U.K.

Austerity – Government policies that aim to reduce public spending and budget deficits, often through cuts to social services and welfare.

2. Backbenchers – Members of Parliament (MPs) who are not part of the government or opposition leadership; they sit behind the front benches in the House of Commons.

3. Collective Responsibility (Cabinet) – The principle that all ministers must publicly support government decisions, even if they personally disagree, or resign from their position.

4. Corporatist – A system where the government, businesses, and labor groups work together to influence policy, often seen in economic planning.

5. Conservative Party (Tories) – A center-right political party in the UK that supports free markets, a strong national defense, and traditional values.

6. Constituency – A geographic area represented by an MP in the House of Commons, where voters elect their representative in general elections.

7. Devolution – The transfer of powers from the UK Parliament to regional governments in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

8. First-Past-the-Post (FPTP) – The electoral system used for UK general elections, where the candidate with the most votes in a constituency wins, regardless of whether they have a majority.

9. Gradualism – The belief that political change in the UK happens slowly and incrementally rather than through sudden revolutions or shifts.

10. Good Friday Agreement – The 1998 peace deal that helped end most of the violence in Northern Ireland by establishing a devolved government and power-sharing between unionists and nationalists.

11. House of Commons – The lower house of the UK Parliament, where elected MPs debate and pass laws; the Prime Minister is usually the leader of the majority party in this house.

House of Commons: The elected lower house of the UK Parliament, where Members of Parliament (MPs) sit and debate laws. It plays a major role in lawmaking, and its members are elected by the public in general elections.

House of Lords: The appointed upper house of the UK Parliament, which consists of life peers, bishops, and hereditary peers. It reviews, amends, and scrutinizes legislation passed by the House of Commons, though it cannot veto laws.

Labour Party: A center-left political party in the UK, traditionally representing the working class and advocating for policies such as social equality, public welfare, and workers' rights. The party is one of the two major political parties in the UK, alongside the Conservative Party.

Members of Parliament (MPs): Elected representatives who sit in the House of Commons. MPs represent a specific geographic area known as a constituency, and they debate and vote on proposed laws.

Shadow Cabinet: A group of senior opposition members who "shadow" government ministers and are responsible for offering alternative policies. Each member of the shadow cabinet corresponds to a government minister and is tasked with challenging the government's actions and policies in that area.

Third Way: A political approach that seeks to find a middle ground between traditional left-wing and right-wing politics, combining elements of social justice with market-oriented policies. It gained prominence in the UK with Tony Blair's leadership of the Labour Party in the 1990s.

Westminster System: A democratic system of government originating from the UK, where the executive branch (the government) is drawn from the legislature (Parliament), and the Prime Minister is typically the leader of the majority party in the House of Commons. It is characterized by a parliamentary democracy, a strong party system, and responsible government.

White Paper: A government document that outlines proposed policy reforms or legislative changes. It serves as a basis for public consultation before new laws or policies are introduced. A white paper typically provides detailed proposals, information, and reasoning behind the government's position.

Maastricht Treaty: A treaty signed in 1992 that established the European Union (EU) and led to the creation of the single European currency (the Euro). It also expanded the areas of cooperation between EU member states, including foreign policy, defense, and justice, and introduced the concept of European citizenship.