Flashcards
The Constitution definitions
Cards in this deck (23)
- 1ConstitutionA set of principles, which may be written or unwritten, that establishes the distribution of power within a political system, relationships between political institutions, the limits of government jurisdiction, the rights of citizens and the method of amending the constitution itself
- 2ConstitutionalismThe concept that a political system is governed by a constitution and that a political institutions are bound by constitutional rules which are binding
- 3CodificationThe process of setting out a constitution in an organised way in a single document- has a single source
- 4Unitary constitutionSovereignty- ultimate political power- resides in one location- the centre. It is possible that some power may be distributed to regions and local government, but this is not the same as sovereignty.
- 5Federal constitutionSovereignty is divided between central bodies and regional institutions. Such constitutions normally arise when a number of sovereign states come together and agree to surrender some, but not all, of their sovereignty to a central authority.
- 6Royal prerogativeRefers to the ancient, traditional powers enjoyed by the monarch. These powers do not require the sanction of Parliament but are arbitrary. Since the twentieth century, these powers have passed from the monarch to the PM of the day
- 7Parliamentary governmentA political system where Parliament is a central feature. Government is drawn from Parliament and is accountable Parliament.
- 8Parliamentary sovereigntyThe principle that Parliament is the ultimate source of all authority and power within the political system. It also means that Parliament is the ultimate source of all law and there is no higher legal authority.
- 9Pooled sovereigntyA circumstance, as in the EU, where legal sovereignty is exercised collectively by a number of sovereign states
- 10Quasi federalismA description often applied to both the EU and devolution in the UK. Though the arrangements in the EU are not legally federal they are so similar that they are described as quasi federalism
- 11Constitutional reformA process whereby the fundamental nature of the system of government (as well as the relationships between governing institutions) is changed, or where change is proposed. In the case of the UK this may also involve the process of codification
- 12Parliamentary reformA process by which reforms in the membership, powers or procedures of either or both Houses of Parliament are made or proposed
- 13Human rightsBasic rights that all citizens can expect to enjoy. Key examples include freedom of expression, freedom of association, freedom of beliefs and freedom of imprisonment without trial
- 14Electoral reformA process by which the electoral system is changed or where there is a campaign for such a change
- 15Elective dicatorshipIt refers to the idea that, once elected, government in the UK, has uncontrolled power. This applies even though governments in the UK don't win a majority of votes in GE
- 16DevolutionA process of constitutional reform, whereby power, but not legal sovereignty is distributed to national or regional institutions. In the UK this has meant transfer of power to institutions in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
- 17Administrative devolutiontransfer of limited powers to devolved administrations- control over the allocation of public funds, nature of administration, the way in which laws should be implemented and the passage of secondary legislation
- 18Financial devolutionthe ability of the devolved administration to raise its own taxes.
- 19Legislative devolutionTransfer of power to make primary legislation.
It is this distinction that makes the Scottish representative body a parliament rather than an assembly - 20Power sharingA method of forming a government in a divided society such as that of Northern Ireland. TO avoid conflict, all major parties, representing different sections of the community, are invited to share seats in government and to develop widely agreed policies
- 21ReferendumA popular vote in which the people rather than their elected representatives resolve a political issue. It is used as a way of gaining consent for constitutional reforms
- 22Constitutional governmentGovernment that is limited by a constitution and by constitutional principles
- 23Legal sovereigntyThe location of ultimate power to make laws, together with the location of the source of all legal power within the political system.
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- AS - Level Government and Politics Flashcards on The Constitution definitions , created by laura.ng39 on 06/06/2016.
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- laura.ng39 · Jun 2016
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- Jun 7, 2016
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