AP COGO UNIT 2 UK

  • CONSTITUTION?

The UK has an unwritten/uncodified constitution. This means that their governing laws come from other sources such as common laws(court rulings), conventions, and historical documents such as the Magna Carta and Bill of Rights.

  • HEAD OF STATE

The symbolic and ceremonial  head of government is King Charles the 3rd. The head of state doesnt have any actual governing power.

  • LABOUR PARTY (WHIGS) 

A center-left party is typically associated with the working class,unions, and progressive policies. They support social welfare, nationalization, and more government involvement.

  • CONSERVATIVE PARTY (TORIES)

A center right political party that supports free markets,strong national defense, and traditional values. It has historically been associated with aristocracy.

  • LIBERAL DEMOCRATIC PARTY 

A centrist political party that advocates for civil liberties and a mixed economy.

  • PARLIAMENT

    • ROLES OF HOUSE OF COMMONS

Members of Parliament are elected by the public, holds the prime minister and government accountable through question time and debate, they are the stronger party as they hold the government accountable and the control government spending and taxation.

  • ROLES OF THE HOUSE OF LORDS

The upper chamber of the parliament that is mainly composed of life peers, heredity peers, and bishops. Reviews and revises bills proposed by the house of Commons and they can delay and suggest amendments.

  • PARLIAMENTARY SOVEREIGNTY

The principle is that the parliament is the supreme legal authority in the UK so they can repeal or make any law without being overruled by any court or institution. Devolution has challenged this rule.

  • QUESTION TIME 

A weekly session where members of parliament question the prime minister and government minister. This is an important part of government scrutiny that allows opposition party to challenge policies.

  • ROLES AND SELECTION OF THE PRIME MINISTER/HEAD  OF GOVERNMENT

  1. The leader of the political party that wins the most seats in the House of Commons during a general election becomes prime minister.

  2. Then the king/present monarch formally invites the leader of the winning party to form a government. This is a ceremonial step that is crucial for legitimacy.

  3. If no party wins more than 50% of the seats may form a coalition with another major party to win the majority or seek support from other governments in order to win the vote

  4. The PM must maintain the support of the House of Commons to stay in government. If they lose a vote of no confidence they must resign or call a new election.

  • ROLES AND SELECTION OF THE CABINET

A group of senior ministers are appointed by the prime minister from their party and these ministers oversee government departments such as Health,Defense, and Education. They are collectively responsible for government health decisions.

  • SINGLE-MEMBER DISTRICT PLURALITY SYSTEM

This is the UK's electoral system for parliamentary elections where each constituency elects one MP using the FPTP. The candidate with the most votes wins even without a majority.

  • SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE 

The nonpartisan official who moderates debates in the House of Commons ensures fair discussions and implements parliamentary rule. They do not vote on any issues unless to break a tie.

  • FPTP- FIRST TO PASS THE POST

A winner-take-all voting system where the candidate with the most votes wins. This leads to a disproportionate distribution of seats where the smaller parties are constantly disadvantaged.

  • VOTE OF NO CONFIDENCE

A parliamentary motion that if passed forces the prime minister and government to resign 

  • DEVOLUTION

The process of transferring power from the UK government to regional governments such as Wales, Scotland,  or Northern Ireland.

  • SUPREME COURT OF THE UK

Established in 2009 to seperate judicial power from from the House of Lords. THe highest court in the UK, overseeing constitutional issues and final appeals.


BUREAUCRATS

Civil servants and government officials who implement laws and policies who remain in office regardless of political changes and who provide stability to the government.

  • SOCIAL CLEAVAGES

The UK has regional cleavages such as Scotland, Northern Ireland,and Wales. Scotland is very seperatist while Northern Ireland is kind of divided with some people wanting to stay part of the UK(unionist) and people who want to join Ireland(Nationalists). The UK has ethnic cleaveages with a lot of immigrants coming from former british colonies and immigration has become a huge problem in the UK. There are class cleavags with the working class most likely supporting the labour party and the middle/upper class supporting the  conservative party.

  • OXBRIDGE

A term referring to the prestigious universities of Oxford and Cambridge. Many political leaders/ prime ministers have attended these universites contributing to elite dominance in the UK.

  • REFERENDUM-BREXIT 

A national vote was held in 2016 where the people of the United Kingdom voted on whether they wanted to remain a member of the European Union. A majority had voted for the UK to leave the EU causing for Brexit which is british exit. This had caused for David Cameron to resign bringing in Theresa May  and new trade agreements had to be made and Northern Ireland had become a big issue because it shares borders with Ireland a member of the EU. This had also caused a devaluation of the british currency the pounds the UK had officially left the EU by 2020.