UK government key words
checks and balances
a system in which each branch of government is able to check, or restrain, the power of the others
single market
an agreement where most trade barriers have been removed and that the movement of capital, labour, goods and services between the members is easy as within them
coalition government
cabinet of a parliamentary government in which many or multiple political parties cooperate, reducing the dominance of any one party within that coalition. The usual reason for this arrangement is that no party on its own can achieve a majority in the parliament.
cabinet minister
a member of a parliamentary cabinet.
select committees
a small legislative committee appointed for a special purpose.
the role of the supreme court
- making laws -dispensing justice - estabilshing case law - interpritation of the law - declaring common law
steps that a bill has to go through in the house of commons
1) first reading 2) second reading 3) committee stage 4) report stage 5) third reading 6) royal assent (if the bill is passed)
steps that a bill has to go through in the house of lords
1) first reading 2) second reading 3) committee stage 4) report stage 5) third reading 6) royal assent (if the bill is passed)
the free movement of serivces
EU member states being able to move their services within the EU
euro area
EU member states who use the euro as their currency
legislative bills
A bill is proposed legislation under consideration by a legislature. A bill does not become law until it is passed by the legislature and, in most cases, approved by the executive. Once a bill has been enacted into law, it is called an act of the legislature, or a statute.
confidence and supply
A confidence-and-supply agreement is one whereby a party or independent members of parliament will support the government in motions of confidence and appropriation or budget (supply) votes, by either voting in favour or abstaining. e.g. the DUP and conservatives
injunction
A judicial order forcing a person or group to refrain from doing something.
common law
A legal system based on custom and court rulings
the EU
A political union, often called the EU, to which the member states of the EEC are evolving. Based on the Maastrict Treaty, it envisions the eventual establishment of common economic, foreign, security, and justice policies.
presidential government
A presidential system is a democratic and republican system of government where a head of government leads an executive branch that is separate from the legislative branch. This head of government is in most cases also the head of state, which is called president.
committee stage
A small group from the house examines the bill clause by clause
unitary constitution
A unitary state is a state governed as a single power in which the central government is ultimately supreme and any administrative divisions (sub-national units) exercise only the powers that the central government chooses to delegate.
executive
Branch of government that enforces the laws
veto
Chief executive's power to reject a bill passed by a legislature
he free movement of labour
EU member states being able to move their labour and the skills that come with it within the EU
the free movement of goods
EU member states being able to move the goods that they have created within the EU
human rights act
It lets you defend your rights in UK courts and compels public organisations - including the Government, police and local councils - to treat everyone equally, with fairness, dignity and respect
the four freedoms of the EU
The European Single Market, Internal Market or Common Market is a single market which seeks to guarantee the free movement of goods, capital, services, and labour - the "four freedoms" - within the European Union
the house of lords
The House of Lords of the United Kingdom, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster. ... The Lords Spiritual are 26 bishops in the established Church of England
prerogative powers
The special power or peculiar right possessed by an official by virtue of his or her office. ... The term prerogative is occasionally used by writers of law to refer to the object over which royal powers are exercised, such as fiscal prerogatives, which are the revenues of the king or queen.
authoritative works
Works of authority on the United Kingdom constitution are books written by constitutional theorists that are considered to be authoritative guides to the UK constitution. The three most prominent works of authority are: Walter Bagehot's The English Constitution
royal assent
a bill must be signed by the Queen's representative in order for it to become law
Ad Hoc commission
a body formed to recommend appointments to the supreme court to the lord chancellor
royal prerogative
a body of customary authority, privilege, and immunity, recognized in common law and, sometimes, in civil law jurisdictions possessing a monarchy, as belonging to the sovereign alone.
constitution
a body of fundamental principles or established precedents according to which a state or other organization is acknowledged to be governed.
selection committee
a committee of judges who will select one candidate and put forward that candidate to the Lord Chancellor accordingly. The selection commission will consist of the President of the Supreme Court the Deputy President of the Supreme Court and one member from each of the territorial appointing commissions, one of whom must be a person who is not legally qualified.
public bill committee
a committee set up by the House of Commons to examine the details of a particular Bill. All Bills, other than Money Bills, are automatically sent to a Public Bill Committee following their second reading unless they are committed to a committee of the Whole House.
