Politics unit 2 Flashcards
What 4 things did Blairs constitutional reform programme focus on?
Decentralisation, democratisation, transparency and rights protection
When was the human rights act and what did it incorporate?
1998,positively stated human rights for first time , incorporated the European convention on human rights into British law,
What are 3 features of a presidential government
Strict separation of powers, executive and legislature elected independently, often strong independent legislature
What are 3 features of a parliamentary government
Fusion of legislative and executive branch, executive indirectly elected, government collectively responsible to parliament
When and what is Bushells case
1640 Guaranteed independence of jury
Give an example of a Work of
Authority that makes up the UK
constitution
Walter Bagehot - The English constitution, describes
relationship between executive, judiciary and legislature.
1867.
Name 2 constitutional reforms of
the Blair/Brown Government
between 1997 and 2010.
House of Lords reform – end of Hereditary peers, Human Rights Act, Creation of Supreme Court
Name 2 constitutional reforms of
the Cameron/Clegg Government
between 2010 and 2015.
Fixed-term Parliaments Act, E-petitions
Name 2 constitutional reforms of
the Conservative Government since
2015.
‘Metro Mayors’ - elected Mayors to some English
regions, English Votes for English Laws, Brexit
What did Welsh devolution in 1997
not include?
Legislation/financial powers - only administrative e.g
education, health and transport.
What did Welsh devolution in 1997
not include?
Legislation/financial powers - only administrative e.g
education, health and transport.
What arguments are there for
English devolution.
Increase community, participation, equality, specific
regional problems, regional identity, wealth divide.
What arguments are there for
English devolution.
Increase community, participation, equality, specific
regional problems, regional identity, wealth divide.
What was in the 1998 Scotland act?
Created a Scottish government
What reserved powers did the Smith Commission recommend be
part of the Scotland Act of 2016?
Abortion Laws
Air passenger duty
Determine speed limits
When has the Northern Ireland Assembly been suspended
2002-2007 and in 2017 because the DUP refused to support nationalist demands of an Irish language act
When was the Good Friday agreement and what did it include
Power sharing assembly that would fairly represent both nationalist and unionist sentiment
What are powers that only the HOC hold
Vote of no confidence, Final approval of amendments to legislation
Features of the House of commons
Has soereign powers, can veto legislation, can dismiss a government
Features of the HOL
Lacks democratic legitimacy, can only delay legislation by 1 year at most, is constrained by threat of reform/abolition, cannot dismiss a government
How many are in the House of lords
Over 800
What did the House of lords act 1999 do ?
Limit the amount of hereditary peers in HOL, removing hundreds and leaving just 92- giving it more legitimacy
Who are examples of influential peers
Lord Adonis(Labour)- Former minister who is an expert on economics, education and transport- leading role in advising both parties on these issues,
Lord Finklestein(Tory)- prominent journalist for the times, one of highest profile peers, known for wit and moderate views
What is cronyism
Accusation that party leaders award places in the house of lords to friends
What does the Salisbury convention constitute
That the HOL can’t oppose the second/third reading
What event took place on the 28th
August, supposedly to pave the way
for the Queens speech.
Prorogation of parliament
Give an example of the House of
Lords defeating the Government in
Parliamentary Ping pong.
Crime bill 2022
What is an elective dictatorship
A government where the executive dominates parliament, government little opposition from parliament, Government can easily pass legislation
What did select committees being elected in 2010 do
Become more influential, led to the election of more high profile MPs that have been able to challenge the the government
What was the Brexit referendum result
51.9% leave, 48.1% remain
Which speaker allowed for many urgent questions
John Bercow
Who reduced the amount of PMQs from 2 a week to 1
Tony Blair
What does PMQs descend into
Political point scoring
