United Kingdom

Monetary Union

wo or more countries with a single currency, or different currencies having a fixed mutual exchange rate monitored and controlled by one central bank (or several central banks with closely coordinated monetary policies).

Hereditary Peers

A person inheriting one of the five degrees within the hereditary nobility in Great Britain and Ireland

Ed Milliband

A British politician who was Leader of the Labour Party as well as Leader of the Opposition between 2010 and 2015.

UK independence Party

A Eurosceptic and right-wing populist political party in the United Kingdom. It is headquartered in Newton Abbot, Devon and currently led by Paul Nuttall.

Member of Parliament (MP)

A Member of Parliament is any member of the Indian Parliament called Sansad, i.e., (Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha). The members of the Lok Sabha are elected popularly by constituencies in each of the Indian states and union territories, while members of the Rajya Sabha are elected indirectly by the state legislatures.

Blackbenchers

A Member of Parliament who does not hold office in the government or opposition and who sits behind the front benches in the House of Commons.

Cabinet

A body of advisers to the president, composed of the heads of the executive departments of the government.

Ethnic and National Identity

A form of nationalism wherein the "nation" is defined in terms of ethnicity. The central theme of ethnic nationalists is that "nations are defined by a shared heritage, which usually includes a common language, a common faith, and a common ethnic ancestry".

Good Friday Agreement

A major political development in the Northern Ireland peace process of the 1990s.

New Labour

A movement to update Britain 's Labour Party by discarding the traditional Labour platform calling for state ownership of the means of production. The movement has been led by Tony Blair, who became prime minister in 1997 after guiding the Labour Party to victory.

Trades Union Congress

A national trade union centre, a federation of trade unions in England and Wales, representing the majority of trade unions. There are fifty-one affiliated unions with a total of about 5.8 million members. The TUC is the voice of Britain at work.

2 1/2 Party System

A party system where two major political parties dominate the government. One of the two parties typically holds a majority in the legislature and is usually referred to as the majority or governing party while the other is the minority or opposition party.

Life peers

A peer whose title cannot be inherited.

Scottish Independence

A political aim of various political parties, advocacy groups, and individuals in Scotland (which is a country of the United Kingdom) for the country to become an independent sovereign state.

Class Liberalism

A political ideology and a branch of liberalism which advocates civil liberties and political freedom with representative democracy under the rule of law and emphasizes economic freedoms found in economic liberalism which is also called free market capitalism.

Liberal Democrat party

A political party with centrist policies; established in 1988 as the Social and Liberal Democrats when the Liberal Party merged with the Social Democratic Party; renamed Liberal Democrats in 1989.

European Union

A politico-economic union of 28 member states that are located primarily in Europe. The EU has developed an internal single market through a standardized system of laws that apply in all member states. EU policies aim to ensure the free movement of people, goods, services, and capital within the internal market.

Postindustrialism

A stage in a society's development during which the economy transitions from one that primarily provides goods to one that primarily provides services.

Alternative vote Referendum

A variant of AV called the supplementary vote is used to elect the Mayor of London and of other UK cities. A related system called the exhaustive ballot is used to elect the Speaker of the House of Commons. AV is used for various elections in the United States.

Vote of no confidence

A vote showing that a majority does not support the policy of a leader or governing body.

SMD Plurality system

A voting system in which each voter is allowed to vote for only one candidate, and the candidate who polls more votes than any other candidate (a plurality) is elected. In a system based on single-member districts, it may be called first-past-the-post (FPTP), single-choice voting, simple plurality or relative/simple majority.

Collectivist Consensus

After World War II, the sense of unity inspired by the shared suffering of war and the need to rebuild a war-ravaged country helped crystallize the collectivist consensus as the British state both broadened and deepened its responsibilities for the overall performance of the economy. Government should work to narrow the gap between rich and poor through public education, national health care, and other policies of the welfare state. State responsibility for economic growth and full employment.

Hung Parliament

An expression used to describe a state of a parliament when no single political party (or bloc of allied parties) has an absolute majority of seats in the parliament (legislature).

Commonwealth

An international association consisting of the UK together with states that were previously part of the British Empire, and dependencies. The British monarch is the symbolic head of the Commonwealth

Fabian Socialism

British socialist organisation whose purpose is to advance the principles of democratic socialism via gradualist and reformist effort in democracies, rather than by revolutionary overthrow.

Collective Responsibility

Cabinet makes important decisions together and stand united behind their decisions -members must publicly support all decisions made -if a vote of no confidence is passed by Parliament on the cabinet, all are expected to resign together -if a member disagrees with a decision made, they are expected to resign -this is one of the only checks on the power of the Prime Minister.

David Cameron

David Cameron is best known for being a revolutionary leader of Britain's Conservative Party, and was elected Prime Minister in 2010. He announced his resignation in 2016 after the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union.

