uk constitution

Question 1

what does constitution mean?

Answer 1

a set of rules
defines a country between the government and the citizens
limits the power of a government

Question 2

what does codified mean?

Answer 2

constitution is written in one place (USA)

Question 3

what does uncodified mean?

Answer 3

written in lots of different places/not written in one place (UK)

Question 4

what does unitary mean?

Answer 4

power lies in one central place (UK parliament)

Question 5

what does federal mean?

Answer 5

power across all regions (US state governments)

Question 6

what does sovereignty mean? two examples too

Answer 6

to have supreme power
- UK parliament
- US constitution

Question 7

What is statute law? one example

Answer 7

• made by parliament (therefore sovereign)
• has to be approved by the monarch
• can be scrapped at any time
• written law
• Rep. of the people act 1918 (women get the vote)

Question 8

What is common law?

Answer 8

• made by judges throughout cases
• based on the principle stare decisis (latin for staying on what has been decided)
• therefore have to follow previous case decisions
• only made if there is no statute or previous decision
• parliament still sovereign
• deals with ‘open-ended’ aspects of the law

Question 9

What is EU law?

Answer 9

• still has an impact on UK
• we follow EU laws until we want further change
• European contention of human rights (1956) means that if the Uk go against their HRA ‘98 the EU gov can pull up on it

Question 10

what is a convention? and an example

Answer 10

• unwritten habits and practices
• tradition
• these codes of conducts make politics work
• e.g. collective ministerial responsibility = defines rel between minsters and cabinet