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Citizenship > Politics and participation – where does political power reside > Flashcards

Politics and participation – where does political power reside Flashcards

1
Q

How many seats are in the House of Commons?

A

650

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2
Q

What date are general elections traditionally held on?

A

Thursdays

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3
Q

Who decides when a general election will be?

A

The prime minister
Elections must be held within five years of the last election

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4
Q

Aside from a prime minister calling a general election when else must general election occur?

A

After a vote of no confidence

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5
Q

How does the first past the post system work?

A

Each registered voter will vote via post, going to a polling station, or someone voting on their behalf
Each voter is giving a ballot paper and place an x against the candidate of the choice, place in ballot box
When votes are counted, the candidate with the most votes is elected

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6
Q

What is a by-election?

A

When an MP dies, resigns, or there is a recall petition, a by-election is called

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7
Q

What are recall petitions?

A

If 10% of an MPs electors sign a recall position a by-election is called

This can be if an MP has a custodial prison sentence, is suspended from the House of Commons fo 10 sitting days or 14 calendar days, following a report by the committee on standards or a conviction for providing false or misleading expense

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8
Q

Discuss the results of the last general election 2019

A

The Conservative Party won with 365 seats and 14 million
voters, 43. 6% of the national vote.
Labour had 202 seats 32.2%
LibDem, 11 seats 11. 5%
Green, 1 seat, 2.7%
Scottish National party 48 seats 3.9%.

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9
Q

What are the two types of voting systems ?

A

Proportional and nonproportional

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10
Q

What is proportional representation?

A

Seats are allocated based on the percentage of votes E.G.if Green Party won 10% of the vote, it would expect to have 60 MPs

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11
Q

What voting system does the UK Parliament use?

A

FPTP, first past the post
The candidate with the most votes wins

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12
Q

How often are local authority elections in England and Wales held?

A

Councils can choose to call an election every three years or use a third system, where one third of the members are elected each year

County councillors are elected every four years

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13
Q

What is a single transferable voting system?

A

Proportional system, where electors place candidates in number order
Each candidate must achieve a quota of votes to win
Votes above the quota are redistributed to the voters lower choices

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14
Q

which bodies in the UK use the STV voting system?

A

Northern Ireland, assembly, Northern Ireland local councils, Scottish local councils

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15
Q

What is a disadvantage of the STV voting system?

A

Coalition governments are more likely,
results can take time to count, The system often leads to many parties electing candidates.

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16
Q

What is a disadvantage of the first past the post voting system?

A

Governments are elected and the minority of the vote smaller parties under represented

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17
Q

What is a supplementary voting system?

A

Voters have a first and second choice candidate
The winner must receive 50% of the votes
Lowest scoring candidates are removed and their second votes redistributed

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18
Q

Which bodies use supplementary votes?

A

Directly elected mayors, PCCs

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19
Q

How does additional member system work?

A

One for a candidate and the second one for a party list
The first votes operate as the FPTP system and the second acts as a top up vote to ensure that the overall vote is proportional when additional members are elected from the party list

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20
Q

Which body is use an AMS system?

A

Scottish parliament, Welsh parliament, Greater London authority

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21
Q

What is the legislature?

A

The body that makes the laws
In the UK, this is the parliament in Westminster made up of the House of Commons and the House of Lords

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22
Q

What is the executive?

A

Branch of government made of the prime minister of ministers senior civil service and policy advisers

Draft (and implements in the case of civil servants) the policy after has been agreed by the legislature

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23
Q

What is the judiciary?

A

Judges involved in the legal process
Decisions made by government ministers, and Parliament can be challenged in court
Legislation is not clearly worded, so judges have to make a determination regarding its meaning
Judiciary is supposed to be separate independent

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24
Q

What is a monarchy?

A

Traditional form of government whereby power is passed down through the family line

UK is a constitutional monarchy, and most of the powers belonging to the monarchy have been transferred to the government

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25
Q

What is meant by a bicameral parliament?

