The document discusses the strengths of the UK constitution. It begins by stating the objectives of identifying strengths of the UK constitution and reflecting on learning from the unit. Some key strengths mentioned include parliamentary sovereignty, which establishes that parliament has ultimate lawmaking power; the principle of the rule of law; and the existence of a unitary state with power held by the central Westminster Parliament. However, some argue these principles are outdated given developments like devolution and European law. An advantage of the UK's uncodified constitution is that it allows for flexibility and reform, as demonstrated by recent constitutional changes. However, some reforms like devolution may limit future flexibility.
Model essay should the uk adopt a codified constitutionmattbentley34
The document discusses the arguments for and against the UK adopting a codified constitution. Key points include:
- Codified constitutions are more rigid and difficult to amend than uncodified constitutions like the UK's, making codified constitutions less able to adapt to changing times.
- Codified constitutions could lead to "judicial tyranny" as unelected judges, not accountable to the public, would have power to interpret and police the constitution.
- Adopting a codified constitution would abolish the UK's principle of parliamentary sovereignty by which Parliament can make or change any law.
- On balance, the document concludes the UK should not adopt a codified constitution due to the risks of inf
The document discusses several key aspects of the UK constitution:
- It defines a constitution as establishing power distribution, relationships between institutions, limits on government power, and citizen rights.
- The UK constitution is largely uncodified, with power concentrated in Parliament, but devolution has decentralized some authority.
- New Labour oversaw several reforms between 1997-2010, including removing most hereditary peers, establishing devolved assemblies, codifying freedom of information and human rights, and increasing judicial independence.
This document outlines the key topics and assignments for a government and politics lesson on constitutions. It includes homework tasks like setting up a blog, reading newspapers, and researching media platforms. Classwork will involve group presentations, seminars, and exams. The core content covers the features of the UK's unwritten constitution, including how power is distributed and balanced. Other sections define the functions of constitutions in general and compare codified versus uncodified systems. Discussion questions prompt analysis of the UK system and comparisons to other countries' constitutions.
The British constitution is not set out in a single document but rather has evolved over many years through a combination of written laws, court rulings, conventions and traditions. It serves several functions including distributing power, protecting freedoms, defining limits on government, and providing stability. Unlike other nations like the US, the British constitution is partly written and uncodified, with sources scattered across documents, and can be amended through regular acts of parliament rather than a special process. Recent constitutional reforms under New Labour focused on areas like the House of Lords, devolution, freedom of information and human rights.
What is Constitution, Differences and Similarities Between Britain & French C...Sajid Abbas
This document compares and contrasts the British and French constitutions. It notes that constitutions can be written or unwritten, and the British constitution is unwritten while the French is written. Some key differences are that amendments in Britain are by ordinary procedure while France requires a two-thirds majority, and members of the British House of Lords are appointed by the Queen while French Senate members are indirectly elected. However, both countries have a bicameral system, rule of law, independent judiciaries, and general elections every five years. The parliaments are also supreme in both nations.
This document defines and provides examples of codified and uncodified constitutions. A codified constitution collects key provisions in a single document, making it authoritative and difficult to amend. Examples include the US and India. An uncodified constitution lacks a single document, so laws have the same status and the constitution can change easily. Examples include the UK and Israel. Codified constitutions are authoritative, entrenched, and allow judicial review, while uncodified constitutions are not and changes are through normal lawmaking. Advantages and disadvantages of each are discussed.
The British constitution is an uncodified system comprised of written and unwritten rules. It has adapted over time through incremental reforms rather than by replacing the existing framework. Recent reforms have included devolving some powers to Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland; incorporating the European Convention on Human Rights; and establishing independent electoral authorities. However, parliamentary sovereignty, the concentration of power in Westminster, and an outdated electoral system remain ongoing weaknesses according to critics of the traditional British constitutional model.
This document provides an overview of the key features of the British constitution. It notes that the British constitution is unwritten, consisting of laws, traditions and precedents. It has evolved over time through incremental changes rather than being written at a single point. The constitution is also flexible, allowing acts of parliament to function as both constitutional and ordinary law. Some other important aspects mentioned are the sovereignty of parliament, the mixed monarchical-democratic system, and the role of conventions alongside legal rules.