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west. The Irish Sea lies northwest of England and the Celtic Sea lies to the southwest. England is separated from continental Europe by the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south. The country covers much of the central and southern part of the island of Great Britain, which lies in the North Atlantic; and includes over 100 smaller islands such as the Isles of Scilly, and the Isle of Wight.

Magna Carta

First drafted by the Archbishop of Canterbury to make peace between the unpopular King and a group of rebel barons, it promised the protection of church rights, protection for the barons from illegal imprisonment, access to swift justice, and limitations on feudal payments to the Crown, to be implemented through a council of 25 barons.

Gordon Brown

Gordon Brown succeeded Tony Blair as prime minister of the United Kingdom in 2007, after having served under Blair as chancellor of the Exchequer. He stepped down in 2010 amidst waning popularity of the Labour party, which was due in part to the worldwide financial crisis.

Great Britain

Great Britain, is a large island in the north Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of 209,331 km2 (80,823 sq mi), Great Britain is the largest European island and the ninth-largest in the world. In 2011 the island had a population of about 61 million people, making it the world's third-most populous island after Java in Indonesia and Honshu in Japan.

Charles I

He became heir to the throne on the death of his brother, Prince Henry, in 1612. He succeeded, as the second Stuart King of Great Britain, in 1625. Controversy and disputes dogged Charles throughout his reign.

Tony Blair

In 1994, he became the youngest leader of the Labour Party. In 1997, he was sworn in as prime minister of the United Kingdom. He stepped down as prime minister and left his position as leader of the Labour Party in 2007.

Nick Clegg

In 1999 Nick was elected Member of the European Parliament for the East Midlands - the first liberal Parliamentarian in the whole region since the 1930s. As an MEP, he co-founded the Campaign for Parliamentary Reform, which led calls for reforms to expenses, transparency and accountability in the European Parliament. He was also the Trade and Industry Spokesman for the Liberal group of MEPs and piloted a radical new law breaking up telecoms monopolies.

Confederation of British Industry

In Britain, an organisation, (also known as CBI), with members from many private businesses and large companies, which represents them in talks with the government, trade unions, legal organisations etc.

Sinn Fein

Irish-language phrases used as a political slogan by Irish nationalists in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century.

British National Party

Is a far-right political party in the United Kingdom.

Welsh Plaid Cymru

Is a social-democratic political party in Wales advocating for Welsh independence from the United Kingdom within the European Union.

Irish Republican Army

Is any of several armed movements in Ireland in the 20th and 21st centuries dedicated to Irish republicanism, the belief that all of Ireland should be an independent republic. It was also characterized by the belief that political violence was necessary to achieve that goal.

Supreme Court of UK

Is one of the three highest appellate courts in the United Kingdom, along with the High Court of Justiciary which is responsible for criminal law in Scotland, as well as the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (JCPC) which is responsible for appeals from various Commonwealth countries.

James II

James was a Stuart king of England, Scotland and Ireland who in 1688 was overthrown in the 'Glorious Revolution' by William III.

Margaret Thatcher

Margaret Thatcher became Britain's Conservative Party leader and in 1979 was elected prime minister, the first woman to hold the position. During her three terms, she cut social welfare programs, reduced trade union power and privatized certain industries.

Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland is a top-level constituent unit of the United Kingdom in the northeast of Ireland.[8] It is variously described as a country, province, region, or "part" of the United Kingdom, amongst other terms.

Scottish Nationalist party

Promotes the idea that the Scottish people form a cohesive nation and national identity and is closely linked to the cause of Scottish home rule and Scottish independence, the ideology of the Scottish National Party, the party forming the Scottish Government.

Scotland

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and covers the northern third of the island of Great Britain. It shares a border with England to the south, and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, with the North Sea to the east and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the south-west.

Lobbying

Seek to influence (a politician or public official) on an issue.

Terrorism/ July 7, 2005

Sometimes referred to as 7/7, were a series of coordinated terrorist suicide bomb attacks in central London which targeted civilians using the public transport system during the rush hour.

Act of Union (1707)

The Acts of Union, passed by the English and Scottish Parliaments in 1707, led to the creation of the United Kingdom of Great Britain on 1 May of that year. The UK Parliament met for the first time in October 1707.

Anglican Church

The Anglican Communion is an international association of independent churches consisting of the Church of England and national and regional Anglican churches in full communion with it.

Conservative Party

The Conservative Party, officially the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a political party in the United Kingdom. It is currently the governing party, having won a majority of seats in the House of Commons after the 2015 general election.

Government of UK

The Cabinet is made up of the senior members of government. Every week during Parliament, members of the Cabinet (Secretaries of State from all departments and some other ministers) meet to discuss the most important issues for the government.

English Bill of Rights

The English Bill of Rights is an act that the Parliament of England passed on December 16, 1689. The Bill creates separation of powers, limits the powers of the king and queen, enhances the democratic election and bolsters freedom of speech.

