Fichas
Uk, European & Global Institutions
Fichas del conjunto (104)
- 1What is a constitution?A shared system of values.
Fundamental laws and principals and the powers and duties of governments. - 2How is an unwritten constitution referred to?Uncodified.
- 3What are the +/- of an uncodified constitution?+ Flexibility. It can be amended, added to etc without complicated procedures.
- 'Big Brother' assault on liberties like the anti-terror legislation (can change perceived duties easily, without long, public process). - 4What are the Sources of our constitution?Statutes, Common Law, Conventions, Treatises, Treaties
- 5What are the Principles behind our constitution?Rule of Law, Parliamentary Sovereignty, Separation of Powers, Democratic Government
- 6What are statutes?Individual laws (acts of parliament), some are very, VERY old.
- 7Give two examples of important, historical statutes with their associated laws.-1215 Magna Carta-
Brings with it the Rule of Law (right to a fair trial)
-1689 Bill of Rights-
Ending the Divine Right of Kings, placing Parliament above Sovereignty - 8What is common law?Also known as 'case law' or 'precedent', it's a unified framework of more reasoned previous judgements.
- 9What are treatises?Works of authority.
These include works of theorists, political philosophers and thinkers, and documents so revered they're considered constitution. - 10What are conventions?Traditions, practices and customs.
For example, Collective Responsibility. - 11What are International Treaties and what are two examples of International Treaties being incorporated into British Constitution?International Membership Agreements.
e.g.
NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation)
ECHR (European Court of Human Rights) - 12What does the Rule of Law come from and what does it entail?The Magna Carta
Right to trial by jury - 13What groups (and titles) are made through The Separation of Powers?-Executive (the Government)
-Legislature (Parliament)
-Judiciary (the Courts) - 14Whose quote is the most fundamental guiding principle of our constitution, what does it refer to, and what its underlying message?Montesquie, when talking of the Separation of Powers, said that if one body had all three powers (executive, legislative and judiciary) there would be no liberty and an end to everything.
- 15What statute is Parliamentary Sovereignty derived from, and what does the principle constitute?Derived from the Bill of Rights meaning Parliament can make and unmake any law on any subject. No one Parliament is bound by its predecessors, nor can they bind theirs.
- 16Describe the principle of DemocracyA governmental system of elected representatives who reflect the people's will, are answerable for their decisions, apply laws equally to all and allow for freedom of expression and opinion.
- 17How does the EU effect our constitution?Laws passed on a European level are considered legally superior to domestic law and are protected by the European Court of Justice.
EU Directives are now considered a source of our constitution. - 18What is the difference between a Constitutional Monarchy and an Absolute Monarchy? What do we have in the UK?A Constitutional Monarchy reigns but does not rule. An Absolute Monarchy reigns and rules.
We have a Constitutional Monarchy. - 19What are the Notional Prerogative Powers? (name five)- Dissolving and summoning parliament, calling elections, forming new parliaments after results
- Giving royal assent to Parliamentary bills
- Appointing ministers / senior public officials (judges, diplomats, bishops etc)
- Writing Queen's Speech
- Declaring War and Peace
- Prorogation of Parliament (suspension of activities over holiday periods)
- Drawing up lists of nominations for peerages / honours etc. - 20What does The Queen have to do after every election?Appoint the new Prime Minister simply due to convention. She invites the leader of the majority party to be PM.
- 21What actual powers does The Queen still retain?Head of state, Head of executive, legislature and judiciary, Commander in chief of the armed forces, Supreme Governor of C of E, Head of Commonwealth, Authority for license to print money (Royal Mint).
- 22What ceremonial tasks does The Queen participate in?Reading Queen's Speech at opening of Parliament, Governing C of E, creating Peers, Knighthoods, honours, Weekly meeting with PM to offer advise, Entertains visiting heads of state at Buckingham Palace, Official state visits as overseas ambassador, Chairs meetings of Privy Council, Troops the colour.
- 23What power does The Queen have in the commonwealth?The same powers of advice and influence as she does in Britain.
- 24What law of royal succession did the Queen recently change (and when)?Sons of monarchs will no longer displace an older sister in the line of succession as of May 2012.
- 25How is the monarchy currently funded?The 'Sovereign Grant'
- 26How did the monarchy used to be funded and when did it change?Until two years ago, the monarchy was funded by the Civil List (tax payers), Grants-in-Aid (DCMS), DfT, Privy Purse and Personal Income
- 27Who form parliament?ALL elected MPs.
