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1
Q

legitimacy

A

the rightful use of power in accordance with pre-set criteria or widely-held agreements, such as a government’s right to rule following an election or a monarch’s succession based on the ageed rules

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2
Q

direct democracy

A

all individuals express their opinions themselves and not through representatives actring on their behalf. this type of democracy emerged in Athens in classical times and direct democracy can be seen today in referendums

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3
Q

representative democracy

A

a more modern form of democracy through which an individual selects a person (and/or a political party) to act on their behalf to exercise political choice

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4
Q

pluralist democracy

A

a type of democracy in which a government makes decisions as a result of the interplay of various ideas and contrasting arguments from competing groups and organisations

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5
Q

democratic deficit

A

a flaw in the democratic process where decisions are taken by people who lack legitimacy, not having been appointed with sufficient democratic input or subject to accountability

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6
Q

participation crisis

A

a lack of engagement by a significant number of citizens to relate to the political process either by choosing not to vote or to join or become members of political parties or to offer themselves for public office

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7
Q

franchise/suffrage

A

franchise and suffrage both refer to the ability/right to vote in public elections. suffragettes were women campaigning for the right to vote on the same terms as men

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8
Q

think tanks

A

a body of experts brrought together to collectively focus on a certain topic(s) - to investigate and offer solutions to often complicated and seemingly intractable economic, social or political issues

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9
Q

lobbyists

A

a lobbyist is paid by clients to influence the government and/or MPs and members of the House of Lords to act in their clients’ interests, particularly when legislation is under construction

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10
Q

Old Labour (social democracy)

A

key Labour principles embodying nationalisation, redistribution of wealth from rich to poor and the provision of continually improving welfare and state services, which largely rejected Thatcherite/free-market reforms or a Blairite approach

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11
Q

New Labour (third way)

A

a revision of traditional Labour values and ideals represented by Old Labour. influenced by Anthony Giddens, the ‘Third Way’ saw Labour shift in emphasis from a heavy focus on the working class to a wider class base, and a less robust alliance with the trade unions

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12
Q

One Nation

A

a paternalistic approach adopted by Conservatives under the leadership of Benjamin Disraeli in the 19th century and continued by David Cameron and Theresa May in the 21st century, that the rich have an obligation to help the poor

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13
Q

New Right

A

there are two elements - (i) the neo (or new) Conservatives who want the state to take a more authoritarian approach to morality and law and order and (ii) the neo-liberals who endorsed the free-market approach and the rolling back of the state in people’s lives and businesses

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14
Q

classical liberals

A

classical liberalism is a philosophy developed by early liberals who believed that individual freedom would best be achieved with the state playing a minimal role

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15
Q

modern liberals

A

modern liberalism emerged as a reaction against free-market capitalism, believing this had led to many individuals not being free. freedom could no longer simply be defined as ‘being left alone’

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16
Q

party systems

A

the way or manner in which the political parties in a poltical system are grouped and structured. there are several variants that could apply to the UK, these include one-party dominant, two-party, two-and-a-half party and multi-party systems

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17
Q

left-wing

A

a widely-used term for those who desire change, rreform and alteration to the way in which society operates. often this involves rradical criticisms of the capitalism made by liberals and socialist parties

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18
Q

right-wing

A

this term reflects support for the status quo, little or no change, stressing the need for order, stability and hierarchy - generally relates to Conservative parties

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19
Q

First past the post (FPTP

A

an electoral system where the person with the most number of votes is elected. victory is achieved by having one more vote than other contenders - it is also called a plurality system

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20
Q

Additional member system (AMS)

A

a hybrid system that has two componsents or elements. the voer makes two choices. firstly, the voter selects a representative on a simple plurality (FPTP) system then a second vote is apportioned to a party list for a second or ‘additional’ representative

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21
Q

single transferable vote (STV)

A

this system allows voters to rank their voting preferences in numerical order rather than simply having one voting choice. in order to obtain a seat, a candidate must obtain a quota. after the votes are cast, those with the least votes are eliminated and their votes transferred, and those candidates with excess votes above the quota also have their votes transferred

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22
Q

supplementary vote (SV)

A

this is a majoritarian system. the voter makes two choices (hence the term supplementary). if one candidate obtains over 50% on the first vote then the contest is complete. if no candidate attains this level, all but the top two candidates are eliminated. then the supplementary choices are re-distributed and whoever gets the most votes from the remaining two, wins the seat. this form of voting for mayors and police and crime commissioners was ended by the Elections Act 2022

