Unit 2 - United Kingdom and European Union

Question 1

Alternative Voting (AV)

Answer 1

each voter may rank candidates. on the ballot paper in order of preference, used by MPs to elect the chairs of select committees, the Speaker of the House of Lords, and the Deputy Speakers of the House of Commons

Question 2

Austerity measures

Answer 2

economic policies implemented by governments to reduce government spending in order to reduce public debt and to shrink the budget deficit, promoted by conservatives

Question 3

Backbenchers

Answer 3

members of parliament who are not ministers or shadow ministers; they sit in the rows of seats behind the frontbench. Most members of parliament start their parliamentary career as a backbencher.

Question 4

Beveridge Report

Answer 4

tasked the state with establishing a ‘national minimum’, a safety net below which no one could fall. Central to his plan was a contributory system which would entitle the population to maternity, child and unemployment benefits, state pensions and funeral allowances.

Question 5

Coalition government

Answer 5

a form of government in which political parties cooperate to form a government.

Question 6

Collective Census

Answer 6

Decennial population censuses are based around the delivery and collection of a questionnaire to every household in the UK comprising a set of household questions and further questions about each individual member of the household.

Question 7

Conservative Party

Answer 7

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland should remain as part of the United Kingdom. Marriage should be encouraged through the tax system. Free markets and education should create an opportunity society.

Question 8

“Constitution of the crown”

Answer 8

the written and unwritten arrangements that establish the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland as a political body.

Question 9

Devolution

Answer 9

devolution is the transfer of powers and funding from national to local government. It is important because it ensures that decisions are made closer to the local people, communities and businesses they affect.

Question 10

English Bill of Rights

Answer 10

established the principles of frequent parliaments, free elections and freedom of speech within Parliament

Question 11

The ‘government’

Answer 11

constitutional monarchy in which the reigning monarch does not make any open political decisions. All political decisions are taken by the government and Parliament.

Question 12

Hereditary peers

Answer 12

someone who became a peer (= a high social rank) when a parent died, and who can pass it on to their oldest child.

Question 13

Home rule

Answer 13

self-government, devolution or independence of its constituent nations—initially Ireland, and later Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

Question 14

Labour party

Answer 14

a British political party, formed in 1900 as an amalgam of various trade unions and socialist groups, generally supporting the interests of organized labour and advocating democratic socialism and social equality

Question 15

Law lords

Answer 15

members of the House of Lords who sit as the highest court of appeal, although in theory the full House of Lords has this role.

Question 16

Liberal democrats

Answer 16

lower taxes, opposing restrictions on civil liberties, decentralisation, utilising nuclear energy, and the relaxation of smoking laws.

Question 17

Limited government

Answer 17

a form of government with roles and powers given, and limited by law, usually in a written constitution. A limited government has only the powers that the people give it.

Question 18

Loyal opposition

Answer 18

the political party with the second-largest number of seats in the House of Commons, as the largest party will usually form the government.

Question 19

Mixed economy

Answer 19

an economic system wherein free markets and government involvement are able to coexist when it comes to resource distribution, commerce, and trade

Question 20

Neo-corporatism

Answer 20

a democratic form of corporatism which favors economic tripartism, which involves strong labour unions, employers’ associations and governments that cooperated as “social partners” to negotiate and manage a national economy.

Question 21

Neo-liberalism

Answer 21

contemporarily used to refer to market-oriented reform policies such as “eliminating price controls, deregulating capital markets, lowering trade barriers” and reducing, especially through privatization and austerity, state influence in the economy.

Question 22

Nobless oblige

Answer 22

the idea that someone with power and influence should use their social position to help other people. Duty, obligation and responsibility

Question 23

Oxbridge

Answer 23

the British universities of Oxford and Cambridge, esp considered as ancient and prestigious academic institutions, bastions of privilege and superiority, etc.

Question 24

Parliamentary system

Answer 24

the House of Commons and the House of Lords. Their work is similar: making laws (legislation), checking the work of the government (scrutiny), and debating current issues.

Question 25

Plurality voting system

Answer 25

function on a “winner-takes-all” principle, which means that the party of the losing candidate in each riding receives no representation in government, regardless of the amount of votes they received.

Question 26

Quangos

Answer 26

a semipublic administrative body outside the civil service but receiving financial support from the government, which makes senior appointments to it.

Question 27

Question time

Answer 27

an opportunity for MPs and Members of the House of Lords to question government ministers about matters for which they are responsible.

