United Kingdom Case Study - PSCI 3350 Exam 1
First Political Parties
Conservatives (Tories) and Liberals (Whigs)
Magna Carta
(1215) a charter of rights that King John "Lackland" of England was forced to sign requiring him to uphold the feudal customs and the rights of England's barons; made the king obey the same laws as the citizens of his kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
comprised of four nations - England - Scotland - Wales - Northern Ireland
Hung Parliament
a parliament in which no single party has majority control in the House of Commons; no party has obtained a majority of the seats
Common Law
a system based on local customs and precedent rather than formal legal codes - system forms the basis of the contemporary legal systems of the United Kingdom, the United States, and many former British colonies
The Cabinet
about 20 members called Ministers, must all also be members of parliament, split into three sections: Foreign Office (conducts foreign policy), Home Office (oversees judiciary), and Exchequer (oversees financial policy)
The Electoral System
employs a single member-district system based on plurality voting/first past the post
The Labour Party
formed in 1900 as an outgrowth of the trade union movement - representative of the working class
The Prime Minister
head of government and must be an elected member of the legislature, head of the largest party in the House of Commons
Commonwealth
includes 54 former United Kingdom colonies and serves to maintain at least some of the economic and cultural ties established during imperial rule
The Constitution
no single document defining the rules of politics, instead there is a number of written documents and unwritten rules that are viewed as inviolable such as: the Magna Carta, the 1689 Bill of Rights, 1707 Act of Union uniting Scotland and England
The Legislature
one of the most powerful legislatures on earth due to the lack of constitutional constraints - comprised of two chambers: House of Commons and House of Lords with the House of Commons being the only chamber with any power
House of Commons
originally represented by lower nobility and merchant class - today is the only house with actual power - comprised of 650 members representing individual districts in the United Kingdom, elected for a maximum term of 5 years
House of Lords
originally represented by the aristocracy - holds no actual power today - comprised of 800 peers chosen by the Crown on the recommendation by the Prime Minister for a lifetime term
The Judiciary
plays a very minor role and is politically weak
Majoritarian
term describing the virtually unchecked power of a parliamentary majority in the UK political system
The Crown
the Crown (or the reigning monarch) is a symbol of the power and authority of the monarchy and British rule
