A Level: Politics: The UK

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Jada

Cards (265)

Example of disagreements breaching collective responsibility
-Then foreign secretary Boris Johnson and brexit secretary David Davis openly criticising May's 'Chequers deal' in 2018
Example of collective responsibility being set aside
-EU referendems in 1975 and 2016

-Alternative Vote referendem 2011

-2013 Marriage Act
Example of collective responsibility being weakened through leaks to the media
-Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson leaking Huawei tower plans

-leaking of Chancellor Hammond's comments that "public sector workers are overpaid"
How has collective responsibility been weakened
-Leaks to the media

-Disagreements

-Set aside
what factors contribute to the Opposition's power?
- parliamentary arithmetic

-popularity of the government

-media attention
What is the Confidence and Supply Agreement?
in the event of a minority government where the governing party relies on an agreement with another party to keep itself in office

-2017 CON and DUP
how can the Opposition effect legislation?
-The Official opposition has a number of designated days where they chose a topic of debate (eg: 2018 Labour raised issues of: grenfell tower fire, school funding, NHS privatisation

-Shadow cabinet members can ask questions of ministers

-can pose as an alternative gov (government-in-waiting)

-eg: marcus rashford's free school meals campaign supported by labour caused the gov to change their policy
What is an elective dictatorship?
A government that dominates Parliament and faces little scrutiny apart from election season
What is the Strathclyde Review (2015)? 
House of Lords shouldn't be able to stop secondary legislation passing, but ask the Commons to rethink its proposal
example of a law granting ministers secondary legislative powers
(1971) Misuse of Drugs Act, allows ministers to add new drugs to the list of banned drugs as new information of harm is discovered
how is secondary legislation limited?
-The House of Lords can reject it (eg: voted against (2015)Tax Credits Regulations Act)

-Supreme Court can overturn it
what is secondary legislation?
A law made by ministers, who have been granted this authority by an Act of Parliament, rather than made by parliament
How was the 2020 UK internal market Act impactful for devolution?
the 2020 UK Internal Market Act makes it so goods produced (or imported) in one devolved nation can be traded to another devolved nation regardless of the laws of the devolved nation.

Again reasserts parliamentary sovereignty, while also breaking the Sewel Convention
what impact did Miller 2019 have on the constitution?
Rules Johnson's proroging of parliament (which was done to push through his Brexit legislation and avoid parliamentary scrutiny).

Again reasserts parliamentary sovereignty
what impact did Miller 2017 have on the constitution? 
The Supreme Court rules that May's government couldn't leave the EU without consent from Parliament (as parliament brought the UK into the EU with the European Communities Act 1972).

Stated that parliament didn't need devolved nation's consent to trigger article 50, undermining Sewel convention
Effectively reinforces parliamentary soveriegnty
What is the Public Bills Committee?
standing committee that reviews bills in detail
what is royal assent?
monarch gives royal assent to a bill, it is now law
what happens AFTER the third reading stage?
bill goes between chambers until agreement or after a year
what happens in the third reading stage?
bill is debated and voted on but no more amendments
what happens in the report stage?
debate and voting of amendments from committee
what happens in the committee stage?
-bill examined in detail

-decide whether to make changes within the bill, consider amendments to the bill proposed by gov, Commons or Lords
what happens in the second reading stage?
-debate in chamber, the for case will be argued by the minister then the opposition and/or backbenchers make their points

-after debate, bill is voted on. If voted against, bill is defeated
what happens in the first reading stage?
bill is announced and is available for viewing and scrutiny by everyone
What process does legislation go through in parliament
-first reading
-second reading
-committee stage
-report stage
-third reading
[goes to other house]
Examples of MPs having the whip removed
-in 2019, 21 Tory backbenchers (including 2 former chancellors, many former ministers and Churchill's grandson) had whip removed after they defied PM and voted in favour of bringing brexit dealings in control of the Commons not gov
What does removing the whip permanently mean?
- The MP in question is suspended from the party and is no longer apart of the party's parliamentary party. In the next election they stand in they have to run as an independant
example is a three-line whip used
Labour Party leadership to order Labour MPs to vote for triggering Article 50, to begin the process of the UK leaving the EU
What does the Whip do?
-The party whip ensures that MPs vote in accordance to how the executive wants

-3 line whip= MPs are strongly advised to vote in a certain way or risk getting the whip removed

-2 line whip= MPs should vote a certain way or probably not get a promotion

-1 line whip= MPs are advised to vote a certain way and there's little consequences

-free vote= MPs can vote how ever
What does the Leader of the House of Commons do?
cabinet position, sees that bills are timetabled properly and making sure the executive's perspective runs smoothly
types of opposition in parliament
-The Official Opposition (LAB or CON)
-Other Opposition Parties
-Intra-party (opponents in governing party)
-Inter-party (coalition disagreements)
What is a redress of grievances?
an MP's duty to raise issues of constituents to local councils or relevant government departments
What are controversies with the Speaker?
-Michael Martin (2000-2009) resigned over expenses scandal

-John Bercow critised over giving alledged favour to opposition MPs during Brexit proceedings
What does the Speaker of the Commons do? 
-The speaker manages debates in the Commons

-They're an MP thats appointed by other MPs
What is bicameralism?
Two house legislature
How have metro mayors impacted the Constitution?
Further devolution, more power to metro mayors eg: Any Burnham pressure the government for further funding for Greater Manchester's covid measures
What are some key post-2010 Constitutional changes?
-Metro mayors
-2016 Scotland Act
-2020 UK Internal Market Act
What is the Factortame (1990) case?
asserted that EU law was superior to UK law
What is the role of the Civil Service in select committees?
-in accordance with Osmotherly Rules, civil servants are representatives of their minister, puts them into a difficult position as witnesses in a select committee
Examples of Select Committees being limited 
-2016 Boris Johnson, the foreign secretary at the time, was accused of "waffling" by the committee chair of the foreign affairs select committee during questioning

-Dominic Raab as secretary of state for exiting the European Union refused to give evidence to the Lords European Union Committee untill a deal had been finalised with EU. Chairman accused gov of keeping MPs and Peers in dark

-ministers not forced to appear before committee

-membership of committees controlled by Whip's office
Examples of Select Committees being impactful
-2018 Home sec Amber Rudd contradicted herself regarding deportation targets, misleading the committee, she resigned

-2021 spad Cummings told committee health sec Hancock was incompetent in dealing with the pandemic

-chaired by MPs with background knowledge, Jeremy Hunt chairing the Health Select Committee in 2020