Parliament 1 Flashcards
Parliamentary government
A system of politics where government is drawn from Parliament and is accountable to Parliament. In other words, the government has no separate authority from that of Parliament
Presidential government
In contrast to parliamentary government, a president normally has a separate source of authority from that of the legislature. This means that the executive (president) is accountable to the people directly, not to the legislature.
Separation of powers
A constitutional principle that the three branches of government - legislature, executive and judiciary - should have separate membership and separate power and should be able to control each other’s powers. It is largely absent in the UK
Features of parliamentary government
- Parliament is the highest source of political power
- The government must be drawn from Parliament
- No separation of powers between that of the legislature and executive
- Government must be accountable to parliament
Features of Presidential government:
- The legislature and the executive have separate sources of ___________. They are separately __________.
- The president is not part of the ____________.
- The president is accountable directly to the people, not to the ___________
- There is a clear separation of powers between the ____________ and the legislature
- There must be a __________ constitutional arrangement that separates those powers
Authority Elected Legislature Legislature Executive Codified
Features of presidential government:
- The legislature and the executive have separate sources of authority. They are separately elected.
- The president is not part of the legislature
- The president is accountable directly to the people, not to the legislature
- There is a clear separation of powers between the executive an the legislature
- There must be a codified constitutional arrangement that separates those powers
Define: Legislature
Law-making body
What is the legislature in the UK?
Parliament in the UK - doesn’t normally make law - primarily concerned with providing formal consent to proposed laws by the govt.
Congress in USA - makes laws
Define: Executive
Has three main roles
- Develop new legislation
- Arrange implementation of laws
- Run the state
Executive in the UK?
Government
Define: Judiciary
Refers to the legal system and judges in particular
Define: Authority
The right to exercise power
Define: Legitimacy
Refers to the degree to which the state or its government can be considered to have the right to exercise power
Features of parliamentary soveriegnty
It is the source of all political power
- It may restore itself any power that may have been delegated to others
- It may make any laws it wishes and they shall be enforced by the courts
- It’s not bound by its predecessors
- Cannot bind its successors
5 ways parliamentary sovereignty has been eroded
- Power moved to the EU (which is superior)
- Growth in executive power
- Increased use of referendums
- EUHR act is effectively supreme
- Devolution
Define: Bicameralism
A system where there are two houses of the legislature or parliament which complement each other.
Most political systems are bicameral, e.g UK, USA and France
How many members normally make up departmental select committees
11-14
Roles of departmental select committees
- To investigate the work of government departments to determine whether they have acted effectively and efficiently
- To consider major departmental policies
- To consider proposed legislation
- To consider matters of major public concern that fall within the remit of the committee
- To investigate any serious errors made by the department, making recommendations to correct the problem
- To propose future legislation where there is an overwhelming need
What is a statutory instrument
A form of legislation which allow the provisions of an Act of Parliament to be subsequently brought into force or altered without Parliament having to pass a new Act.
Function of the Public Accounts Committee
Highly independent - charged with investigating financial arrangements of the government. Checks public spending has been used for intended purposes
Function of the Standards and privileges committees
Deals with disciplinary matters against MPs
Function of Statutory instruments committee
Checks governments use of ‘secondary legislation’
Function of European Scrutiny Committee
Examine proposed legislation or regulation from European commission - Alerts parliament to any concerns
Function of Liaison committee
Chair of all departmental select committees - Questions PM biannually
