uk government

• constitution

  the fundamental or basic law which establishes the framework of government.

  a set of rules determining where sovereignty lies in a political system and establishing the relationship between the government and the governed
• codified constitution

  a constitution which is written in one single, organised document
• uncodified constitution

  a constitution which is not written in one single organised document, but instead rules are drawn from a variety of sources or traditions
• two tier legal system

  two levels of law - lower laws which are usual laws on every day matters such as drinking age or speed limits (easily and regularly changed) and higher laws which are constitutional
• entrenchment

  higher laws under a codified constitution - protected by special arrangements and can only be changed in special circumstances. special requirements in place to make changing this difficult
• judicial review

  process where judges review an action or law made in a country, usually triggered by a citizen challenging them in court. must decide if the action/law is allowed by the constitution

  difficult particularly in an uncodified constitution as there is not one single document to be used in ruling, so in UK judges do not have real power to review
• prime minister

  head of UK government, ultimately responsible for the policy and decisions of government
• cabinet

  20-25 senior government ministers appointed by PM. make decisions and grant governmental approval on political decisions. each member is head of a different governmental department. cannot make laws but important proposals backed by wider government
• civil service

  helps government develop and deliver policies effectively
• judiciary

  collective term for judges, tribunals and magistrates that deal with legal matters, interpret and apply the law. resolves disputes and should not be political
• committees

  MPs or Lords who consider policy issues, scrutinise government work and expenditure and examine proposals for legislation
• pressure groups

  a group that tries to influence public policy in the interest of a particular cause
• franchise

  the right to vote in public elections
• federalism

  constitutional principle that divides sovereignty between central and regional government
• unitary

  sovereignty lies in one place - the ultimate source of political power
• quasi-federalism

  system of devolution where it's so unlikely for power to be returned to central government that it is essentially a federal system despite not being so in strict constitutional terms
• fusion of power

  when branches of government are fused, often executive and legislature, with no clear separation

  can lead to excessive executive power and an elective dictatorship
• executive

  responsible for the implementation of laws and policies adopted by the legislature
• legislature

  makes laws
• judiciary

  administers justice by interpreting law when its meaning is in dispute and ensuring the law is upheld
• works of authority

  works written by experts that aren't legally binding but taken as significant guides

  e.g 1997 Ministerial Code
• conventions

  established norm of political behaviour rooted in past experience, high moral force

  e.g Salisbury Convention
• statute law

  laws derived from acts of parliament

  e.g 1998 Human Rights Act
• common law

  laws made by judges where statute law does not cover an issue
• treaties

  formal agreements with other countries ratified by parliament

  e.g UN convention on rights of the child
• EU law

  legislation and judgements made in the EU which were automatically passed as UK law