- 28Who form government?The political party with the most seats from a general election.
- 29What is the government responsible for?Developing and implementing policy and drafting laws.
- 30What is the government also known as?The Executive.
- 31What is parliament also known as?Legislature.
- 32What is the job of Parliament?Check the work of the government and examine, debate and approve new laws (passing legislation).
- 33What is a cabinet minister?Often entitled "Secretary of State for..." to denote seniority, they head up a major government spending department.
e.g. 'Secretary of State for Health' - 34What is the role of the PM?Appoints his Cabinet of around 20-30 ministers, chairs cabinet meetings and sets agendas for cabinet and its committees.
- 35Who can hold the Prime Minster to account?The Press, public, Parliament and their own party (backbench rebellions).
- 36What bodies represent (a) Labour and (b) the Tories, and what do they do?The Parliamentary Labour Party (Labour) and the 1922 Committee (Tory). Both are there to question and scrutinise the PM to make sure they're doing the right jobs.
The 1922 Committee were involved in removing Margaret Thatcher as PM. - 37Describe Collective ResponsibilityCabinet ministers must endorse and support the actions of their own government publicly even if they don't agree privately.
If you don't like it shut up or resign. - 38Describe Individual Ministerial ResponsibilityIf a serious error or scandal occurs 'on your watch' as a minister, do the honourable thing and step down (resign).
In practice though, the PM often sacks them before they have chance to quit. - 39What is The Civil Service?The administration structure of government departments, with political neutrality (so they continue throughout changes in political makeup).
Senior Civil Servants advise ministers. - 40What are Special Policy Advisors?Appointed to and by ministers to give policy and political advice and sometimes brief the media. They are temporary civil servants paid for by the state, but aren't bound by the civil service code.
- 41What is the structural makeup of the Civil Service?60 Departments and 100 Executive Agencies and Quangos, employing more than 500,000 people.
- 42What does a Parliamentary Ombudsman do?Investigates public complaints about government departments and other public bodies, focusing on individuals who have suffered injustice through maladministration.
They can recommend action but can't enforce. - 43What are the three types of Legislation (with brief description)?Public Bill - Changes the law of the land so affects everyone.
Private Bill - At the request of a specific body, like the Highways Agency asking for new roads.
Hybrid - between more than one governmental body (e.g. Channel Tunnel) - 44What are the three ways to introduce a Private Members Bill (PMB)?PMB Fridays
Ten Minute Rule
Presentation Bills - 45Explain PMB FridaysMPs take part in a ballot on one of 13 PMB Fridays to try to introduce their bill. First 20 names out of a hat may introduce bills. Strong cross-party support makes a strong chance of success. Lack of support means an easily blocked proposal.
- 46Explain the 10 Minute RuleOn most Tuesdays and Wednesdays a 10 minute speech is given outlining proposals that have the support of at least 10 members. Opposing opinions can have 10 minutes to counter.
No further discussion past the 10 minutes so unlikely to become law. - 47Explain Presentation BillsMPs present their bill to Parliament but cannot speak in support of it. Very little chance of bill becoming law.
- 48Why are the 10 Minute Rule and Presentation Bills used despite their low chance of success?Mainly as a method of publicising a particular issue.
- 49If the House of Commons is the first of the Two Chambers, what is the second?The House of Lords
- 50What is the House of Lords also known as, and what do they do?Known as the Upper House, membership is mostly appointed, and includes experts in certain fields. It helps to make laws, holds the government to account and investigates policy issues.
- 51What are the two types of Lords in the House of Lords?Lords Spiritual - Archbishops and Bishops of C of E.
Lords Temporal - Elected Hereditary Peers, life Peers, Law Lords, Earl Marshal and Lord Great Chamberlain. - 52What issues are there that may cause for a House of Lords reform?People are entitled to sit there by birthright (hereditary peers) or political appointees is considered undemocratic.
- 53What relationship do the two Houses have with each other?Decisions made in one House have to be approved by the other. They can't prevent Bills from being passed, but can delay them for up to 13 months so that the other can further consider their decisions.
They CANNOT delay a money bill. - 54How is the House of Lords' Lord Speaker appointed and what is their job?Internally elected by Members of the House of Lords. They must have political impartiality and offer procedural advise but have no other greater power.
