The Constitution

Question 1

What is a constitution?

Answer 1

A constitution is a body of laws, rules and practices that sets out the way in which a state or society is organised.

Question 2

What is a bill of rights?

Answer 2

An authoritative statement of the rights of citizens, often entrenched as a part of a codified constitution.

Question 3

What is a limited government?

Answer 3

A system in which the powers of the government are subject to legal constraints as well as checks and balances within the political system.

Question 4

What is a codified constitution?

Answer 4

A single authoritative document that sets out the laws, rules and principles by which a state is governed, and which it protects the rights of its citizens.

Question 5

What is an uncodified constitution?

Answer 5

A constitution where the laws, rules and principles specifying how a state is to be governed are not gathered in a single document. Instead, they are found in a variety of sources- some written (statute law) and some unwritten (convention).

Question 6

What is the Magna Carta?

Answer 6

1215

Guaranteed the right to a swift and fair trial

Offered protection from arbitrary imprisonment

Placed limitations on taxation

Question 7

What is the Bill of Rights? (document)

Answer 7

1689

Placed limitations on the powers of the monarch

Enhanced the status of parliament

Prohibited cruel and unusual punishment

Question 8

What is the Act of Settlement?

Answer 8

1701

Barred Roman Catholic or those married to Roman Catholics

Question 9

What was the Act of Union?

Answer 9

1707

United the kingdoms of England and Scotland to form Great Britain, governed by Westminster.

Question 10

What are the Parliament Acts?

Answer 10

1911/1949

Removed the power of the HOL to block money bills by imposing a maximum 2 year delay.

Reduced the power of the HOL to delay non-money bills by reducing the time limit to 1 year.

Question 11

What is the European Communities Act?

Answer 11

1972

The act of Parliament that formally took the UK into the EEC.

Incorporated the treaty of Rome into UK law, thus making European law superior to domestic law.

Question 12

What does entrenched mean?

Answer 12

Difficult to change, often requiring supermajorities, or approval by referendum.

Question 13

What is fundamental law?

Answer 13

Constitutional law that is deliberately set above regular statute in terms of status, and given a degree of protection against regular laws passed by the legislature.

Question 14

What are the 5 sources of the UK constitution?

Answer 14

Statute law.

Common law.

Conventions.

Authoritative works.

European Union law and treaties

Question 15

What is statute law? Examples?

Answer 15

Law derived from Acts of Parliament and subordinate legislation. Have to be approved by HOC, HOL and the monarch before they have the force of law.

Great reform act 1832- extended franchise

Parliament Acts 1911/1949- established HOC as the dominant chamber in our bicameral Parliament.

European Communities Act 1972- by which the UK joined the European Economic Community (EEC) and incorporated the Treaty of Rome (1958) into UK law.

Scotland Act 1998- which created a Scottish Parliament.

HRA 1998- incorporated the rights of the European Convention into UK law.

Fixed-Term Parliaments Act 2011- established fixed, 5 yearly elections to the Westminster Parliament.

Question 16

What is common law?

Answer 16

Law derived from general customs or traditions and the decision of judges. Senior judges in the UK’s higher courts use their power of judicial review to clarify or establish a legal position where statute law is absent of unclear.

Parliamentary sovereignty and the supremacy of statute law means that the government can always overturn such common law precedent by means of an Act of Parliament.

Question 17

What is royal prerogative? Examples?

Answer 17

Discretionary powers of the crown that are exercised by government ministers in the monarchs name.

Appoint ministers and choose the prime minister.

Give royal assent to legislation.

Declare war and negotiate treaties.

Question 18

What are conventions?

Answer 18

Established norms of political behaviour; rooted in past experience rather then the law.

Not codified or legally enforceable.

“The monarch must for their assent to Acts of Parliament.”

“Gordon brown announced that the UK would not declare war without a parliamentary vote”

Question 19

What are authoritative works? Examples?

Answer 19

Long established legal and political texts that have come to be accepted as the reference points for those wishing to know precisely ‘who can do what’ under the UK constitution.

No legal status, they do have persuasive authority.

Erskine May’s ‘a treatise on the law, privileges, proceedings and usage of Parliament’ (1844)- the bible of Parliamentary practise.

Walter Bagehots ‘the English constitution’ (1867)- sets out the role of the cabinet and the PM, describing the former as ‘efficient secrets of the English constitution’ and the latter as ‘first amongst equals’.

Question 20

What is European Union Law?

Answer 20

Following the European Communities Act 1972, the UK became a member of the EEC on 1st of January 1973.

The treaties establishing the EU, legislation emanating from the EU, and judgements of the ECoJ have all become a part of the British constitution.

This is due to the 1958 Treaty of Rome, which was incorporated into UK law at the time of joining the EEC, European law takes precedence over UK law.

Question 21

What are the four key principles that underpin the UK constitution?

Answer 21

Parliamentary sovereignty.

The rule of law.

A unitary state.