The document discusses constitutional conventions in the UK constitution. It notes that conventions are established rules of practice that are not legally enforceable but are considered binding. Conventions provide flexibility to the rigid rules of law and help the democratic process work smoothly. However, conventions rely on acceptance and can change with contemporary attitudes. The document examines examples of key conventions like collective ministerial responsibility.
As government and politics the constitutionflissxoxo
This document provides an overview of the AS Government and Politics unit on governing the UK. It covers the key topics of the UK constitution, including definitions of codified and uncodified constitutions, unitary and federal systems, and rigid vs flexible constitutions. The sources of the UK's uncodified constitution are explained, such as statute law, common law, conventions, and EU laws. Core principles like parliamentary sovereignty, the rule of law, and constitutional monarchy are also introduced. The document provides context and examples to explain these complex constitutional concepts in an accessible way.
The document outlines several key sources of the UK constitution:
Statute law includes written laws passed by Parliament that can be enforced in courts, along with statutes affecting how the country is governed. EU law and treaties have also become significant as they take precedence over conflicting UK law. Constitutional conventions are established practices relating to government powers that are not legally binding. Major works of authority and documents like the Magna Carta provide guidance and established important principles recognized as authoritative. The royal prerogative consists of traditional powers of the monarch now exercised by ministers, and common law is case law developed from legal precedents.
Model essay: Should the UK adopt a codified constitutionmattbentley34
The document discusses the arguments for and against the UK adopting a codified constitution. It explains that a codified constitution would make rules clearer and protect individual rights through a bill of rights, but could also lead to judicial tyranny and undermine parliamentary sovereignty. The key arguments against are that codified constitutions are rigid and inflexible, which is problematic in a rapidly changing society. Overall, the document concludes that the UK should not adopt a codified constitution due to the importance of flexibility to amend laws through acts of parliament rather than constitutional changes.
The document discusses arguments for and against the UK adopting a codified constitution. Arguments for include that a codified constitution would make rules clearer, limit government power through checks like judicial review, and better protect individual rights. However, the key arguments against are that a codified constitution would be inflexible and unable to adapt to changing times, increase the risk of "judicial tyranny" by empowering unelected judges, and abolish the principle of parliamentary sovereignty. Overall, the document concludes that the UK should not adopt a codified constitution due to these risks of reduced flexibility and democratic legitimacy.
The document discusses key features of several country's constitutions, including the UK, USA, France, Switzerland, and China. Some of the main points about the UK constitution include that it is unwritten and evolved over centuries through conventions, judicial decisions, and acts of parliament. It also discusses the flexibility of the UK constitution and the parliamentary sovereignty. The summary focuses on comparing the salient features of different constitutions.
The constitutional entrenchment of the Scottish Parliament 2010–2015Jamie Dunne
This document summarizes the evolving constitutional status of the Scottish Parliament over the past 15 years through an analysis of key court cases. It argues that while the UK Parliament is traditionally considered sovereign, the Scottish Parliament has gained increasing recognition and entrenchment through judicial interpretations influenced by the devolution statutes and increasing autonomy of the Scottish polity. Recent legislation like the Scotland Bill aims to further constitutionally recognize the Scottish Parliament, but questions remain around parliamentary sovereignty and the courts' role in constitutional disputes.
Topic 1_ INTRODUCTION TO THE CONSTITUTION AND SOURCES OF THE CONSTITUTION (1)...Saratha28
The document provides an introduction to the UK constitution, including definitions of key terms like constitutional law and different types of constitutions. It notes that the UK has an unwritten constitution comprised of several sources, including statute law, delegated legislation, common law, constitutional conventions, authoritative texts, royal prerogative, and international treaties. Statute law includes both regular statutes and some considered especially important to the constitution. Common law is developed through judicial precedent. Constitutional conventions are unwritten rules that guide the political system.
The document provides an overview of the UK constitution, including:
- The UK constitution is uncodified and consists of laws, conventions, and traditions established over time rather than being set out in a single document.
- Key principles of the UK constitution include parliamentary sovereignty, the separation of powers, and constitutional monarchy.
- There have been recent reforms like devolution, establishing the Supreme Court, and incorporating the European Convention on Human Rights, but the constitution remains flexible and changeable by Parliament.
- Arguments for and against a codified constitution include clarity and protection of rights versus flexibility and difficulty of codification given the UK's historical constitutional framework.
