Nature Of The UK Constitution Flashcards
What are the main 5 principles of the UK constitution?
Parliamentary sovereignty Rule of law Unentrenched Uncodified Unitary
What does parliamentary sovereignty mean?
Means that parliament is the supreme and ultimate authority.
What can parliament not do in regards to it successors?
No parliament can bind its successor, meaning that a parliament can repeal any act passed by previous parliaments.
What can legislation not be done and why?
Legislation cannot be changed, struck down or ignored by the judiciary or executive because parliament is the supreme legislature body
What is the rule of law?
The idea that everyone including the government, is subject to the law and held accountable to it.
What is everyone entitled to under the rule of law?
A fair trial and that everyone is equal under the law and must obey it
What needs to happen for the rule of law to work?
The judiciary must be independent from political interference.
The UK constitution is unentrenched What does this mean?
Means that the constitution can be easily changed, by a simple act of parliament or even by a shift in convention.
What doe uncodified mean?
Means that the constitution is not written down in one single document and is made up of multiple sources.
What does Unitary mean?
The UK constitution is unitary, meaning that all power is centralised in parliament in Westminster.
Why has unitary been diluted in recent years?
Because of devolution, many people now refer to the UK as a “union state”
