The British Constituion: Key Words Flashcards
Limited Government
A system in which the powers of government are subject to legal constraints, and checks and balances within the political system.
Bill of Rights
An authorities statement of the right of citizens, often entrenched as part of a codified constitution.
Fundamental Law
The law which forms the foundation of the government of a state.
Entrenched
Secured; difficult to change
Judicial Review
The power of senior judges to review the actions of government and public authorities, declaring them unlawful of they have exceeded their authority
Statue Law
Law derived from Acts of parliament and subordinate legislation
Common Law
Law derived from decisions in court cases and from general customs
Royal Prerogative
Discretionary powers of the crown that are exercised in the monarch’s name by government ministers
Conventions
Established norms of political behaviour rooted in past experience rather than law
Sovereignty
Legal supremacy absolute law-making authority that is not subject to a higher authority
Rule of Law
A system of rule where the relationship between the state and the individual is governed by law, protecting the individual from arbitrary state and action
Civil Liberties
Fundamental individual rights and freedoms that ought to be protected from interference by the state
Unitary State
A homogeneous state in which power is concentrated at the political centre and all parts of the state are governed in the same way
Union state
A state in which there are cultural differences and where, despite a strong centre, different parts of the state are governed in slightly different ways
Constitutional Monarchy
A political system in which the monarch is the formal head of state but the monarch’s legal powers are exercised by government ministers