UK GOV AND POL KEY DEFINITIONS Flashcards
codified
the constitution is found in mainly one place (USA)
uncodified
the constitution is found in a variety of sources (UK)
statute
acts of parliament that affect and alter the British constitution (human rights act 1998)
common law
laws based on court decisions rather than codes or statutes
conventions
unwritten traditions which enable the government to run more smoothly
authoritive opinions
the writings and books of constitutional experts that clarify and explain the inner workings of the constitution
the royal prerogative
the powers traditionally held by the monarchy but now the power is held in the prime minister (the power of patronage)
rule of law
when everyone in the country are accountable to the same laws (including PM and MPs)
parliamentary sovereignty
when the parliaments laws cannot be struck down by a higher authority
individual rights
rights applied to individual citizens, such as the right to free expression and the right to free education up to the age of 18
collective rights
rights that protect a whole group of individuals, such as workers, disabled people or religious groups
scrutiny of executive
checking that the government is carrying out its functions properly
peers
members of the House of Lords, mostly life peers who have been nominated by political leaders over the years
delegates
a person selected to represent a group of people (MPs)
executive
the government
trustees
a person in a position of trust
burkean theories of representation (trustee model)
- associated with Edmund burke
- he argued that electors should trust their MP with acting in their best interests, listen to their views but not being bound by them
the delegate model
- the opposite to the trustee model
- MPs are viewed as mouthpieces for their constituents and entirely bound by their wishes
the mandate theory
- MPs are elected primarily to carry out the manifest promises of their party
- it reflects the fact that most votes an MP receives are because of party allegiance, not their own personality
parliamentary privilege
ensures that members of parliament are able to speak freely in debates
redress of grievances
the right to citizens to get wrongs or injustices by the government put right
referendum
direct votes in which the entire electorate is invited to vote on a single political proposition (BREXIT)
core executive
the collective term for the key players in government policy making
primus inter pares
’ first among equals’
inner cabinet
a smaller, more informal group of senior ministers who meet outside of the regular sessions of the full cabinet
cabinet committee
the people who mostly carry out the day to day work
collective cabinet responsibility
the principle where all the members of the cabinet support its decisions in the public, even iff they disagree with them in private
individual responsibility
each minister is personally responsible for the actions and outcomes in their department
Supreme Court
the highest court of appeal in the UK
- it has the powers to make judgements based of the ECHR
judicial independence and impartiality
the notion that judges are free from government interference (they are independent)
separation of powers
the Supreme Court is separate from the government and parliament
ultra vires
this means that everyone is subject to the law of the land, including the government
judicial review
a court proceeding in which judges review the legality of a decision or action made by a public body (the government)
devolution
the delegation of power from the UK parliament in Westminster to assemblies in Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland
direct democracy
a system of democracy in which the people make decisions, not the government
representative democracy
a system of democracy in which the people vote for elected representatives, these reps make decisions on the peoples behalf
suffrage
the right to vote
participation
peoples involvement in political activity (voting, signing a petition…)
partisan dealignment
the process by which the electorate has become less strongly affiliated to political parties (shown by falling party memberships)
pluralism
political philosophy that emphasises the benefits of many different groups influencing the decision making process
first past the post
a plurality system in which the electorate votes for one candidate in their constituency and whichever candidateg gets the most votes, wins
majoritarian systems
require a candidate to gain 50% plus one vote to win (absolute majority)
proportional systems
allocate seats in proportion to the number of votes received by each party
tactical voting
when a voter does not vote for their preferred party because they do not believe there party can win, instead they vote for another party which has a better chance (this may be to stop a party they dislike from winning)
ideology
core political beliefs and ideas
one nation conservatism
a version of conservatism that includes policies designed to benefit all sections of society
Thatcherism
thatchers distinctive branch of conservatism. including privatisation of industry and restriction of trade union powers
party systems
the number of significant political parties operating in a country
insider pressure groups
those pressure groups which work within the government and have insider information
outsider pressure groups
those that do not work with the government and therefore try to influence political decisions from the outside
promotional groups
those that promote a specific cause
interest groups
those that exist to defend the interests of a particular group or section of society
