UK democracy Flashcards
What are the 5 pillars of the British constitution?
- Rule of law
- Parliamentary sovereignty
- Parliamentary government
- A unitary state
- Constitutional monarchy
What type of constitution does the UK have?
Uncodified. Derived from a number of sources such as the Act of union 1707 & European communities act 1972. It is best described as ‘partly written and wholly uncodified’
What is statute law?
In terms of UK politics, it is the body of principles and rules of law which are important for determining the powers and scope of government, and conduct elections.
Example: the queen has to sign acts of parliament passed by both houses
Why does Mrs Summers like parliamentary sovereignty so much?
It is the highest legal authority and can make and unmake any law on any subject. No one parliament is bound by the decisions of its predecessors nor can it bind its successors. No one can override it
Common law…
…Is law which has been developed by judges through decisions of courts and tribunals. If judgement in past upheld someone’s right to slander the gov, then all judges must uphold similar cases in the future
Why is devolution a headache for the PM?
- Challenges authority of Westminster as well as making it less influential or relevant
- Challenges legitimacy of UK gov (think brexit) and makes English voters upset ‘cos nobody likes taxes
- Westminster has to give part of its budget to Hollyrood (Scotland has £1,000 more to spend, per head, than England)
What benefits does devolution provide for UK?
- Greater democratic voice. Between 1979 & 1997, the Scottish electorate voted against the winning party every time. Dissolves anti-union feeling.
- Scottish students don’t have tuition fees
- Distinctive NHS means there have been no junior doctors strikes in Scotland and free GP’s.
- Paperwork. Westminster doesn’t have to worry about managing Scotland
- As a response to the 2014 Indiref, Scotland has greater devolution with additional powers such as tax, abortion, speed limits etc.
Why devolution?
Allows Scots, Welsh and Northern Irish to be more democratic (AMS) and be better represented with 7 regional MSP’s, MP’s and constituent MSP’s.
Also allows areas where they think differently (Brexit) to focus on specific problems (alcohol)
Remember the Sewel convention (announced July 1998)?
UK parliament retains authority to legislate on any issue, devolved or not. However, they do need consent from the Scottish parliament
How many members are there in each of the houses at Westminster?
Commons - 650 MP’s
Lords - around 780 peers have the right to sit in the house
How can the House of Lords influence legislation in Parliament?
Make amendments to bills and send them back to Commons. However, they cant block budgets.
Name one select committee and an example of it’s work
Environmental Audit committee. On the 26th of April it will launch a report on the Sustainable Development Goals in the UK. The government will have 8 weeks to respond
How have whips become less relevant?
Can no longer appoint members into committees
What is an adjournment debate?
One which is held in the last 30mins of the day. Only people voted in and chosen by the speaker may speak
How long do MP’s have before the end of a division?
8 mins
