Key words Flashcards
Absolute Monarchy
A form of government where the monarch wields unrestricted political power
Abstention
Term used to refer to the act of not voting in an election
Access Point
Term used for the various people and places that pressure groups target to apply pressure for their desired changes
Accountability
In a Parliamentary government, this is the principle that ministers have an obligation to explain or justify their actions to Parliament
Additional member system
The electoral system used in elections for the Scottish Parliament, Welsh Assembly and Greater London Assembly
Administrative devolution
Pre-1999 form of devolution, in which power was centralised, but Scottish and Welsh Offices managed many domestic policy areas in Scotland and Wales
Adversary politics
A means of increasing female representation in Parliament by requiring constituency parties to choose between exclusively female candidates
Alternative vote +
An electoral system that has never been used in the UK, but was devised and recommended by the 1997 Commission investigating alternatives to FPTP
Alternative vote
Where the devolution of powers from central to subnational governments is not uniform, and the powers devolved vary from region to region
Authoritative works
Name given to texts written by constitutional theorists that have no legal authority but are considered indispensable guides to the UK Constitution
Authority
Someone’s widely recognised right to exercise power
Backbench Business Committee
Created in 2010, this committee is allocated 35 days in each session of Parliament, for scheduling debates on subjects suggested by backbench MPs
Backbench MPs
MPs that do not hold a ministerial, or shadow ministerial, position
Ballot Bills
A type of private members’ bill - the names of 20 MPs are drawn at the start of each parliamentary year, and given priority to timetable their bill
Bandwagon effect
This formula, based largely on population sizes, adjusts spending grants for Scotland, Wales and N. Ireland to reflect spending changes in England
Bicameralism
Term for legislatures that are divided into two chambers or houses - e.g. Parliament is divided into the House of Commons and House of Lords
Bilateral meetings
Meetings between two people, usually used to refer to meetings between the prime minister and a particular government minister
Bill of Rights (1689)
This transferred constitutional supremacy from the monarchy to Parliament, establishing the concept of Parliamentary sovereignty
Boomerang effect
When voters sympathise with, and decide to vote for, a party that is not performing well in the polls
Bureaucracy
A term meaning ‘rule by officials’, often used to refer to the civil servants who implement government policy
By-elections
Elections to fill positions that become vacant before the next general election is due to be held
Cabinet committees
Small groups of cabinet ministers, established by the Prime Minister, which meet regularly to discuss a particular policy area and make decisions
Cabinet government
A system of government where the cabinet is the central collective decision making body of government
Cabinet Office
Government department, with over 2,000 civil servants, responsible for supporting the Prime Minister, Deputy PM, Cabinet and Cabinet Committees
Cabinet reshuffle
The term used when the prime minister changes the composition of ministers in the cabinet
Cabinet Secretary
The most senior civil servant in the country - provides policy advice to the Prime Minister and Cabinet
Catch-all parties
Term used for pressure groups that aim to promote issues and policies that do not exclusively benefit the group’s members
Centralisation
Where central government takes over some of the functions of local authorities, limiting the financial and political decisions they can make
Checks and balances
Where each branch of government can limit the powers of the others, preventing a single branch from becoming too powerful
Cheque book members
The basic rights and freedoms that citizens benefit from under the law, protecting citizens from arbitrary government intrusion into their lives
Civil rights
The basic rights to be free from unequal treatment or discrimination based on certain protected characteristics (like gender, race, disability etc)
Civil servants
Permanent staff, employed by government departments to support ministers with administrative work and provide neutral advice and expertise