The UK Political System Flashcards
What is politics?
The process by which individuals and groups with divergent interests and values
What causes politics to exist?
Scarcity of resources
Competing interests and values
What is politics about?
Power
Conciliation
What is power?
The ability to achieve a favoured outcome, whether through coercion or the exercise of authority.
Politics focuses on the distribution of authority within a society.
What is concilliation?
Focuses on conflict resolution, negotiation and compromise.
Politics can be a force of good, a way of reaching decisions in divided societies without resorting to force.
What is the Westminister Model?
The traditional way of understanding British politics.
What are the key features of the Westminister Model?
The constitution is codified and can easily be amended.
Executive and Legislature are fused.
An independant judiciary upholding the rule of law,but cannot strike down laws made by parliament.
Representative democracy meaning the government can be held accountable through elections.
What are the arguments supporting the Westminister Model?
Government is responsible and representative, accountable to parliament for its actions.
Government is strong and effective because the executive control of the legislature ensures that governments deliver the commitments they made to voters.
Voters are presented with a clear choice between the governing and opposition party.
Rule of law defends basic liberties and ensures power is not practised arbitrarily.
What are the arguments against the Westminister Model?
Insufficient checks and balances. Parliamentary sovereignty allow the government to do whatever they want.
The concentration of power at the centre means that decisions are not taken close to the people.
Limited opportunities for political participation.
Not a strong rights culture, government can use ordinary legislation and executive powers to restrict the rights of citizens.
What are the difference between a majoritarian and consensual democracy?
Majoritarian has a flexible constitution so can easily be ammended but Consensual has a rigid constitution meaning special procedures are in place.
Majoritarian is when the executive is dominant and controls the legislature, whereas Consensual has a balance of executive and legislative.
Courts cannot challenge the constitutionality of legislation for Majoritarian but can be done for Consensual
Power concentrated at the centre in Majoritarian but for Consensual consists of tiers of governments.
Is the UK a majoritarian or consensual democracy?
Despite Blair’s government introduced elements of consensual democracy (HR’s act and Devolution), the UK is still close to the majoritarian position as parliamentary sovereignty remains the guiding principle.
What are the 3 branches of government?
Executive
Legislative
Judiciary
What is the executive branch?
The branch of government concerned formulation and implementation of policy
What are the roles of the executive branch?
Decides the political direction taken by the government.
Provides national leadership in times of crisis.
Appoints the government.
What does the executive branch consist of?
Prime minister, the cabinet and its commitees aswell as governmental departments.
