uk politics

• egotistical individualism

  humans are naturally drawn to the advancement of their own selfish interests and the pursuit of their own happiness, but this does not lead to conflict or gross insensitivity due to mankinds concurrent rationalism
• social contract theory

  the state should be a deal between governments and the governed. in return for submitting to state laws, the governed should be guaranteed certain rights. if these are violated, so is tue citizen's obligation to obey the law
• government by consent

  those under the state's jurisdiction have volunteered to be under its jurisdiction; governments must have the consent of the governed
• limited government

  government is 'limited' in how it can act by a constitution's formal rules and procedures
• laissez-faire capitalism

  an economic system which allows private enterprise and capitalism to operare with little or no interference from the state
• negative liberty

  notion of freedom where individuals are left alone to pursue their destiny. any attempt to interfere with individual actions may therefore be judged on infringement of liberty
• mechanistic theory

  mankind is rational and so capable of devising a state that reflects mankinds needs
• parliament

  all MPs and Lords - debate, discuss and vote on legislation
• government

  members of the party that win the General Election - given specific jobs (Government Ministers) - decide and put forward the laws that Parliament will vote on
• the state

  set of institutions that run a country, including judges, law enforcement agencies, civil service and politicians
• sovereignty

  ultimate political power and the source of all political authority
• power

  the ability to force others to do things that they wouldn't normally do
• authority

  the right to exercise power
• legitimacy

  the right to govern
• manifesto

  set of political policies drawn up before an election
• mandate

  the authority to carry out a policy
• citizen

  a legally recognised member of a democratic society
• participatory democracy (government of the people)

  citizens participate fully in the democratic process, not just voting but also joining political parties and pressure groups and getting involved in community projects
• direct democracy (government by the people)

  people making the decisions themselves, such as in referendums, or where governments frequently hold public consultations to assess public opinion
• representative democracy (government for the people)

  representatives (politicians) who carry out the wishes of the people, aiming to represent the views of all citizens as far as possible
• delegate

  follows exactly the wishes of the voters, votes in the manner decided on by their constituents
• party representative

  follows the wishes of their party leader
• referendums

  a public vote - 'yes' or 'no' - on a single issue, presented as a question