English Civil War

The English Civil War (1642-1651) was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians ("Roundheads") and Royalists ("Cavaliers") over the manner of England's government. The first (1642-46) and second (1648-49) wars pitted the supporters of King Charles I against the supporters of the Long Parliament, while the third (1649-51) saw fighting between supporters of King Charles II and supporters of the Rump Parliament. The war ended with the Parliamentarian victory at the Battle of Worcester on 3 September 1651,

European convention of Human Rights

The European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) (formally the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms) is an international treaty to protect human rights and fundamental freedoms in Europe.

Foreign Office

The FCO promotes the United Kingdom's interests overseas, supporting our citizens and businesses around the globe.

Glorious Revolution

The Glorious Revolution, also called the Revolution of 1688, was the overthrow of King James II of England (James VII of Scotland) by a union of English Parliamentarians with the Dutch stadtholder William III of Orange.

Home Office

The Home Office (HO) is a ministerial department of the Her Majesty's Government of the United Kingdom, responsible for immigration, security and law and order. As such it is responsible for the police, fire and rescue services, visas and immigration and the Security Service (MI5).

House of Commons

The House of Commons of the United Kingdom is the lower house of the country's parliament. Like the upper house, the House of Lords, it meets in the Palace of Westminster. The House is an elected body consisting of 650 members known as Members of Parliament (MPs).

House of Lords

The House of Lords is an unelected body that is comprised of hierarchy peers, life peers, and law lords. It is the upper chamber of Parliament. There are roughly 700 members.

Labour Party

The Labour Party is a centre-left political party in the United Kingdom. Growing out of the trade union movement and socialist parties of the nineteenth century, the Labour Party has been described as a "broad church", encompassing a diversity of ideological trends from strongly socialist to moderately social democratic. Founded in 1900, the Labour Party overtook the Liberal Party as the main opposition to the Conservative Party in the early 1920s.

Common Law

The ancient law of England based upon societal customs and recognized and enforced by the judgments and decrees of the courts. The general body of statutes and case law that governed England and the American colonies prior to the American Revolution.

Exchequer

The bank account into which tax receipts and other public monies are paid; the funds of the British government.

Lords Spiritual

The bishops in the House of Lords.

Chancellor of the exchequer

The finance minister of the United Kingdom, responsible for preparing the nation's annual budgets.

Prime Minister

The head of an elected government; the principal minister of a sovereign or state.

Parliament

The highest legislature, consisting of the sovereign, the House of Lords, and the House of Commons.

Lords Temporal

The members of the House of Lords other than the bishops.

Euro

The single European currency, which replaced the national currencies of France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Greece, Portugal, Luxembourg, Austria, Finland, the Republic of Ireland, Belgium, and the Netherlands in 2002. Seventeen member states of the European Union now use the euro.

Privatization

The transfer of a business, industry, or service from public to private ownership and control.

London Riots/ August 6-11, 2011

Thousands of people rioted in several London boroughs and in cities and towns across England. The resulting chaos generated looting, arson, and mass deployment of police and resulted in the death of five people.

Budget Deficit

To refer to government spending rather than business or individual spending, but can be applied to all of these entities.

Wales

Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain.[8] It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in 2011 of 3,063,456 and has a total area of 20,779 km2 (8,023 sq mi). Wales has over 1,680 miles (2,700 km) of coastline and is largely mountainous, with its higher peaks in the north and central areas.

Sir Robert Walpole

Walpole was a British Whig statesman, considered to the first holder of the office of prime minister, who dominated politics in the reigns of George I and George II

George I

Was King of Great Britain and Ireland from 1 August 1714 until his death, and ruler of the Duchy and Electorate of Brunswick-Lüneburg (Hanover) in the Holy Roman Empire from 1698.

Charles II

Was king of England, Scotland, and Ireland. He was king of Scotland from 1649 until his deposition in 1651, and king of England, Scotland, and Ireland from the restoration of the monarchy in 1660 until his death.

William and Mary

William and Mary were the co-regnants over the Kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland, namely the Dutch Prince of Orange King William III (& II) and his spouse (and first cousin) Queen Mary II. Their joint reign began in February 1689 after they were offered the throne by the Convention Parliament irregularly summoned by William after his victorious invasion of England in November 1688, the Glorious Revolution.

Class Identity

is usually synonymous with "socio-economic class", defined as "people having the same social, economic, or educational status."

James I

king of Scotland (as James VI) from 1567 to 1625 and first Stuart king of England from 1603 to 1625, who styled himself "king of Great Britain." James was a strong advocate of royal absolutism, and his conflicts with an increasingly self-assertive Parliament set the stage for the rebellion against his successor, Charles I.

United Kingdom of Great Britain Northern Ireland

was established as a sovereign state on 1 January 1801 by the Acts of Union 1800, which merged the kingdoms of Great Britain and Ireland.