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23
Q

safe seat

A

a seat in which the incumbent has a considerable majority over the closest rival and which is largely immine from swings in voting choice. the same political party retains the seat from election to election. a majority of seats in UK Westminster constituencies are safe seats

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24
Q

marginal seat

A

a seat held by the incumbent with a small majority. there is no precise percentage or winning margin to which this aligns but a 10% margin would need a swing of 5% to the rival party to take it. marginal seats are important as they are where the outcomes of elections are decided. only a minority of seats in UK Westminster constituencies are marginal

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25
minority government
a government that enters office but which does not have a majority of seats in the legislature (parliament). this makes passing legislation very difficult
26
coalition government
a government that is fomred of more than one political party. it is normally accompanied by an agreement over policy options and office of state, as was the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition from 2010-2015
27
class dealignment
the process where individuals no longer identify themselves as belonging to a certain class and for political purposes fail to make a class connection with their voting pattern
28
partisan dealignment
the process where individuals no longer identify themselves on a long-term basis by being associated with a certain political party
29
governing competency
the perceived ability of the governing party in office to manage the affairs of the state well and effectively. it can also be a potential view of opposition parties and their perceived governing competency if they were to secure office
30
dillusion and apathy
a process of disengagement with politics and political activity. having no confident in politics and politicians as being able to solve issues and make a difference. manifested in low turnout at elections and poor awareness of contemporary events
31
manifesto
in its manifesto, a political party will spell out in detail what actions and programmes it would like to put in place if it is successful in the next election - a set of promises for future action
32
mandate
the successful party following an election claims it has the authority (mandate) to implement its manifesto promises and also a general permission to govern as new issues arise
33
hierarchy
the conservative belief that society is naturally organised in fixed tiers, where one's position is not based on individual abilty
34
authority
for conservatives, this is the idea that people in higher positions in society are best able to make decisions in the interests of the whole society; authority thus comes from above
35
change to conserve
that society should adapt to changing circumstances rather than reject change outright and risk rebellion and/or revolution
36
atomism
that society is made up of self-interested and self-sufficient individuals (also known as egotistical individualism)
37
noblesse oblige
the duty of the wealthy and priviledged to look after those less fortunate
38
anti-permissiveness
a rejection of permissiveness, which is the belief that people should make their own moral choices, suggesting there is no objective right and wrong
39
radical
belief whose ideas favour drastic political, economic and social change
40
human imperfection
the traditional conservative belief that humans are flawed in a number of ways which makes them incapable of making good decisions for themselves
41
laissez-faire
a preference towards minimal government intervention in business and the state
42
empiricism
the idea that knowledge comes from real experience and not from abstract theories
43
foundational equality
rights that all humans have by virtue of being born which cannot be taken away (also known as natural rights and inalienable rights)
44
formal equality
the idea that all individuals should hav the sasme legal and political rights in society
45
equality of oppurtunity
the idea that all individuals should have equal chances in life to rise and fall
46
social contract
the idea that the state/society is set up with agreement from the people to respect its laws which serve to protect them
47
meritocracy
a society organised on the basis that success is based on ability and hard work
48
mechanistic theory
the idea that the state was created by 'man' to serve the people and act in their interests
49
tolerance
a willingness to respect values, customs and beliefs with which one disagrees
50
limited government
the role of government is limited by checks and balances, and a separation of powers because of the corrupting nature of power
51
egotistical individualism
the idea that individual freedom is associated with self-interest and self-reliance
52
developmental individualism
the idea that individual freedom is linked to human flourishing
53
negative freedom
the absence of external constraints in society as well as no interference in the private sphere. freedom from...
54
positive freedom
the idea that freedom is about personal fulfillment and realisation of potential. freedom to...
55
laissez-faire capitalism
an economic system, organised by the market, where goods are produced for exchange and profit, and wealth is privately owned
56
keynesianism
an economic system that requires government involvement to stimulate the economy to achieve full employment and price stability
57
harm principle
the idea that individuals should be free to do anything except harm other individuals
58
minimal state
the idea that the role of the state must be restricted in order to preserve individual liberty
59
enabling state
a larger state that helps individuals to achieve their potential and be free
60
fraternity
the bonds of comradeship between human beings
61
co-operation
working collectively to achieve mutual benefits
62
capitalism
an economic system, organised by the market, where goods are produced for exchange and profit, and wealth is privately owned
63
common ownership
is the common ownership of the means of production so that all are able to benefit from the wealth of society and to participate in its running
64
communism
