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UK government Knowledge Organisers > Key Words > Flashcards

Key Words Flashcards

1
Q

Unentrenched means..

A

Easily amended.

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2
Q

Codified means..

A

Written in one place.

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3
Q

Unitary means..

A

Power is held in one place (parliament)

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4
Q

Sovereignty means..

A

Absolute power

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5
Q

Statute law means..

A

A law passed by parliament.

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6
Q

Common Law means..

A

Unwritten laws.

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7
Q

Conventions are..

A

A way in which something is usually done.

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8
Q

Devolution is..

A

the decentralisation of power, but not sovereignty.

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9
Q

A select committee is..

A

a committee in the Commons/Lords that checks the government’s work.

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10
Q

The Fixed Term Parliament means..

A

Elections are to be held every 5 years.

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11
Q

A referendum is..

A

A vote where the entire electorate is invited to vote.

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12
Q

Hereditary peers are..

A

Peers who are in the House of Lords because they inherited their title.

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13
Q

The Legislative are..

A

Law makers (parliament)

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14
Q

The Judiciary is..

A

The courts.

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15
Q

The Executive is..

A

The Prime Minister and their government.

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16
Q

A fusion of powers means..

A

The executive sits IN the legislative branch.

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17
Q

Parliamentary sovereignty means that..

A

Parliament has ultimate power.

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18
Q

The House of Commons is..

A

The elected lower chamber.

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19
Q

The House of Lords is..

A

The unelected upper chamber.

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20
Q

A confidence and Supply agreement is..

A

Where a party or independent members will support the government in motions of confidence and budget by voting or abstaining. It is not as formal as a coalition.

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21
Q

The Salisbury convention means that..

A

The Lords are not allowed to oppose any second or third reading legislation that is on the government’s manifesto.

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22
Q

Parliamentary privilege is..

A

Legal immunity granted to MPs that allows Parliamentarians to carry out their duties without interference.

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23
Q

Backbenchers are..

A

Members of Parliament who do not hold office.

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24
Q

Select Committees are appointed from..

A

The House of Commons - Can be near permanent or ad hoc.

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25
Cronyism is..
The appointment of friends and associates to positions of power.
26
PAC is
The Public Accounts Committee - it is a select committee which oversees the government's spending.
27
A life peer is..
A member of the Lords whose title cannot be inherited.
28
A White Paper Document is
An official government document before it becomes a bill.
29
Private Members Bills are..
a type of public bill that can be introduced by either members of the House of Commons or House of Lords who are not ministers
30
Bicameral means..
two chambers.
31
The Party Whips job is to..
ensure party discipline (that members vote for what the party wants)
32
The Secretary of State is..
The minister that heads the departments.
33
A Junior Minister is..
A person who holds a position below cabinet level that works in the Lords, or in a department.
34
A frontbencher is..
The government minister or shadow government minister
35
A backbencher is..
Not a minister (anyone else)
36
The cabinet offices job is to..
support local government, helping to ensure the effective development, coordination and implementation of policy.
37
The cabinet committee are
ministers that take collective decisions which are binding across the government.
38
The Royal Prerogative is
The rights of the sovereign that have not been transferred to the Prime Minister.
39
A Hung Parliament is
A parliament with no clear majority.
40
Sofa Politics refers to..
the conducting of meetings outside of cabinet so they can control policy making (eg Blair)
41
Formal equality means
all citizens must be treated equally under the law.
42
The Lord Chancellor was
the head of the judiciary before 2005, but is now just symbolic.
43
A Judicial Precendent is
a principle that when a judge in a court is making a point of law it should follow other courts previous decisions. Only higher courts can overturn precedent.
44
Judicial review is
where courts review a decision by a state or public body in relation to its citizens.
45
Ultra Vires means
when a body/government goes beyond its powers.
46
The Constitutional Reform Act created
an independent judiciary in 2005
47
The ECJ means..
The European Court of Justice (EU)
48
The Master of the Rolls is..
The second most senior judge after the Lord Chief Justice.
49
The Lord Chief Justice is
The Head of the Judiciary in the UK.
50
The President of the Supreme Court is..
Different to the Lord Chief Justice - President of the Supreme Court
51
The Judicial appointment commission is
an independent commission that selects candidates for judicial offices in the UK and Wales.
52
For feminists, sex means
the biological differences between men and women. They are seen as inevitable.
53
For feminists, gender is
the cultural differences between the sexes, leading to the feelings of superiority of men and inferiority of women.
54
Patriarchy describes..
a society which is dominated by men.
55
Intersectionality is..
a postmodern idea among feminists that suggests women have multiple identities as well as their sex and gender.
56
Otherness refers to..
the position of women in patriarchal society, treated as separate to society, an inferior minority.
57
In feminism, "reformist" describes
moderate liberal feminists who wish to reform society rather than transform it.
58
In feminism, essentialism is
a contested idea which refers to the fundamental nature of the biological differences between men and women. Some feminists say such differences are essential to an understanding of the status of women. Others claim it should be irrelevent.
59
Liberal feminists believe that..
women should enjoy equality of opportunity with men and the same civil rights (the rule of law should extend to them)
60
Radical feminists believe in..
the destruction of the patriarchy. Revolutionary in their outlook rather than reformist (although not normally favouring violent revolution)
61
Socialist feminists believe that..
women were the victims of capitalism as the reserve labour force. Being deprived of property means that they were economically disadvantaged historically.
62
Postmodern feminists argue that..
patriarchy appears in different ways depending on a woman's race, class or identity. Pushes for intersectionality.

UK government Knowledge Organisers (3 decks)

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