A

Made up of two parts

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26
Q

What is the role of the House of Commons?

A

Hold government to account, debate and amend laws, forum for national debate

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27
Q

What is the role of the House of Lords?

A

Debate and revise legislation from the House of Commons, Propose legislation, carries out scrutiny functions.

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28
Q

Who makes up the House of Lords?

A

Over 1000 appointed life peers and some hereditary peers and Bishops of the church of England

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29
Q

How could you describe the role of the monarch?

A

Ceremonial

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30
Q

What is the role of the monarch?

A

-Open parliament and reads the Kings speech
- appoints a prime minister after each general election
-the monarch formally agrees a bill when it is passed

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31
Q

How have the powers of the monarchy transferred over time?

A

The monarchy used to hold absolute power, however now the monarchy has no real power in decision-making and is obliged to approval laws, the role is now only ceremonial

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32
Q

Describe socialism

A

Associated with labour party
based on common ownership, belief in community and equality
ranges from communism to social democracy

33
Q

Describe conservatism

A

Associate with Conservative party
Based upon tradition, duty and authority and property
Ranges from Tori paternalism to the new right

34
Q

Describe liberalism

A

Associated with Liberal Democrat
Consists of Human rights and individual liberty, freedom and tolerance and consent
Emphasis on social and welfare issues

35
Q

What is meant by the terms left wing and right wing?

A

Left-wing is socialism/communism
Right-wing is conservatism, an extreme circumstances, fascism

Labour is left-wing
Conservative right wing
Liberal Democrats fall somewhere in the middle

36
Q

When was the Labour Party established?

A

From 1900

Established by the trade union movement

37
Q

How does Parliament hold the government to account?

A

Prime Minister’s question Time (Wednesday at noon for 30 minutes, leader of opposition can ask 6 question, leader of next largest party 2)

Debates (discuss policy, current issues and new laws, vote held at the end, speaker can grant permission for emergency debates)

The work of committees (formed from commons or lords or can be joint, minimum of 11 members, raise questions with government and investigate departments)

38
Q

What is the minimum number of members needed to make up a committee?

A

11

39
Q

What is the role of a committee?

A

To raise questions with the government and investigate government departments

40
Q

How many questions can the Leader of the opposition ask in Prime Minister’s question Time

A

Six

41
Q

If a member parliament has another job (paid or unpaid), belongs to a pressure or campaign group, or advises an outside body, they have to……..

A

Register this and make the details public

42
Q

What do MPs do while parliament is in session?

A
  • Deal with constituency correspondence and issues
    -Raise issues affecting their constituents
    -Attend debates and vote on new laws
    -Speak in the House of Commons
    -Attend functions relating to the party politics and their political interests
    -Committee duties if a member
43
Q

What do MPs do while working in constituencies?

A

Many MPs leave the house and Thursdays and return to their constituencies

Hold surgeries to meet with constituents and discuss problems

Attend functions, such as School and local business events

44
Q

What is the role of the speaker?

A

Holds highest authority in the House of Commons
Can bar members, decide who speaks and call ministers to the house to make a statement, withdraw from active political role

Elected by MPs, three deputy speakers

45
Q

Who elects the Lord speaker?

A

House of Lords

46
Q

Who is responsible for sharing debates in the Lord’s chamber?

A

Lord speaker

47
Q

Who are whips in terms of Parliament?

A

MPs or members of the House of Lords appointed by each party in parliament to help organise Parliamentary business and ensure the parties MPs turn out and vote according to the parties wishes

Send out notices to MPs and lords each week giving instructions on how to vote

48
Q

Who are frontbench MPs?

A

Ministers who sit on the benches nearest to the speaker in the House of Commons

Ministers and shadow ministers from the official opposition party

49
Q

Who are backbench MPs?

A

Ordinary MPs with no government or opposition post

50
Q

who is the black rod?

