A-level Politics Keywords

Define constitution

A set of laws and guidelines which sets out how political systems work and where power is located within the system.

Define codified

A constitution that is found in multiple documents

Define uncodified

A constitution that is not found in one single document or place

Define statute

Any law that has been passed by both houses of parliament and has received royal assent

Define common law

The body of legal precedent resulting from the rulings of senior judges. Sometimes referred to as case law or judge-made law

Define conventions

Traditions not contained in law but influential in the operation of a political system.

Define authoritative opinions

The opinions of constitutional experts that provide guidance on how the UK constitution should be interpreted and operated.

Define The royal prerogative

A set of powers and privileges belonging to the monarch but normally exercised by the Prime Minister or government ministers, such as granting honours and issuing pardons.

Define rule of law

The principle that the laws is enforced and that it is applied equally to everyone including the government

Define parliamentary sovereignty

The idea that Parliament is the highest law-making authority and can make, change or remove any law, and one Parliament cannot stop a future Parliament from doing so.

Define individual and collective rights

Individual Rights: Rights that belong to each citizen e.g. the right to free speech or to practice religion or live according to sexual orientation without discrimination

Collective Rights: Rights that lie with groups of people e.g. members of a trade union or people with disabilities