Key Terms Flashcards
Citizenship
Being a citizen of a country and being vested with the right and responsibilities of that state
Common law
Law made by the decisions of judges over the years
Criminal law
Law which deals with individuals who break the law, and which punishes offenders because they have broken laws that parliament has stated we must all obey
Democracy
A system of government, where citizens are able to vote in regular and fair elections for representatives, who will make laws and decisions on their behalf
Executive
The branch of the government, which is responsible for putting laws or decisions into effect
EU (European Union)
An economic and political union between a number of European countries, who work closely together
First past the post
The voting system used in the UK to elect members of some local councils and members of parliament, whereby the candidate with the most votes in a constituency wins.
Coalition
An agreement between political parties to form a government
Direct democracy
Where the people decide on the policy directly, for example through a vote or referendum on each issue
General election
When the citizens of a country vote to elect a new government. A general election in the UK usually happens once every 5 years
Government
The individuals who have been elected to run the state, led by the prime minister (PM) in the uk
Houses of commons
An elected body currently consisting of 650 members of parliament. It is the lower house of parliament and meets in the Palace of Westminster
Houses of lords
The upper house of parliament, meeting in the Palace of Westminster. It comprises of life peers and hereditary peers, who scrutinise the bills approved by the House of Commons.
Human rights
Basic rights and freedoms which all people are entitled to
Interest group
An organisation which tries to influence the government to adopt certain policies on a particular issue.
Judiciary
Branch of the state that is responsible for enforcing the law. It comprises judges and other legal officials.
Juries
A group of local people who are chosen randomly to make a decision in a legal case.
Legislature
The law making body of the state ie the Parliament
Lobbying
A person or group of people meeting or taking action (eg writing letters, demonstrating, petitioning) to try to persuade a politician to take up their cause
Local government
A system of government that operates at a local level providing services to its community.
LOCALISM
When people in a particular local area are able to make decisions about policies which affect their local area
Media = a means of communication
Mass media: television, radio, printed media which can reach a large number of people.
New media: the internet and social media