Sovereignty & EU Flashcards
What is the EU (previously EEC)?
A political and economic union of 27 member states, Britain joined in 1973 just before the creation of its single market and left in Jan 2021
What is the Lisbon Treaty in 2009?
established formal codified proposals in governing the union and Article 50 - links to Parliament sovereign over EU as 1986 Single European Act ratified (consented) to the treaty
What is a single market?
between EU members to remove tariffs and taxes, created free movement of goods, services, capital and people to boost the economy
What are the ‘four freedoms’ of the EU single market?
freedom of movement in:
-goods
-services
-capital
-people
What is the Common Fisheries Policy and its impact?
EU allowing equal access to waters, so that member states could use UK waters which triggered terminal decline in the British fishing industry and undermined local fisheries
What is the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and its impact?
Policy takes up 38% of EU’s annual budget to ensure a consistent food supply by buying surplus stocks so farmers arent undercut by cheaper products - however UK was subsiding inefficient farming practices and concerns over wasted food
What is the Social Chapter and its impact?
EU Policy brought into law by New Labour to protect workers rights by having maximum working hours and legally required breaks - factories and jobs moved to other countries where employment is cheaper, shows conflict between minimal state of UK and EU strong protection from state
What is Qualified Majority Voting (QMV)?
EU could legislate over areas like fisheries, agriculture and transport as the UK lost their ability to veto - couldn’t block unpopular measures showing further erosion of sovereignty
What are the three types of sovereignty?
Legal/Parliamentary - Statute law
Political - usually executive
Popular - ‘people power’
What did the European Union (future relationship) and (withdrawal agreement) Act 2020 do?
paved the way for leaving the EU, section 38 recognises Parliament as sovereign
What is Standing Order 24?
Allowing MPs to request an urgent debate on a topic to the Speaker - led to the Benn Act which prevented a no deal Brexit and compelled gov to request further time to negotiate, demonstrates Parliament with significant political sovereignty
How has the culture of rebellion showed Parliament to exercise sovereignty?
Vote of no confidence/mass resignations causes PMs to resign (Johnson, Truss, May), Sunak dropped housing target commitment through the mere threat of rebellion in 2022
What is the Retained EU Law Bill?
nicknamed ‘sunset laws’ where in 2023 Badenoch agreed that around 3500 pieces of EU legislation will become UK law rather than being scrapped when leaving the union
How has Parliament shows to be sovereign over devolved bodies, specifically NI?
-NI assembly has been suspended 6 times since the Good Friday agreement in 1998
-Stormont Parliament (NI) was suspended in 1972, Westminster ruled instead
-Stormont without a functioning gov for 35% of its lifespan
What is needed when arguing that leaving the EU has not impacted parliamentary sovereignty?
Must explain that even before Brexit, elements of sovereignty (political and popular) have resided elsewhere, therefore Brexit has had little impact
