constitutional changes

what did Blair promise at the 1994 labour party conference?

he would deliver the biggest programme of change to democracy ever proposed

how many constitutional bills did Blair's government introduce in the first parliamentary session alone?

12

what did Blair's reforms focus on?

modernising outdated political institutions, enhancing democracy and devolving power away from westminster to other UK countries

how did Cameron pursue a more modest reform programme under the conservative-liberal democrat coalition?

held a referendum on electoral reform and limited prime ministerial powers to dissolve parliament

what has constitutional reform been overshadowed by since 2015?

Brexit

how has the modernisation of political institutions been shown through the house of lords act 1999?

removed majority of hereditary peers so only 92 remained, allowing for more nominated life peers and a representative chamber

how has the modernisation of political institutions been shown through the house of lords reform bill 2012?

proposed for 80% elected members with all hereditary peers removed, though 91 conservative backbenchers voted against it

how has the modernisation of political institutions been shown through the house of lords reform act 2014?

allowed peers to resign voluntarily or be removed if convicted of serious crimes or non-attendance

how many peers had left the lords by early 2020 as a result of the house of lords reform act 2014?

6 peers had been removed and 106 had retired

how has the modernisation of political institutions been shown through the constitutional reform act 2005?

by establishing a separate supreme court, as previously law lords had sat in the house of lords

what did the creation of the supreme court through modernising political institutions enhance?

judicial independence and a clear separation of powers

how has the modernisation of political institutions been shown through the succession to the crown act 2013?

introduced gender equality to royal succession which allowed the eldest child to inherit the throne regardless of gender

what is a failure of the modernisation of the house of lords?

it remains incomplete and unfinished, as shown through the 2012 reform attempt with entirely failed

what is a failure of the modernisation of the supreme court?

too much power is given to unelected, unaccountable judges which undermines parliament

what is a failure of the modernisation of the monarchy?

changes are minor and the monarch still cannot be romantically catholic

how is greater democracy in the political system shown through referendums and devolution?

the referendums (scotland and wales) act 1997 allowed voters in these areas to decide whether to establish devolved assemblies

how is greater democracy in the political system shown through the greater london authority act 1999?

created a directly elected mayor of london, a post that has attracted high-profile politicians

how is greater democracy in the political system shown through the local government act 2000?

allowed other cities to hold referendums on whether to introduce elected mayors

how is greater democracy in the political system shown through the police reform and social responsibility act 2011?

introduced directly elected police and crime commissioners, aiming to increase democratic accountability in policing

how is greater democracy in the political system shown through the european parliamentary elections act 1999?

changed the electoral system for european parliament elections in england, scotland and wales from FPTP to proportional representation

what evidence shows there is limited support for electoral reform at national level?

2011 alternative vote referendum for westminster elections was rejected by 68%

how is greater democracy in the political system shown through the fixed-term parliaments act 2011?

removed PM's power to call early elections through royal prerogative, they must now have a two-thirds majority or loss of a vote of no confidence

what is a failure of elected mayors to achieve greater democracy?

outside london most cities rejected the proposal through referendums or low turnout, such as 11.6% in Staffordshire's PCC election

what is a failure of electoral reform to achieve greater democracy?

2011 alternative vote referendum showed limited enthusiasm for electoral reform with 68% voting against

what is a failure of the fixed-term parliaments act to achieve greater democracy?

it was easily overcome in 2017 and 2019 to bring about early elections

how is the establishment of devolved legislative bodies shown in the scotland, wales and northern ireland acts 1998?

elected devolved assemblies were created in these nations to allow them significant powers over areas such as health

what is a failure of devolved legislative bodies in england?

support remains low, such as in the 2004 north east assembly proposal where rejection was 78%

how has incorporating the ECHR been shown through human rights legislation?

allows courts to consider it when judging human rights cases, strengthening legal protection for rights such as privacy

how has the freedom of information act 2000 been shown through human rights legislation?

citizens have been given greater access to information held by public bodies, certain information must be published and requests should be responded to within 20 days

how has the equality act 2010 been shown through human rights legislation?

by protecting individuals against discrimination based on characteristics such as gender or race

how has the protection of freedoms act 2010 been shown through human rights legislation?

enhancing citizens protection from state overreach by strengthening scrutiny of security services

how has the data protection act 2018 been shown through human rights legislation?

placing strict controls on how government and private organisations handle personal data, giving citizens greater control over their information

what are failures of the expansion of human rights?

it can lead to the rise of identity politics and clashes between individual and collective rights

what is an example of when growing judicial involvement in human rights cases has caused controversy?

when the supreme court rules aspects of anti-terror legislation incompatible with the human rights act

what is identity politics?

the phenomenon of people from particular religions, races, sexualities, etc. campaigning on specific issues and moving away from traditional broad-based party politics

what does the 2009 MP's expenses scandal demonstrate?

the power of the freedom of information act in exposing misconduct

what did journalists use freedom of information requests to obtain details of in the 2009 MP's expenses scandal?

MP's expense claims such as of luxury items, second home designations and overclaimed mortgage interest payments

what did revelations in the 2009 MP's expenses scandal lead to?

criminal prosecutions, MP's resigning and the overhaul of the parliamentary expenses system

how did the 2017 early election override the fixed-term parliaments act?

PM theresa may's proposal for an early election just 2 years into her government was supported by 522-13 in the commons

what are examples of constitutional areas considered desirable for further change?

compulsory or online voting, and requiring photo ID to vote

why does compulsory voting need careful consideration?

turnout would increase but voting may be uninformed

why does online voting need careful consideration?

accessibility would improve but security concerns would be raised

why does voting requiring photo ID need careful consideration?

would prevent fraud but could disenfranchise vulnerable groups who lack documentation