UK consititution and devolution Flashcards
Constitution
The
set of political
principles by which a
state or organisation
is governed,
especially in relation
to the rights of the
people it governs
Codified
constitution
A
constitution in which
key constitutional
provisions are
collected together
within a single legal
document.
Entrenched
Something that is
frmly established
and diffcult or
unlikely to change
Uncodifed
constitution
A
constitution that is
made up of rules
that are found in a
variety of sources,
in the absence
of a single legal
document
Statute law:
Laws that have
been decided
and approved by
Parliament.
Parliamentary
sovereignty:
Parliament is the
supreme legal
authority in the UK,
and can create,
amend any law
which cannot be
overruled by courts.
Unitary constitution:
A constitution
that concentrates
sovereign power in a
single body
Federal constitution:
A constitution
that is based on
the principle of
shared sovereignty,
in that there are
two relatively
autonomous levels of
government: national
and regional.
Devolution
The
decentralisation
of governmental
power. Examples
of devolution are
the powers granted
to the Scottish
Parliament, the
Welsh Parliament,
the Northern Ireland
Assembly and the
Greater London and
Local Authorities
Rigid constitution
A constitution
which stands above
the other laws of
the country and
contains specifc
legal obstacles to
be overcome before
it may be amended
Flexible
constitution
A
constitution that
may be amended by
the ordinary process
of legislation and is
therefore relatively
easy to amend.
Unentrenched:
Something not
frmly ingrained that
will therefore be
easier to adapt or
change according to
circumstances.
Common law:
The
legal system in
England that has
developed over a
period of time from
old customs and
court decisions,
rather than laws
made by politicians.
Convention:
Unwritten
understanding about
how something
should be done
which, although not
legally enforceable,
is almost universally
observed, like a
custom or tradition.
Royal Assent:
The
monarch’s approval
of legislation passed
by Parliament
Treaty
A written
agreement between
two or more
countries formally
approved and
signed by their
leaders
Authoritative
works:
Books
written by
constitutional
experts explaining
how a political
system is run. They
are not legally
binding but are
taken as signifcant
guides to how the
constitution works.
The rule of law
the
principle that law
should ‘rule’ in the
sense that it applies
to all conduct or
behaviour and
covers both private
citizens and public
offcials
West Lothian
Question:
The perceived
imbalance between
the voting rights
in the House of
Commons of MPs
from Scottish,
Welsh and
Northern Ireland
constituencies
and those of
MPs from English
constituencies
following
devolution.
Sovereignty
The
principle of absolute
and unlimited
power, implying
either supreme
legal authority
Asymmetrical
devolution
A form
of devolution that
operates differently
in different regions,
with no common
pattern of devolved
powers and
responsibilities
within the state
Primary legislative
power:
The ability
to make law on
matters which have
been devolved from
Westminster
Secondary
legislative
power:
The ability
to vary some
laws passed by
the Houses of
Parliament, creating
dependency on
Westminster
legislation.
Nationalists
Those who want
Northern Ireland to
be independent from
the UK and join the
Republic of Ireland
– some of them
were also called
Republicans
Unionists
Those
who want to remain
part of the UK – some
of them were also
calledLoyalists(as
they were loyal to
the British crown).
Unionists are mostly
Protestant.
The Barnett
formula:
The
devolved
administrations in
Scotland, Wales
and Northern
Ireland receive
grants from the
UK government
that fund most of
their spending. The
Barnett formula
calculates the block
grant aiming to give
each country the
same pounds-perperson funding.