A

Senior officer in the House of Lords responsible for security and major ceremonial events at the palace of Westminster

51
Q

Give the four different types of Bill

A

Public, private, hybrid, private members

52
Q

What is meant by a bill?

A

Draft legislation introduced by the government, individual MPs or lords or private, individual organisations

53
Q

What are public bills?

A

Bills which change the law, and are applied to the entire population

54
Q

What are private bills?

A

usually promoted by an organisation like local authorities or private companies to give them additional power
Change the law in regards to that particular organisation or body

55
Q

What is a private members bill?

A

Form of public bill
Cannot involve raising taxation
Usually relate to social issues like abortion, divorce or sexuality

56
Q

A hybrid bill is a mix of the characteristics of…………

A

Public and private

57
Q

List every stage in the process of law making

A

1) green paper
2) first reading
3) second reading
4) committee stage
5) report stage
6) third reading
7) royal assent

58
Q

The first stage of the law making process is ………. . So called because the cover is……. . This is a discussion ..…… about a possible new…… . MPs are invited to ……… Upon its suggestions

A

The green paper
Green
Document
Law
Comment

59
Q

The second stage of the law making process is …… . The government publishes a ……. …….. which is a proposal for a new law. This becomes a …….. and is formally announced in the house of ……… . There is no ……. At this stage

A

The first reading
White paper
Bill
commons
Debate

60
Q

What happens at the second reading?

A

Debate held to discuss proposed legislation and a vote held at the end

61
Q

What happens at the committee stage?

A

Group of MPs from all parties discussable in detail line by line and votes on amendments

62
Q

What happens at the report stage?

A

Work of committee is discussed and voted on in the House of Commons

63
Q

The………… Legislation is voted upon and the legislation is then sent to the house of………… the stages from the first reading to the third reading are gone through. If the House of Lords make ………………… the bill returns to the house of………… where further…… Take place until the bill is………

A

Amended
Lords
Amendments
Commons
Votes
Accepted

64
Q

At the Royal assent stage, the legislation is signed by the……… and then becomes law

A

Monarch

65
Q

What happens after the results from the general election are published?

A

Existing PM goes to Buckingham Palace to inform the monarch that:
Their party has won and the monarch should ask them to form a new government. Their party has lost and the monarch should ask the leader of the majority to form a government. No party has won a majority.

66
Q

What is a coalition government?

A

When the government doesn’t reach a majority so joins with another party to ensure their policies are passed

67
Q

What is the role of the Prime Minister

A

-leader or their political party and responsible for its operation
-head of government
-represents UK internationally
-spokesperson for nation in times of crisis
-responsible and accountable for actions of Parliament and government
-carries out duties for their constituency
-weekly meeting with monarch
-chairs cabinet meetings

68
Q

What powers does the PM have?

A

-appoints cabinet and junior ministers and other government and non-government posts
-decides date of general election
-gives direction of government policy
-sums up cabinet debates
- can remove and replace ministers and other appointees

69
Q

How many members sit on the cabinet ?

A

21

70
Q

List 3 of the senior posts in the cabinet

A

-chancellor of the exchequer
-foreign secretary
-home secretary
-Defense secretary

71
Q

What is collective responsibility in terms of the cabinet?

A

Supporting a policy even if they don’t personally agree

72
Q

Who runs government departments?

A

Ministers with the support of junior ministers

73
Q

What are agencies?

A

Business units which take on specific services on behalf of the government

74
Q

What are NDPBs?

A

non-departmental public bodies

75
Q

Give an example of an NDPB

A

Driver and vehicle licensing agency

76
Q

What does the term quango mean?

A

Another word for NDPB

77
Q

Give 2 examples of ways the civil service provide public services

A

-running prisons
-employment services
-benefits and pension system

78
Q

What is the role of a special advisor?

A

Political appointees who advise ministers on policy issues
Temporary civil servants

Citizenship (13 decks)

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