Parliamentary government under a constitutional monarchy.

Question 22

What is Parliamentary sovereignty?

Answer 22

Parliament has the absolute legal authority within the state. It enjoys legislative supremacy: Parliament May make law on any matter it chooses, its decisions may not be overturned by any higher authority and it may not bind its successors.

This legislative supremacy is constructed around three interconnect propositions:

Parliament can legislate on any subject of its choosing.

Legislation can not be overturned by any higher authority.

No Parliament can bind its successors.

Question 23

Why is Parliamentary sovereignty questioned?

Answer 23

Under the European Communities Act 1972, Parliament effectively agreed to make itself subservient to European law.

New labours revolution programme saw the Scottish Parliament being granted tax-varying powers and primary legislative control over many areas of government operation.

Although UK referendums are technically only advisory in nature, their increased use since 1997 could be said to question the sovereignty of Parliament.

Question 24

What is the rule of law?

Answer 24

A legal theory holding that the relationship between the state and the individual is governed by law, protecting the individual from arbitrary state action.

Three main strands:

No one can be punished without trial.

No one is above the law, and are all subject to the same justice.

The general principles of the constitution, such as personal freedoms, result from judge made common law, rather than from parliamentary statute or executive order.

Question 25

What is a unitary state?

Answer 25

A unitary state is one in which sovereignty is located at the centre. Central government has supremacy over other tiers of government, which it can reform or abolish.

In a unitary government:

Sub national institutions do not have autonomous powers that are constitutionally safeguarded.

Regional government may be weak or non-existent.

Local government has little power.

Question 26

Give 3 strengths of the UK constitution.

Answer 26

Adaptability

Strong government

Accountability

Question 27

Give 3 weaknesses of the UK constitution.

Answer 27

Outdated and undemocratic

Concentration of power

Lack of clarity

Question 28

In what ways did New Labour reform the constitution from 1997-2010? (4 main ones)

Answer 28

Modernisation- institutions such as parliament, the executive and the civil service were using outdated and inefficient procedures that demanded reform.

Democratisation- participation in the political process would be encouraged through electoral reform and greater use of referendums.

Decentralisation- decision making powers would be devolved to new institutions in Scotland and Wales, with the role of local government also being enhanced.

Rights- the rights of citizens would be strengthened and safeguarded.

Question 29

How did new labour bring about constitutional reform in regards to rights?

Answer 29

The HRA 1998 incorporates he European Convention of Human Rights into UK law.

The freedom of information act 2000 gives greater access to information held by public bodies.

Question 30

How did new labour bring about constitutional reform in regards to devolution?

Answer 30

A Scottish Parliament with primary legislative and tax raising powers

A Northern Ireland assembly with primary legislative powers

A welsh assembly with secondary legislative powers

A directly elected mayor of London and a London assembly.

Elected mayors in some English authorities.

Question 31

How did new labour bring about constitutional reform in regards to electoral reform?

Answer 31

New electoral systems for devolved assemblies, for the European Parliament and for elected mayors.

Question 32

How did new labour bring about constitutional reform in regards to Parliamentary Reform?

Answer 32

All but 92 hereditary peers are removed from the HOL.

Limited reforms to the workings of the HOC.

Question 33

How did new labour bring about constitutional reform in regards to the Judiciary?

Answer 33

The constitutional reform act 2005

Supreme Court stared work in October 2009

New judicial appointments system

Changes to the role of the lord chancellor.

Question 34

What constitutional reforms were brought about by the Conservatives 2010-16 (alone and in coalition with the Lib Dem’s)?

Answer 34

Fixed term Parliament act 2011

The Scotland act 2012

The protection of Freedoms act 2012

House of Lords reform act 2014

The Wales act 2014

Question 35

What was the fixed term Parliament act 2011?

Answer 35

The act established a pattern of fixed general elections every 5 years, starting in 2015. Thereby removed the ability of the PM to call an election at a politically advantageous time although it’s limitation were made clear by calling the calling of an early election in 2017.

Question 36

What was the Scotland Act 2012?

Answer 36

The act gave the Scottish government the power to vary income tax up or down by 10 pence in the the pound and devolved further powers to the Scottish government. It also allowed the government to borrow up to £2.2 billion per annum.

Question 37

What was the protection of freedoms act 2012?

Answer 37

The act offered citizens greater protection from the state by putting in place proper scrutiny of the security services and oversight of surveillance and data collection.

Question 38

What was the HOL reform act 2014?

Answer 38

The act was aimed at halting the inexorable increase in the number of those eligible to sit and vote in the HOL, by giving existing peers the right to retire or resign their seats in the chamber.

Also allowed peers to be removed as a result of serious criminal offences of non attendees.

Question 39

What was the Wales act 2014?

Answer 39

The act transferred control of some smaller taxes to devolved institutions in Wales. The act also changed the name of the welsh executive from the the welsh assembly governmental to the Welsh Government.