AQA A level Politics - UK Legislature (Parliament)
Key features of UK government - Answer-Uncodified constitution
Parliamentary sovereignty
Fusion of executive and legislature
2-party system
Plurality electoral system
Weak/absent local government
Parliamentary privilege - Answ...
AQA A level Politics - UK Legislature
(Parliament)
Key features of UK government - Answer-Uncodified constitution
Parliamentary sovereignty
Fusion of executive and legislature
2-party system
Plurality electoral system
Weak/absent local government
Parliamentary privilege - Answer-Legal immunity enjoyed by members of Parliament,
ensuring duties can be carried out without intereference
- freedom of speech
- exclusive cognisance (regulation of internal affairs without input from outside
bodies)
NOT ABOVE LAW e.g. expenses scandal 2009
Bicameralism - Answer-Legislature with 2 chambers
Upper house (HofL) provides checks and balances, scrutiny of legislation and
expertise
Legislative gridlock can arise from conflict between the chambers
Indirectly elected upper house may frustrate the will of the democratically elected
lower house
Statute law - Answer-Acts of Parliament, approved by both Houses and monarch
Can enact significant change to public life and constitution (most important source?)
- Human Rights Act 1998
Not all significant to constitution or relationship between state and public
- Dangerous Dogs Act 1991
Common law - Answer-Derived from precedents set by Supreme Court judges
Significant check on government's intentions when passing constitutional reform
- 'ultra vires'
- rule of law
Reliant on judicial independence
Convention - Answer-Established norms of political behaviour, rooted in past
experience rather than law
Technically uncodified but collated in 2011 Cabinet Office Manual
, - monarch always gives assent to Acts of Parliament
Not legally enforceable, can be ignored when inconvenient
PROS of Uncodified Constitution - Answer-- Straightforward amendment process
- Easy to maintain relevance in modern day
- Government accountable to Parliament AND electorate
- Development visible and justified throughout history
CONS of Uncodified Constitution - Answer-- Lack of single, authoritative document
- Limited judicial review
- Difficult to fully understand and learn
- Parliament is able to ignore other government branches in favour of passing a
reform law
House of Commons - Answer-Lower house, dominant chamber
650 MPs
Parliamentary Sovereignty in Commons - Answer-Ultimate legislative supremacy
No higher law-making authority
Vote of No Confidence in Commons - Answer-Government can be removed
Fixed-term Parliament Act 2011-
Parliament dissolved after no confidence motion if no alternative gov. is approved in
14 days
Successful Vote of No Confidence - Answer-March 1979
Callaghan's Labour gov lost by 1 vote
(most recent)
May's Vote of No Confidence - Answer-15th Jan 2019
Motion rejected by Commons by 19 votes
Whips - Answer-Party officials
- ensure attendance of MPs to votes
- instruct MPs on how to vote (along party lines)
- enforce disciplinary action
Three-line whip - Answer-Strict instruction to attend and vote according to party line,
or face disciplinary action
Issued for major votes
Withdrawing the whip - Answer-MP is effectively expelled from their party, but hangs
onto their seat
Must sit as an independent until their party decides to restore the whip
House of Lords - Answer-Upper house, subordinate chamber
782 peers - April 2019
House of Lords Act 1999 - Answer-Ended historical dominance of Tory party in Lords
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