- 55What is the process of creating a bill?Early draft form
Green Paper - broad 'spirit' of the bill
White Paper - definitive statement - 56What is the passage of a white paper bill leading to passing?First reading
Second reading
Committee Stage
Report Stage
Third reading
The Lords (can suggest amendments)
Royal Assent - 57Explain the Fixed Term Parliaments ActGiven Royal Assent September 2011; as of 2015, Elections to Parliament must now be held every five years unless dissolved before by the House of Lords. This is instead of The Queen being able to dissolve Parliament whenever she wished UP TO five years of parliamentary reign.
- 58How does the electoral system work, and what are the +/-?First Past the Post (winner takes all).
Each constituency has a single winning candidate who receives more votes than any other candidate in their area.
+ Easy to count, fast, area specific
- Not representative, if votes are split a lot, people can win on tiny percentages of votes. - 59What are two examples of a Proportional Representation (PR) voting model?Single Transferable Vote (STV)
Alternative Vote (AV) - 60Who make sure the electoral procedure is followed, and refer cases to CPS if electoral law is broken?The Electoral Commission.
- 61Who oversees Local counts and what do they have to do?The Returning Officer.
Makes all preparations locally, announces results, decides spoilt papers and oversees the count. - 62What rules surround Journalists at the count?Journalists must apply for access to the Returning Officer. They must abide direction the Returning Officer gives. The Returning Officer doesn't have to allow the press into the count.
- 63What are the pre-requisites of voting in a General Election?A British or Commonwealth citizen living in the UK, registered in their constituency to vote and over 18.
- 64Who cannot vote, even if they meet the pre-requisites?Convicts detained in prison.
- 65Who can stand as an MP and what rules surround standing?Any UK citizen over 18. Must be nominated by 10 parliamentary electors of the constituency they want to stand in, with administrative authorisation also required by the party. A £500 deposit is paid when submitting nomination papers, returned upon receiving >=5% votes.
- 66Who cannot stand as an MP?Undischarged bankrupt
Detained mental health patient
History or future of >1 year in jail
Guilty of corrupt-illegal electoral practice
Politically restricted post (civil servant, police, judge etc.) - 67What is the basis of the EU's existence?Mutual cooperation of member states. It is a federal union (groups controlled by a larger power).
- 68What agreements and treaties does the EU impose upon the UK?The Maastricht Treaty
The Schengen Agreement - 69What event happened when the UK was placed under the Exchange Rate Mechanism (ERM) in 1990 by the EU in preparation for introducing the Euro across Europe?Black Wednesday 1992
The ERM pegged exchange rates in the EU to each other, containing exchange fluctuations to a narrow bracket. Our close link to the US economy and not Europe's, making exchange rates unsustainable. Currency Speculators bought and sold £ for its unstable nature, making billions. The pound dropped and the Government spend £27billion in 24 hours trying to prop up the pound. - 70Why did Britain leave the ERM?Our exchange rates were far too different to the rest of Europe's, they were dragging the value of the pound down hugely.
- 71Why did economic migration become a problem?Expansion of EU into Eastern Bloc countries like Bulgaria and Romania, poorer countries migrated to richer countries via free movement of labour, goods, services etc.
- 72What is the Democratic Deficit?NORTH / SOUTH DIVIDE
Countries (Scotland) are governed by leaders they did not elect. Scotland are heavily Labour, but the Conservative votes of the south mean a Conservative government for the entire country. - 73What is Devolution?The passing of the power or authority of one person or body to another.
- 74When did Devolution happen in the UK and what was the result?In 1997/8 public votes were held in Scotland, Wales and Ireland.
Resultantly, the following three parliaments were created:
- Scottish Parliament
- National Assembly for Wales
- Northern Ireland Assembly - 75What reserved powers does the UK Gov still hold over the entirety of the UK?All powers that have not been devolved. These include foreign affairs, defence, international relations and economic policy.
- 76What is The West Lothian Question? Give an example.Scottish MPs can vote on issues that only affect England & Wales but have no bearing on their own country. English & Welsh MPs can't vote on issues specific to Scotland.
e.g. Scottish MPs voted for increased student fees and changed the outcome, even though Scottish students don't. - 77What is the Chancellor of the Exchequer responsible for?Raising revenue through taxation or borrowing and controlling public spending. He covers fiscal policy (including presenting annual Budget), manages the national debt, monetary policy, setting inflation targets.
