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12 Cards in this Set

  • Front
  • Back

Constitution

. A set of laws and principles which govern how a country is run


. Also outlines the powers and functions of government and the rights of ordinary citizens in relation to the government


. A framework within which the institutions of the state operates - regulates the balance of power


. The central concept of the UK Constitution is parliamentary sovereignty - parliament can make any law it wants and no one else can unmake these laws


. Governs the relationship between the Executive, Legislature and Judiciary


. Constitutional arrangements are greatly affected by the UK's relationship with the EU - E.g Brexit

Uncodified

. A constitution in which laws and principles are not set out in a single document


. It is derived from a number of sources, some written down while others are unwritten - E.g UK constitution

Unentrenched

. A constitution that is not protected by a higher court and does not require special procedures to amend it


. E.g the UK constitution can be altered easily by a simple majority vote in Parliament, making it have a higher degree of flexibility than a codified system

Unitary

A political system where all legal sovereignty is contained in a single place

Devolution

The dispersal of power, but not sovereignty, within a political system

The monarch's place

. The Queen has the power to dissolve parliament, to convene parliament, to choose laws and choose the next PM - A central paradox of the constitution, as the Queen retains these powers only on the understanding that she never uses them


. If the Queen acted against the advice of the PM or in a way seen as unfair by other political parties, the power of the Crown would be destroyed


. The monarch is the pinnacle of the constitution as the head of state - They have no legislative power but prevents any politician from becoming too much of an influential figure - E.g the Queen is the only person in the UK who would open the Olympics

The Executive

The government, civil service and the Crown

The Legislature

Parliament (House of Commons and House of Lords)

The Judiciary

The courts and the judges

Veto

The power to used by an officer of state to unilaterally stop an office action, especially the enactment of legislation

Ratify

Sign or give formal consent to a treaty, contract or agreement, making it officially valid

Federalism

. The decentralisation of power from the center to regions


. Opposite of devolution