Legal System of England, Introduction, Common Law features in England, Legal History of England, Civil Rights in England, Constitutional Review in an Unwritten Constitution, Hierarchy of Courts, Judicial Review, Rules of precedent in England, English civil Procedure, Criminal Procedure in England
The judicial organization, The House of Lords, The King's Bench Division, The Assize Courts, The Quarter Sessions, Central Criminal Court, Petty Sessions and Police Magistrates, Sentencing Purposes in England, Conclusion, Bibliography
Slide 1 1mm - the basic economic problemmattbentley34
The basic economic problem is that human wants are unlimited while resources are scarce. This means that societies must make choices about how to allocate scarce resources between alternative uses to best satisfy people's needs and wants. The opportunity cost of a choice is the value of the best alternative forgone, or what is given up by making that choice. Production possibility curves illustrate this problem by showing the tradeoffs involved - producing more of one good requires producing less of another since resources are limited.
This document introduces economics as a social science that studies human behavior in markets at both micro and macro levels. It then lists several current economic issues and prompts the reader to discuss the reasons for each issue and potential solutions in small groups. Some of the issues highlighted include the wealth divide, the effects of Brexit, policies to curb plastic pollution, and the future of work with artificial intelligence. The document encourages further discussion and learning about economics topics.
1. Altruism refers to humans behaving with more kindness and fairness than would be expected if they acted rationally according to self-interest.
2. Anchoring is the tendency for people to rely on irrelevant reference points or anchors when making estimates.
3. Bounded rationality recognizes the cognitive limits of humans in making fully rational decisions due to limits in information, time, and brain processing capacity.
This document provides a list of 14 online resources for learning about behavioral economics and conducting experiments. Some of the key resources mentioned include Dan Ariely's website which has video explanations of concepts and research; the Invisible Gorilla team's videos demonstrating bounded rationality; interactive experiments on the Online Psychology Laboratory website; and videos from the Behavioural Design Lab. Overall, the document serves as a guide to various online materials for studying behavioral economics concepts.
This document introduces concepts from behavioural economics, which challenges the assumption that people always make rational decisions. It discusses how social, emotional, and cognitive factors can influence choices. People have bounded rationality and use mental shortcuts like heuristics. Choices are affected by defaults, framing, norms, and biases. Behavioural economics aims to "nudge" better choices through approaches like changing defaults or using social norms, rather than mandates. However, some argue that nudges could be seen as paternalistic or that consumers are not as irrational as behavioral economics assumes.
1. ArcelorMittal, the world's largest steelmaker, made a bid to acquire Macarthur Coal in Australia in October 2011. This was likely motivated by the desire to achieve the benefits of backwards vertical integration, as ArcelorMittal uses large quantities of coal in its steel production process.
2. Sally owns a potato farm and aims to maximize profit. As she believes the market price of potatoes will not be affected by her farm's output level, she will produce at the level where marginal cost equals price in the short run to maximize profit.
3. Sally believes her individual output will not impact the overall market price. Therefore, she will produce the quantity where marginal cost equals price to
- Starbucks has had success in China but has faced criticism for high prices. It has adopted a localization strategy including store designs that reflect local culture and adding popular local flavors.
- Spotify dominates the music streaming market but faces challenges from competitors differentiating their offerings and royalty costs reducing profits despite rising revenues.
- Nissan faces uncertainty from Brexit but has cut European prices for its electric Leaf model. A UK consumer could save over £1,000 buying from France due to the weak pound.
This document summarizes factors that influence wage determination in labor markets, including supply and demand, trade unions, government intervention, and discrimination. Key points include:
- Supply and demand are primary determinants of wages, with wages rising or falling based on labor demand changes.
- Economic rent and transfer earnings also impact wages. Workers earn more economic rent the more inelastic the labor supply.
- Trade unions aim to increase member wages through collective bargaining, creating a new higher minimum supply curve. This raises wages but reduces employment.
- Government policies like minimum wage legislation and anti-discrimination laws also impact wages.
