keywords Flashcards
democracy
a system where power is held by ‘the people’
direct democracy
a system where the people are able to make decisions directly on an issue
representative democracy
a system where the people elect a person or group of people to represent their interests and make decisions on their behalf
constitution
a set of principles, which may be unwritten or unwritten establishing distribution of power, limits of government, rights of citizens and rules to amend the constitution itself
the enlightenment
a wide ranging philosophical, cultural and scientific movement that took place in 18th century europe
demagogues
they were popular and good speakers which won people over
manifesto
a list of promises a party make and say they will do
first-past-the-post system
whoever gets the most votes wins (doesn’t have to be over 50%)
liberal democracy
widespread vote and everyones interests are taken into account
majoritarian democracy
desires of the majority are the prime things considered
parliamentary democracy
parliament is sovereign and executive is elected from it
presidential democracy
executive is elected separate from legislative body
pluralist democracy
idea that there is competition between different groups who represent different concerns.
power is evenly/widely spread across society and government
functions of democracy
- representation
- education
- participation
- accountability
- legitimacy
- power dispersal
magnacarta (1215)
first point a document states there are limits to a kings power
features of a codified Constitution
- often formed after a particular point in a country’s history
- contains rules for amending it
- codification implies that constitutional rules are higher than others
- gives/upholds citizen rights
- provides a focus for national identification
- citizens can easily access it
- creates a 2 tier legal system
parliamentary sovereignty
It makes Parliament the supreme legal authority in the UK which can create or end any law. Generally, the courts cannot overrule its legislation and no Parliament can pass laws that future Parliaments cannot change.
rule of law
means that everyone is equal in terms of the law, also holds public officials acccountable for unlawful actions
the unitary state
when a state is highly centralised
parliamentary government
a political system in which government takes place through parliament and in which the executive and legislative branches are fused
sources of the uk constitution
- authoritative works
- convention
- royal perogative
- statute law
- EU law
functions of elections
- maintains democracy
- electing government, PM’s & MP’s
- accountability
- legitimacy
- elite recruitment
- education to public
electoral commission
stop rule breaking and corruption as well as a free and impartial judiciary
elitists
think elections provide authority and stability for the political system, focus on governing