Question 28

Rational-legal legitimacy

Answer 28

laws, rules, norms, and procedures are respected and obeyed because they are laws, rules, norms, and procedures

Question 29

Referendum

Answer 29

a general vote by the electorate on a single political question that has been referred to them for a direct decision.

Question 30

Safe districts

Answer 30

electoral district in a legislative body which is regarded as fully secure, for either a certain political party, or the incumbent representative personally or a combination of both.

Question 31

Shadow cabinet

Answer 31

senior group of opposition spokespeople who, under the leadership of the Leader of the Opposition, form an alternative cabinet to that of the government, and whose members shadow or mirror the positions of each individual member of the Cabinet.

Question 32

Thatcherism

Answer 32

attempts to promote low inflation, the small state and free markets through tight control of the money supply, privatisation and constraints on the labour movement.

Question 33

The third way

Answer 33

centrist political position that attempts to reconcile right-wing and left-wing politics by advocating a varying synthesis of centre-right economic policies with centre-left social policies.

Question 34

Unitary government

Answer 34

a sovereign state governed as a single entity in which the central government is the supreme authority

Question 35

Vote of no confidence

Answer 35

a vote showing that a majority does not support the policy of a leader or governing body.

Question 36

Welfare state

Answer 36

a system in which the government provides free social services such as health and education and gives money to people when they are unable to work, for example because they are old, unemployed, or sick.

Question 37

The commission

Answer 37

he statutory independent body created by the Law Commissions Act 1965 to keep the law of England and Wales under review and to recommend reform where it is needed

Question 38

Common market

Answer 38

a formal agreement where a group is formed amongst several countries that adopt a common external tariff.

Question 39

The council of ministers

Answer 39

traditional name given to the supreme executive organ in some governments. It is usually equivalent to the term cabinet

Question 40

Crisis management

Answer 40

the actions that are taken to deal with an emergency or difficult situation in an organized way

Question 41

Democratic deficit

Answer 41

occurs when ostensibly democratic organizations or institutions (particularly governments) fall short of fulfilling the principles of democracy in their practices or operation where representative and linked parliamentary integrity becomes widely discussed.

Question 42

Economic liberalism

Answer 42

a political and economic ideology that supports a market economy based on individualism and private property in the means of production.

Question 43

Economic structural adjustment

Answer 43

a set of economic reforms that a country must adhere to in order to secure a loan from the International Monetary Fund and/or the World Bank

Question 44

European central bank

Answer 44

manages the euro and frames and implements EU economic & monetary policy. Its main aim is to keep prices stable, thereby supporting economic growth and job creation.

Question 45

European constitution

Answer 45

defines the values, fundamental objectives and spheres of action of the European Union and puts in place the machinery whereby its institutions can operate

Question 46

European council

Answer 46

the EU institution that defines the general political direction and priorities of the European Union

Question 47

European court of justice

Answer 47

interprets EU law to make sure it is applied in the same way in all EU countries, and settles legal disputes between national governments and EU institutions.

Question 48

European monetary union

Answer 48

Coordination of economic policy-making between Member States

Question 49

Free movement

Answer 49

they can move freely around the countries of the EU, and have the right to live in those other countries if they fulfil certain conditions

Question 50

Integration

Answer 50

the catch-all term for cooperation between European countries, usually but not exclusively referring to EU member states

Question 51

Lisbon treaty

Answer 51

gives the EU full legal personality. Therefore, the Union obtains the ability to sign international treaties in the areas of its attributed powers or to join an international organisation

Question 52

Maastricht treaty

Answer 52

established the European Union, paved the way for the euro and created EU citizenship

Question 53

Requirements for EU membership

Answer 53

a stable democracy and the rule of law, a functioning market economy and the acceptance of all EU legislation, including of the euro.

Question 54

Social market economy

Answer 54

links the principle of free markets and the one of social compensation

Question 55

Three pillars

Answer 55

the European Community (economic integration), Justice and Home Affairs, and Common Foreign and Security Policy

Question 56

United nations

Answer 56

an international organization founded in 1945 after the Second World War by 51 countries committed to maintaining international peace and security, developing friendly relations among nations and promoting social progress, better living standards and human rights.

Question 57

World Bank

Answer 57

an international development organization owned by 187 countries. Its role is to reduce poverty by lending money to the governments of its poorer members to improve their economies and to improve the standard of living of their people.

Question 58

World trade organization

Answer 58

the only global international organization dealing with the rules of trade between nations

Question 59

Security council

Answer 59

primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security. It has 15 Members, and each Member has one vote. Under the Charter of the United Nations, all Member States are obligated to comply with Council decisions