the nature and sources of the British constitution

Question 1

explain 3 examples of milestones within the British constitution

Answer 1

1) magna carta 1215
2) bill of rights 1689
3) act of settlement 1701

Question 2

what did the magna carta change?

Answer 2

No body was above the law including monarchs and everyone was entitled to a free trial

Question 3

what did the bill of rights do?

Answer 3

the monarchs power is reliant on parliaments consent

Question 4

what did the act of settlement do?

Answer 4

only a protestant could become a monarch and that parliament could control the line of sucession to the throne

Question 5

what did the reform acts of 1911 and 1949 do?

Answer 5

HOL rejected a budget scheme and delayed the bill going through therefore parliament banned them from delaying bills for longer than 2 years and then 1 year

Question 6

what is rule of law?

Answer 6

the idea that the law applies to everyone,including the government and that everyone is entitled to a free trial

Question 7

what is an unentrenched constitution?

Answer 7

means that it can be easily changed

Question 8

what is parliamentary sovereinty?

Answer 8

all authority lies with parliament, no parliament is binded to it’s sucessor and any act can be changed

Question 9

what is statute law?

Answer 9

all law created by parliament

Question 10

give an example of statute law

Answer 10

the 1918 representation of the people act where all men and some women could vote

Question 11

give an example of a convention becoming statute law

Answer 11

in 2011 the convention of that the government in power should resign if defeated in a vote of no confidence

Question 12

what is a treaty

Answer 12

an agreement signed with another country

Question 13

give an example of a treaty

Answer 13

brexit

Question 14

when was the human rights act passed?

Answer 14

1998

Question 15

when was the equality act passed?

Answer 15

2010

Question 16

what rights did the equality act 2010 protect?

Answer 16

protect worker and the general public from discrimination

Question 17

give an example of a use of the human rights act 1998

Answer 17

after the hillsbourough disaster(1989) the families of the victims used the act for proper inquiries regarding the deaths

Question 18

codified

Answer 18

written down in a legal document

Question 19

uncodified

Answer 19

laws or regulations that are not part of a written system

Question 20

statute law

Answer 20

a system of laws that have been approved by parliament

Question 21

common law

Answer 21

law that is developed through the decisions in court that doesn’t solely rely on statutes or regulations

Question 22

conventions

Answer 22

an unwritten understanding of how something should be done, not legally enforceable

Question 23

authoritative opinions

Answer 23

books written by constitutional theorists

Question 24

the royal perogative

Answer 24

powers which have belonged to the monarch since the middle ages but now exercised largely by gov ministers

Question 25

rule of law

Answer 25

prevents the abuse of state power and requires the law to be followed by all

Question 26

parliamentary sovereignty

Answer 26

the main legislative body (parliament) has superiority over all gov instituitions

Question 27

individual rights

Answer 27

the fundemental liberties that were assigned to an indivdual

Question 28

collective rights