the communal organisation of social existence based on the common ownership of wealth
65
evolutionary socialism
a parliamentary route, which would deliver a long-term, radical transformation in a gradual, piecemeal way through legal and peaceful means, via the state
66
marxism
an ideological system, within socialism, that drew on the writings of Marx and Engels and has at its core a philosophy of history that explains why it is inevitable that capitalism will be replaced by communism
67
revisionism
a move to re-define socialism that involves a less radical view of capitalism and a reformed view of socialism
68
social justice
a distribution of wealth that is morally justifiable and implies a desire to limit inequality
69
class conciousness
the self-understanding of social class that is a historical phenomenon, created out of collective struggle`
70
dialectic
a process of development that occurs through the conflict between two opposing forces. in marxism, class conflict creates internal contradictions within society, which drives historical change
70
keynesian economics
government intervention - can stabilise the economy and aims to deliver full employment and price stability
70
historical materialism
marxist theory that the economic base (the economic system) forms the superstructure (culture, politics, law, ideology, religion, art and social conciousness)
70
unentrenched
a constitution with no special procedure for amendment
70
constitution
a set of rules determining where sovereignty lies in a political system, and establishing the relationship between the government and the governed
71
uncodified
a constitution not contained in a single written document
72
unitary (federal)
a political system where all legal sovereignty is contained in a single place
73
parliamentary sovereignty
the principle that Parliament can make, amend or unmake any law, and cannot bind its successors or be bound by its predecessors
74
the rule of law
the principle that all people and bodies, including government, must follow the law and can be held to account if they do not
75
statute law
laws passed by Parliament
76
common law
laws made by judges where the law does not cover the issue or is unclear
77
conventions
traditions not contained in law but influential in the operation of a political system
78
authoritative works
works written by experts describing how a political system is run, they are not legally binding but are taken as significant guides
79
treaties
formal agreements with other countries , usually ratified by Parliament
80
devolution
the dispersal of power, but not sovereignty, within a political system
81
parliament
the British legislature made up of the House of Commons, the House of Lords and the monarch
82
House of Commons
the primary chamber of the UK legislature, directly elected by voters
83
House of Lords
the second chamber of the UK legislature, not directly elected by voters
84
confidence and supply
the rights to remove the government and to grant or withhold funding. also used to describe a type of informal coalition agreement where the minority partner agrees to provide these things in exchange for policy concessions
85
salisbury convention
the convention whereby the House of Lords does not delay or block legislation that was included in a government's manifesto
86
parliamentary privilege
the right of MPs or Lords to make certain statements within Parliament without being subject to outside influence, including the law
87
legislative bills
proposed laws passing through parliament
88
public bill committees
committees responsible for looking at bills in detail
89
backbenchers
MPs or Lords who do not hold any government office
90
select committees
committees responsible for scrutinising the work of the government, particularly of individual government departments
91
opposition
the MPs and Lords who are not members of the governing party or parties
92
executive
the collective group of Prime Minister, cabinet and junior ministers, sometimes known as 'The Government'
93
cabinet
the Prime Minister and senior ministers, most of whom lead a particular government department
94
minister
an MP or member of the House of Lords appointed to a position in the government, usually exercising specific responsibilities in a department
95
government department
a part of the executive, usually with a specific responsibility over an area such as education, health or defence
96
royal prerogative
a set of powers and privileges belonging to the monarch but normally exercised by the PM or cabinet, such as the granting of honours or legal pardons
97
secondary legislation
powers given to the executive by parliament to make changes to the law within certain specific rules
98
individual responsibility
the principle by which ministers are responsible for their personal conduct and for their departments
99
collective responsibility
principle by which ministers must support cabinet decisions or leave the executive
100
presidential government
an executive dominated by one individual, this may be a president but is also used to describe a strong, dominant PM
101
supreme court
the highest court in the UK political system
102
judicial neutrality
the principle that judges should not be influenced by their personal political opinions and should remain outside of party politics
103
judicial independence
the principle that judges should not be influenced by other branches of government, particularly the executive
104
judicial review
the power of the judiciary to review, and sometimes reverse, actions by other branches of government that breach the law or that are incompatible with the Human Rights Act
105
elective dictatorship
a government that dominates parliament, usually due to a large majority, and therefore has few limits on its power
106
european union
a political and economic union of a group of european countries
107
four freedoms
the principle of free movement of goods, services, capital and people within the EU's single market
108
legal sovereignty
the legal right to exercise sovereignty - i.e. sovereignty in theory
109
political sovereignty
the political ability to exercise sovereignty - i.e. sovereignty in practice
110
ultra vires
literally 'beyond the powers'. an action that is taken without legal authority when it requires it

politics (11 decks)

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