parliamentary sovereignty
a concept in the constitutional law of some parliamentary democracies. It holds that the legislative body has absolute sovereignty and is supreme over all other government institutions, including executive or judicial bodies.
individual responsibility
a constitutional convention in governments using the Westminster System that a cabinet minister bears the ultimate responsibility for the actions of their ministry or department.
court of appeal
a court of law that hears appeals against both civil and criminal judgements from the Crown Courts, High Court, and County Courts.
judicial inquiries
a formal legal investigation conducted into a matter of public concern by a judge, appointed by the government.
treaties
a formally concluded and ratified agreement between states.
declaration of incompetence
a generalised reference to evidence which cannot be introduced because it violates various rules against being allowed, particularly because it has no bearing on the case
westminister model
a parliamentary system of government developed in the United Kingdom. This term comes from the Palace of Westminster, the seat of the British Parliament.
legal sovereignty
a political concept that refers to dominant power or supreme authority. In a monarchy, supreme power resides in the "sovereign", or king. In modern democracies, sovereign power rests with the people and is exercised through representative bodies such as Congress or Parliament.
elective dictatorship
a state in which Parliament is dominated by the government of the day. However, some of these governments have tiny majorities.
judicial review
a procedure by which a court can review an administrative action by a public body and, in England, secure a declaration, order, or award.
government department
a sector of a national or state government that deals with a particular area of interest. Contact the relevant government department - in the UK the Home Office, as well as your local authority
third reading
a third presentation of a bill to a legislative assembly, in the UK to debate committee reports an
Maastrict Treaty
a treaty ratified by all European Union member states in 1993 and implemented by means of extensive amendment to the Treaty of Rome, including the change from the name European Economic Community to European Union
the nice treaty
a treaty that came into force on 1 February 2003. Under the heading of the city in which it was signed, the Treaty of Nice, as the repealed Treaties of Maastricht and Amsterdam, included in fact two Treaties: the Treaty on the European Union (TEU) and the Treaty establishing the European Community
uncodified
a type of constitution where the fundamental rules often take the form of customs, usage, precedent and a variety of statutes and legal instruments. An understanding of the constitution is obtained through reading commentary by the judiciary, government committees or legal experts.
unanimity
agreement by all people involved; consensus.
conventions
an agreement between states covering particular matters, especially one less formal than a treaty.
unenternched
an un-entrenched constitution has no specific procedure for amendment.
a form of leadership in which the authority of an organization or a ruling regime is largely tied to tradition or custom. The main reason for the given state of affairs is that it 'has always been that way'. ra vires
beyond one's legal power or authority.
EU law
body of treaties, law and court judgments which operates alongside the legal systems of the European Union's member states. Whenever there is a conflict between EU law and national law, EU law takes precedence over national law and is binding on all national authorities.
the treaty of rome
called, together with the Treaty Establishing the European Atomic Energy Community, Treaties of Rome, international agreement, signed in Rome on March 25, 1957, by Belgium, France, the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany), Italy, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands, that established the European Economic Community (EEC), creating a common market and customs union among its members. The Treaty Establishing the European Atomic Energy Community, for the purpose of developing peaceful applications of atomic energy, was signed by the same countries on the same day, and therefore the two treaties together are often called the Treaties of Rome. Following the advent of the European Union (EU) in 1993, the treaty that had established the EEC remained one of the EU's core documents, though the EEC itself was renamed the European Community (EC), and the EC was embedded into the EU.
entrenched
clause of a basic law or constitution is a provision that makes certain amendments either more difficult or impossible to pass, making such amendments inadmissible. Overriding an entrenched clause may require a supermajority, a referendum, or the consent of the minority party.
codified
codification is the process of collecting and restating the law of a jurisdiction in certain areas, usually by subject, forming a legal code, i.e. a codex (book) of law. Codification is the defining feature of civil law jurisdictions.
collective responsibility
constitutional convention in Parliamentary systems that members of the cabinet must publicly support all governmental decisions made in Cabinet, even if they do not privately agree with them.
salisbury convention
constitutional convention in the United Kingdom under which the House of Lords will not oppose the second or third reading of any government legislation promised in its election
act of parliament
creates a new law or changes an existing law. An Act is a Bill that has been approved by both the House of Commons and the House of Lords and been given Royal Assent by the Monarch.
