Parliamentary law making Flashcards
what is the key principle in a democracy?
that laws should be made by the elected representatives of society.
in the UK who should laws be made by?
parliament, the bill needs to pass through both houses
what are laws that are passed by parliament known as and referenced to as?
acts of parliament, they are referenced to as state law.
what are the two houses parliament consists of?
house of commons and house of lords, for a bill to pass both houses must be in favor of the bill then receive the royal assent.
who sits in the house of commons
MPs
MPs are elected by who?
the public
what is the country divided into and how many MPs do they elect each?
the country is divided into constituencies, each electing one MP each
how often is the general election?
every 5 years
in what circumstances can their be an individual ‘by-election’.
when an MP has died or retired before the end of the 5 years.
who is the government of the day formed by and what do they do?
it is formed by the political party with the majority of the MPs in the house of commons.
they have the main say in formulating new laws.
what is the house of lords?
it is a non-elected body
who is in the house of lords?
originally most members were ‘hereditary peers’ (peerage passed down to their children)
92 hereditary peers
the senior bishops of the church of England
640 life peers
what is a life peer?
someone who served the country/bring an expertise to the HOL. this peerage does not pass to their children after death.
name the several influences of parliament with a brief description.
POLITICAL INFLUENCE-
when a government is formed it will have set out a programme of reforms it intends to carry out (party manifesto)
PARTY MANIFESTO-
this will have influenced the public to vote for it in the general election
PUBLIC OPINION/MEDIA-
if there is a strong public opinion the government will usually listen and the media can bring issues to the attention of the electorate very successfully.
PRESSURE GROUPS-
influence law by bringing matters to the attention of the general. e.g. campaigns
name the 2 types of pressure groups.
sectional and cause
