key terms Flashcards
(32 cards)
Constitution
A set of rules determining where sovereignty lies in a political system, and establishing the relationship between the government and the governed 
Unentrenched
A constitution with no special procedure for amendment
Uncodified
A constitution not contained in a single written document
unitary
A political system where all legal sovereignty is contained in a single place
Parliamentary sovereignty
The principal that Parliament can make amend or unmake any law and cannot bind its successes or be bound by its predecessors
The rule of law
The principal that all people and bodies ,including government, must follow the law and be held to account if they do not
statute law
Laws passed by parliament
common law
Laws made by judges where the Lord does not cover the issue or is unclear
Conventions
Traditions not contained in law but influential in operation of a political system
Authoritative works
Works written by experts describing how political system is run, they are not legally binding but are taken as significant guides
Treaties
Formal agreements with other countries, usually ratified by parliament
Devolution
The dispersal of power, but not sovereignty, within a political system
Parliament
The British legislature made up of the House of Commons, the House of Lords and the monarch
House of Commons
The primary chamber in the UK legislature directly elected by voters
House of Lords
The second chamber of the UK legislature, not directly elected by voters
confidence and supply
- The rights to remove the government and to grant or withhold funding
- also used to describe a type of informal coalition agreement where the minority partner agrees to provide these things in exchange for policy concessions
salisbury convention
The convention where the house of laws does not delay or block legislation that was included in a government manifesto
parliamentary privilege
The rights of MPs or Lords to make certain statements within Parliament without being subject to outside influence, including law
legislative bills
Proposed laws passing through parliament
public bill committee
Committees responsible for looking at bills in detail
Back benchers
MPs or Lords, who do not hold any government office
Opposition
The MPs and Lords, who are not members of the governing party or parties
select committees
Committee responsible for scrutinising the work of government,
often of an individual government department 
Executive
The collective group of Prime Minister, cabinet and junior ministers, sometimes known as the government 