- Discrimination against groups lowers their wages below true market rates due to prejudices about their productivity
Justin King became CEO of UK retailer J Sainsbury plc in 2004 when sales and market share were falling. He implemented a strategy of recovery through sales growth including price cuts, organizational restructuring, and bonuses for higher store standards. King also focused on increasing employee engagement to improve customer service and financial performance. Following King's changes, Sainsbury's experienced 36 consecutive months of sales growth from 2010 to 2013 and increased its market share. However, in 2014 King announced he was stepping down as CEO and soon after Sainsbury's reported its first sales decline in 9 years due to continued competition.
This document provides a template for planning answers to AQA A Level Business exam questions. The template includes spaces to write the question, marks available, and multiple paragraphs to structure an answer with context, evidence, models, theory and reasoning. Each paragraph includes prompts to include an explanation of a point and opportunities to include evaluation.
The multiplier effect occurs when an initial injection of spending, such as government spending on a new infrastructure project, leads to a greater total increase in real GDP through multiple rounds of spending. The size of the multiplier effect depends on factors like the marginal propensity to consume, marginal propensity to save, marginal propensity to import, and how elastic the aggregate supply is. A higher propensity to consume and a lower propensity to save and import leads to a larger multiplier. The multiplier is calculated as 1 divided by the sum of the marginal propensities.
Nationalism and racialism are often confused concepts. Nationalism refers to a shared cultural identity among a group of people, such as a common language, religion, or traditions. In contrast, racialism asserts that humanity is divided into distinct biological groups with inherent differences. While nationalism can take liberal forms that promote self-determination and international harmony, it can also be expressed chauvinistically by asserting the superiority of one nation over others. Racialism inherently claims racial segregation and superiority. However, the concepts can overlap, such as in certain expressions of aggressive nationalism. Overall, nationalism encompasses a spectrum of doctrines from the progressive to the reactionary.
This document provides exam advice for the Edexcel A Level Economics exam. It outlines the structure and timing of Papers 1-3 and the types of questions that may be asked. For each section and question type, it offers strategies and techniques for answering questions successfully, such as using diagrams, chains of analysis, and considering different perspectives in evaluations. Students are advised to read questions carefully, show workings, use economic terminology, and relate their answers back to the questions.
Nationalism and racialism are often confused concepts. Nationalism refers to a shared cultural identity among a group of people, such as a common language, religion, or traditions. In contrast, racialism asserts that humanity is divided into distinct biological groups with inherent differences. While nationalism can take liberal forms that promote self-determination and international harmony, it can also be expressed chauvinistically by asserting the superiority of one nation over others. Racialism inherently claims racial segregation and superiority. However, the concepts can overlap, such as in certain expressions of aggressive nationalism. Overall, nationalism encompasses a spectrum of doctrines from the progressive to the reactionary.
This document discusses different voting systems used in elections, including first-past-the-post, supplementary vote, additional vote, and single transferable vote systems. First-past-the-post is used for UK House of Commons elections, where voters select one candidate and the candidate with the most votes wins. Proportional representation systems aim to allocate seats proportionally based on votes. The supplementary vote and additional vote systems allow voters to rank candidates, while single transferable vote uses multi-member constituencies and transfers votes from eliminated candidates.
This document provides an overview of key concepts related to political representation and democracy in the UK. It defines democracy, explaining that modern democracies are generally representative rather than direct, with citizens electing representatives to make decisions on their behalf. It discusses the role of manifestos in outlining party policies, and the concept of mandates for the party that wins a majority of seats. Referendums are described as a way to directly consult citizens on important issues. Finally, it outlines the different levels of government in the UK, from local to national to European Union levels.
This document discusses political participation in the UK. It outlines different forms of political participation such as voting, joining political parties, and participating in demonstrations. Younger people are more likely to engage in newer forms of participation like pressure groups, while older individuals typically participate through voting and party membership. Women are underrepresented among politicians but equally participate in other ways. Traditional participation through parties and unions has declined as issues are addressed more globally and new social and environmental movements have emerged.
This document discusses several major political ideologies including liberalism, conservatism, socialism, and others. It defines ideology as "an interrelated set of ideas that in some way guides or inspires political action." Liberalism focuses on individual freedom, equality of opportunity, and a limited government role, while conservatism emphasizes tradition, gradual change, and social order. Socialism promotes collectivism, equality, and opposition to capitalism. The document also examines post-ideological politics, where clear ideological differences are less apparent and single-issue groups are more common.
