UBS 2 Flashcards
Name the three parts of Britain
England, Scotland, Wales
Name three ‘Home Counties’ around London
Essex, Kent, Surrey
Name three hilly regions in England
the Pennines, the Lake District, the
Yorkshire Dales,
In which region does over one-third of Britain’s population live?
In the south east
What are ‘sunset’ and ‘sunrise’ areas in Britain?
’Sunset’ areas are broadly those where traditional industries have collapsed
during the past 30 years
The north has ’sunrise’ areas, where significant new economic activity is
occuring
What is the ‘M4 Corridor’?
The most notable sunrise area in the outer core of Britain
Name the three elements of Parliament in which British sovereignty
collectively resides.
The Crown, the House of Lords and the House of Commons
Name three elements of what is usually considered ‘the constitution’ in the
UK, on which the state operates.
Parliamentary ’sovereignty’
An independent judiciary
Consolidation of the rule of law
What is Britain’s oldest secular institution?
The monarchy
What is the essential core of British government, consisting of most senior
ministers, called?
The Cabinet
What is the permanent body of officials, upon which the British government
depends, called?
The Civil Service
What are British Government and British Parliament frequently referred to
as?
His Majesty’s Government/Mother of Parliaments ili Westminster (?)
Which chamber of the British Parliament has more power?
The House of Commons
Name three functions of the British Parliament.
To pass laws
To examine government policy and administration
To debate or discuss important political issues
What is the United Kingdom divided into for electoral purposes?
Constituencies
What is the electoral system in the United Kingdom called?
’First-past-the-post’ (FPTP) system
Which two political parties in the UK are dominant today?
Conservative and Labour Party
Which two political parties have been known as ‘Tories’ and ‘Whigs’?
Tories – Conservative Party
Whigs – Liberal Party
Who are the House of Commons and the House of Lords presided over by,
respectively?
The Speaker for the House of Commons
The Lord Chancellor for the House of Lords
What are the Opposition spokesmen in British Parliament called?
The ’Shadow Cabinet’
What are the two types of peers in the House of Lords?
Hereditary peers and ’life’ peers
What are the MPs who sit behind the members of the Cabinet and the
Shadow Cabinet called?
’Back-benchers’
What are the two types of lords in the House of Lords?
Lords Temporal and Lords Spiritual
Who did Elizabeth II dislike because of her regal pretensions, which seemed
to challenge the Queen’s status?
Margaret Thatcher
Name three reasons why Queen Elizabeth II referred to 1992 as her ‘annus
horribilis’.
The fire at Windsor Castle
The Duke and Duchess of York announced their divorce
Charles and Diana were to separate
Who did Prime Minister Tony Blair call the People`s Princess in a touching
public statement at her funeral?
Princess Diana
Name three things which Charter88 called for.
a Bill of Rights, protection of individual liberties and for a written constitution
Within the British honours system, what do OBE and MBE mean?
Order of the British Empire (OBE)
Member of the British Empire (MBE)
Which term refers to a variety of institutions and organisations lying on the
fringes of government in the UK?
’Quango’
Name two cases of justice miscarriage through the 1990s in Britain, when
people convicted for murder were released because their convictions were
unsound.
’The Maguire Seven’ and ’The Birmingham Six’
What is the main virtue of the legal system for England and Wales?
Independence from the system of government and as such, a safeguard of civil liberties.
What is the main vice of the legal system for England and Wales?
Resistance to reform, and the maintenance of its own privileges which may be contrary to public interest
Which two basic elements is the legal system for England and Wales
founded upon?
Acts of Parliament or statue law
Common law which is the outcome of past decisions and practices based upon
custom and reason
Which are two main types of court for criminal cases in the legal system of
England and Wales?
Magistrates Courts
Crown Courts
Name the three divisions of the High Court of Justice in England.
Chancery, Family, King’s Bench
Which two distinct practices, each with entrenched rights, has the legal
profession in England and Wales traditionally been divided into?
Only solicitors may deal directly with the public
Only barristers (professional advocates) may fight a case in the higher courts
Which are two main types of courts in Scotland?
Sheriff’s Courts (for civil and criminal cases)
The Court of Session (for civil cases)
Name the three tiers of local government in England.
County, district (borough) and parish councils
Name three of the metropolitan counties created in England in the 1970s.
Greater Manchester, Merseyside, Tyne and Wear
What is the meaning of the abbreviation GLC in local government in England?
Greater London Council
How many borough councils are there in London?
33
Name the two basic principles of local government in England?
The efficiency principle
The democratic principle
Who are the local government authorities in England composed of?
Elected councillors
Permanent local government officers
Who is a ‘provost’ in Scottish local government?
Chairman
Who formulated the principles for the national economy followed by both Labour and Conservative governments after World War Two?
John Maynard Keynes
Name two of the industries and services that Labour nationalised after World
War Two.
Coal and steel production, gas and electricity supply and the railways
What is the meaning of the abbreviation VAT regarding the sales of goods
and services?
Value Added Tax
What is the meaning of the abbreviation FT-SE?
Financial Times-Stock Exchange
Which part of British revenue softened the impact of the recession from
1979 to 1985?
Oil revenue
Name the greatest two benefits of privatisation by the Conservative
government until 1996.
It forced prices down
And it forced standards of service up to the benefit of customers and
shareholders
In which year did Britain’s humiliating exit from the ERM happen?
1992
Name two of the main areas in which British ‘high-tech’ industries have
developed.
the area between London and Cambridge
What is the most important lobby organization for owners and managers in
the UK?
CBI – Confederation of British Industry
Which two names are used for the district of London where many banks, financial institutions, and other big companies have their offices?
The City and The Square Mile
Name two of the main traditional roles of the Bank of England.
To maintain the stability of the currency
To maintain the stability of the financial system
To ensure effectiveness of the financial sector
Which are the two principal kinds of bank in the UK?
Retail (the high street banks) and wholesale (merchant banks)
In which year did the Big Bang, which allowed any foreign financial
institution to participate in the London money market, happen?
1986
What is the name of the coordinating body of British trade unions?
Trade Unions Congress (TUC)
Name three of the causes of Britain’s industrial failure in the 20th century.
The stress of two world wars
The loss of empire
Unlike other European powers, Britain failed to rebuild its industries in 1945
Which two forms of households have been on the rise in the UK, as opposed
to the nuclear family?
Solitary (people living alone)
’Cohabiting’ where couples live together but never get married
Which social class in the UK has the greatest fluidity and mobility?
Middle class
Which are the two names for the elite of British society – the ‘top’ 1
percent?
’The Establishment’
’The Great and the Good’
Which is the largest ethnic minority community in Britain, by area of origin?
Indian
Which two cities in the United Kingdom have the largest concentration of
ethnic minority members?
London and Leicester