U2 The Constitution Flashcards
(12 cards)
What is a constitution?
A set of rules determining where sovereignty lies in a political system, and establishing the relationship between the government and the governed.
What is an unentrenched constitution?
A constitution with no special procedure for amendment.
What is an uncodified constitution?
A constitution not contained in a single written document.
What is a unitary political system?
A political system where all legal sovereignty is contained in a single place.
What is parliamentary sovereignty?
The principle that Parliament can make, amend or unmake any law, and cannot bind its successors or be bound by its predecessors.
What is the rule of law?
The principle that all people and bodies, including government, must follow the law and can be held to account if they do not.
What is statute law? And an example
Laws passed by Parliament. -acts of parliament
Eg. 2005 constitutional reform act establishing Supreme Court
What is common law? And an example
Laws made by judges where the law does not cover the issue or is unclear.
laws based on precedent and tradition.
Murder is common law
What are conventions in a political system?
Traditions not contained in law but influential in the operation of a political system.
rules of good political behaviour
Eg. Salisbury convention
Eg. Government resignation following a motion of no confidence
What are authoritative works?
Works written by experts describing how a political system is run, they are not legally binding but are taken as significant guides.
The Rule of Law by Thomas Bingham
What are treaties?
Formal agreements with other countries, usually ratified by Parliament.
Treaty of Lisbon gives the EU full legal personality
What is devolution?
The dispersal of power, but not sovereignty, within a political system.