1. L2.10: Strengths of a UK Constitution
To identify strengths of the UK
Constitution
To reflect on your learning in this
unit and consider what further
questions you have
2. abcdefghijklm
nopqrstuvwy
You must say one word associated with the British Constitution
starting with the letter chosen on the board. If you fail to do so
within ten seconds you go to the right hand side of the room, if you
do say a correct word then go to the left hand side.
The winning team is the one with the most words
associated with the UK Constitution
3. http://www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit/research/uk-constitution
Constitutions organise, distribute and regulate state power. They set out
the structure of the state, the major state institutions, and the principles
governing their relations with each other and with the state‟s citizens.
Britain is unusual in that it has an „unwritten‟ constitution: unlike the great
majority of countries there is no single legal document which sets out in
one place the fundamental laws outlining how the state works.
Britain‟s lack of a „written‟ constitution can be explained by its history.
The British Constitution has evolved over a long period of time. It has
never been thought necessary to consolidate the basic building blocks of
this order in Britain. In other countries, many of which have experienced
revolution or regime change, it has been necessary to „start from
scratch‟, constructing new state institutions and defining in detail their
relations with each other and their citizens.
Instead, Britain has a mixture of various statutes, conventions, judicial
decisions and treaties which collectively can be referred to as the British
Constitution. It is thus more accurate to refer to Britain‟s constitution
as an „uncodified‟ constitution, rather than an „unwritten‟ one.
4. It has been suggested that the British Constitution can be summed up in eight
words: What the Queen in Parliament enacts is law. This means that Parliament,
using the power of the Crown, enacts law which no other body can challenge.
Parliamentary sovereignty is commonly regarded as the defining principle of the
British Constitution. This is the ultimate lawmaking power vested in a democratically
elected Parliament to create or abolish any law. Other core principles of the British
Constitution are often thought to include the rule of law, the separation of
government into executive, legislative, and judicial branches, and the existence of a
unitary state, meaning ultimate power is held by „the centre‟ – the sovereign
Westminster Parliament. However, some of these principles are mythical (the British
constitution may be better understood as involving the fusion of executive and
legislature) or in doubt (Parliamentary sovereignty may now be called in question
given the combined impact of Europe, devolution, the Courts, and human rights).
The British Constitution is derived from a number of sources. Statutes are laws
passed by Parliament and are generally the highest form of law. Conventions are
unwritten practices which have developed over time and regulate the business of
governing. Common law is law developed by the courts and judges through cases.
The UK‟s accession to the European Communities Act 1972 has meant that
European law is increasingly impacting on the British Constitution. The UK is also
subject to international law. Finally, because the British Constitution cannot be
found in any single document, politicians and lawyers have relied on constitutional
authorities to locate and understand the constitution.
5. An uncodified constitution creates two problems. First, it makes it
difficult to know what the state of the constitution actually is. Second, it
suggests that it is easier to make changes to the UK Constitution than
in countries with written constitutions, because the latter have
documents with a „higher law‟ status against which ordinary statute law
and government action can be tested, and are only amendable via
elaborate procedures. The flexibility of the UK constitution is evident
from the large number of constitutional reforms since 1997, including
the abolition of the majority of hereditary peers in the House of Lords,
the introduction of codified rights of individuals for the first time in the
Human Rights Act 1998, and the devolution of power to the regions.
Arguably, however, these recent constitutional reforms may have made
the constitution less flexible in some respects: it is debatable, for
instance, whether the devolution settlements could ever be
repealed.
For an overview of the UK system of government visit Directgov.
For in depth notes on a range of constitutional issues see the House of
Commons Library.
6. Each group will be given one of the
paragraphs
1. Turn the content of the paragraph into a
text aimed more at your age group
(or perhaps years 10 and 11)
2. Include illustrations so that it would be
easier to understand quickly.
7. “My Auntie‟s
- cat likes it”
PRIZE
for the most
relevant/real/
realistic
reasons
will not count!!
8. How many decent questions can you generate
that you could ask a Constitutional expert in one minute from what you know so far.
Choose a question from the questions
(the one you find most interesting) and prepare a response
10. L2.10: Strengths of a UK Constitution
To identify strengths of the UK
Constitution
Recap the list of strengths
-Reflect on your learning in this unit
- Consider how your awareness and
thinking has changed since studying this
unit on the Constitution?