politics 🇺🇳

• suffrage


  the right to vote in political elections
• member of parliament (MP)

  a formally elected representative in Parliament
• general election


  an electoral process voted by the general public to choose most/all members of Parliament
• devolution


  the transfer or delegation of power to a lower level
• by-election


  an election that occurs when a seat in the House of Commons becomes vacant during a general election
• first-past-the-post (FPTP)


  an electoral system used to elect MPs to the House of Commons
• constituency


  an area whose voters elect a representative to parliament
• frontbencher

  a government minister or an opposition shadow spokesperson
• backbench MP


  MPs that are neither government ministers or opposition shadow spokespeople, sitting behind their party’s spokesperson
• the speaker

  an MP who’s been elected by other MPs to ensure rules are observed and order is maintained in the chamber and they are politically impartial
• the opposition


  the largest political party in the House of Commons that’s not in the government
• crossbencher


  a minor party or independent member of the house of lords
• select commitee


  small groups of MPs or Lords that are set up to investigate a specific issue in detail or to perform a specific scrutiny role
• government bills


  a formal proposal for new law or a change in law, that is put forward by the government for consideration by parliament
• political party


  an organisation with similar political beliefs and ideologies with its candidates competing in elections
• party whips

  MPs appointed by each party in parliament to help organise their party’s contribution to parliamentary business
• coalition government


  a government formed jointly by more than one political party
• pressure groups


  organisations of people with similar opinions that want to influence those in power
• lobbying petition


  petitions that attempt to influence he opinions of MPs and Lords on specific subjects
• identity politics


  a new term to describe the phenomenon of people of a particular religion, race, ethnicity, sexuality etc. campaigning issues and moving away from traditional broad-based party politics