life peers
distinguished members of the society who are given lifetime appointments to the house of lords
supranational
having power or influence that transcends national boundaries or governments
the lisbon treaty
international agreement that amended the Maastricht Treaty, Treaties of Rome, and other documents to simplify and streamline the institutions that govern the European Union (EU).
second reading
is when the contents of the Bill are debated by the members of parliament
judicial activism
judicial rulings that are based on a modern, relevant interpretation of existing law, or, when applicable, the United States Constitution. ... The definition of judicial activism and the specific decisions that are activist are controversial political issues.
statute law
laws made by parliaments
backbenchers
members of a legislature who are not Cabinet ministers, party leaders, or opposition critics
national sovereignty
n a federal system of government, sovereignty also refers to powers which a constituent state or republic possesses independently of the national government.
economic sovereignty
national governments should be able to create policy that would determine their economy
the rule of law
no one is above the law
federal constitution
one which sets up a system of federalism within a country. Federalism is a political system in which the national government and the smaller governments (states or provinces) each have their own powers that are specified by the constitution.
question time
period during a parliamentary session when members of Parliament may ask questions of the ministers
intergovernmental
relating to or conducted between two or more governments.
hereditary peers
seats in the House of Lords that have been passed down through family ties over the centuries
judicial neutrality
that judges should be neutral in their stance to the law, and seek to apply laws passed by Parliament in an impartial, unbiased and technical manner.
sovereignty
the authority of a state to govern itself or another state.
parliamentary scrutiny
the close examination and investigation of government policies, actions and spending that is carried out by the House of Commons and the House of Lords and their committees. About Parliament: Checking the work of Government. Watch and Listen: Scrutinising Government.
judicial independence
the concept that the judiciary needs to be kept away from the other branches of government. That is, courts should not be subject to improper influence from the other branches of government, or from private or partisan interests.
integration
the coordination of activities of different states through shared institutions and policies
European court of justice
the court for the EU which interpenetrates and ensures that all EU member states comply with EU law. contains all 28 EU member states
high court
the court of unlimited civil jurisdiction comprising three divisions: Queen's Bench, Chancery, and the Family Division.
economics and monetary union
the creation of a single currency, central bank and single monetary policy
political sovereignty
the full right and power of a governing body over itself, without any interference from outside sources or bodies.
secondary legislation
the granting of additional law-making powers to another branch of government by an Act or statute. In the European Union, primary and secondary legislation are two of the three processes of law.
secretary of state
the head of a major government department.
supreme cort
the highest judicial court in a country or state. e.g. the final court of appeal in the UK for civil cases, which also hears appeals in criminal cases from England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. It was established in 2009 to take over the judicial functions of the House of Lords.
parliment
the highest legislature, consisting of the Sovereign, the House of Lords, and the House of Commons.
judiciary
the judicial authorities of a country; judges collectively
the house of commons
the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the upper house, the House of Lords, it meets in the Palace of Westminster. ... The Commons is an elected body consisting of 650 members known as Members of Parliament (MPs)
the free movement of capital
the movment of money freely within the EU
opposition party
the opposition comprises one or more political parties or other organized groups that are opposed to the government (or, in American English, the administration), party or group in political control of a city, region, state or country. It is the party that goes against another party.
subsidiarity
the principle that a central authority should have a subsidiary function, performing only those tasks which cannot be performed at a more local level.
redress of grievances
the right to make a complaint to, or seek the assistance of, one's government, without fear of punishment or reprisals.
parliamentary privilege
the right to say or write something without the risk of incurring punishment or legal action for defamation.
popular sovereignty
the sovereignty of the peoples' rule, is part of the seven principles, that the authority of a state and its government is created and sustained by the consent of its people, through their elected representatives (Rule by the People), who are the source of all political power.
report stage
the stage in the process of a bill becoming law at which it is debated in the House of Commons or House of Lords after it is reported.
civil liberties
the state of being subject only to laws established for the good of the community, especially with regard to freedom of action and speech and a person's rights to be subject only to laws established for the good of the community.
pooled sovereignty
the strengthening of a country's resources by combining them with those of partner countries. Pooling sovereignty is the conceptual answer to a realisation of weakened and permeated sovereignty.
devolution
transferring responsibility for policies from the federal government to state and local governments
European court of human rights
upholds the European convention of human rights on behalf of the council of Europe
first reading
when a bill introduced in the commons or lords is given a title and a number, printed, and distributed
