Question 26

What does a constitutional monarchy mean in practice?

Answer 26

• Monarch is dignified institutional, apolitical
• Promotes popular allegiance
• They must say yes to new laws or they would look undemocratic
• Has the right to be informed and consulted to warn and encourage