The nature and sources of the British Constitution Flashcards
What does codified mean?
The constitution is written down
What is statute law?
A law made by Parliament
What is common law?
The law declared by judges, derived from previous cases
What is the magna carta and when was it?
(1215) Authoritative work - The king and his government were not above the law
What are 3 examples of constitutional changes since 1997?
- Devolution
- Adoption of the Human rights Act (1998)
- House of Lords Act (1999)
When was the Human Rights Act?
1998
What is royal prerogative?
The ability to exercise royal powers such as appoint and dismiss ministers, to summon and prorogue parliament and to give royal assent to bills passed by
What is royal assent?
The final step required for a parliamentary bill to become law
When was the Bill of Rights?
1689
When was the constitutional reform Act
2005
What did the Constitutional Reform Act do?
Created an independent judiciary and Introduced the Supreme Court
What type of state do the UK have?
A quasi-federal state
What is the salisbury convention?
HoL cannot block or delay any laws on a gov manifesto
What were Blair’s 4 aims for constitutional reform?
-Democratisation
-Decentralisation
-Stronger protection of rights
-Modernisation
What was the Fixed Parliament Act and when was it?
Elections held every five years unless a vote taken and majority of house agree (2011)
