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
Cabinet government
A system of government in which executive power is vested in a cabinet, whose members exercise collective responsibility, rather than a single office
Parliamentary government
A political system in which government takes place through parliament, and in which the executive and legislative branches are fused
Prime ministerial government
System of government in which the prime minister is the dominant actor and is able to bypass the cabinet
Legislature
The branch of government responsible for making law
Executive
The branch of government responsible for the implementation of policy
Judiciary
The branch of government responsible for interpreting the law and deciding upon legal disputes
Fusion of powers
He intermingling of personnel in the executive and legislative branches found in parliamentary systems
Political Soverignty
Absolute political power
Globalisation
The widening and deepening interconnectedness between peoples and societies across the world in economic political, social and cultural activities
Popular Sovereignty
Supreme authority resides with people
Referendum
A vote in which the electorate is asked to express its view on a specific issue of public policy
Westminster model
A form of government exemplified by the British political system in which parliament is sovereign, the executive and legislative are fused and political power is centralised
Governance
A form of decision making in which a wide range of institutions networks and relationships are involved
Sleaze
In politics, behaviour characterised by low standards by low standards of honesty or morality
Unitary State
The central government is supreme, and the administrative divisions exercise only powers that the central government has delegated to them.
The United Kingdom, for example, is a unitary state, as its constituent countries — England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland — have no power to challenge the constitutionality of acts of Parliament.