- 78Who is currently the Chancellor of the Exchequer?The Right Honourable George Osborne
- 79What is the Chancellor of the Exchequer known as within Government?The most powerful minister in the cabinet bar the PM, and the PM's 'true' deputy.
- 80What is the purpose of the Budget?Provide an update on the state of the economy. Present new economic forecasts. Set out Government's new financial objectives. Report on progress on past objectives. Announce rises and cuts in taxation and spending.
- 81What are the responsibilities of the Bank of England?Maintain stable and efficient financial framework for the UK economy. Issue bank notes. Set interest rates, reviewed monthly by the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) to follow inflation.
- 82What government funded, independent organisation produces economic forecasts for sustainability and budget impact?Quango (Quasi-Autonomous Non-Governmental Organisation)
- 83What is a recession?A two (or more) quarter drop in the business cycle, where demand, output and investment drops and unemployment rises.
- 84What are the two kinds of taxes?Direct Taxes (income and gains tax; the more you gain the more you pay).
A PROGRESSIVE TAX
Indirect Taxes (spending tax; VAT, alcohol tax, fuel tax etc.).
A REGRESSIVE TAX - 85What is a Consumer Price Index (CPI)?Measure average prices of a basket of consumer goods and services such as transportation, food and medicine for a household.
- 86What is the National Insurance Scheme (NI)?A 'contribution' deducted from your wages and topped up by employers. Helps finance future benefits should they be needed.
- 87What government departments are responsible for welfare?The Department for Work & Pensions (DWP)
HM Treasury - raises taxes to pay for benefits. - 88What are the two categories of welfare?Contributory - available through your NI contributions if high enough.
Non-contributory - 'needs-based' payment. Low income (income support, job seeker). - 89Who can get means-tested benefits?People who can demonstrate their income (and capital) is below specified limits.
This can be for income support or housing benefit. - 90What is Universal Credit and why was it brought in?An all in one benefit and tax credit to remove 'disincentives' from going into a job. Low income individuals still get it.
- 91What is a benefit cap?Households on benefits can no longer receive more in benefits than the average wage for working families.
- 92What are the responsibilities of the Home Office?Policing and crime prevention
Security, counter terrorism
Asylum, immigration and citizenship - 93Aside from the Home Secretary, what ministers make up the Home Office?The ministers for:
-Immigration
-Crime prevention and antisocial behaviour reduction
-Policing and criminal justice
-Equalities and criminal information
-Crime and security - 94When was the Freedom of Information Act passed and what does it cover?November 2000 covering the Public sector
- 95What is the concept behind FoI?In a democracy, the electorate should be able to know about actions, decisions and spending by the officials representing them.
- 96What statutory time frame is placed on an FoI request?20 days.
- 97When will an FoI request be rejected?The information is legally exempt in the public interest, the request is 'vexatious' (imposes significant burden, or is designed to cause unnecessary disruption), or the costs exceed appropriate limits (£600 central, £450 local).
- 98Who can you complain to if there is an issue with a FoI request?The Information Commissioner (ICO)
- 99When can you complain about an FoI request?When the authority fails to:
-Provide the requested information
-Respond within 20 working days
-Give proper advice and help
-Give information in the form requested
-Explain reasons for a rejected request - 100If unsatisfied with an Information Commissioner's decision, who do you make an appeal to and when?The Information Tribunal within 28 days of the IC's decision.
- 101What rules, regulations and practices surround the royal family with regards Freedom of Information?The Royal Family is not a public authority so does not fall into FoI. However, they account openly for their use of publicly money.
- 102What does a back bench MP do?Holds government to account by scrutinising bills. They speak and vote in parliamentary debates, including questioning ministers. Can try to introduce PMBs.
Outside of the government they communicate and answer the questions of the constituents including holding surgeries. - 103Describe the Whip system1, 2, 3 line whip. It enforces party discipline. There's a chief whip, and it makes sure that party members vote.
If you defy a 3 line whip you can be expelled from your party. - 104What are the characteristics of an Academy?Academies are publicly funded (by central government), independent of local education authorities and not bound by national curriculum.
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- A summary of second year Public Affairs topic "UK, European & Global Institutions"
- Creado por
- Nick Drewe
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