UNIT 2 Fact List - AS Politics Edexcel

The Children Act 2004, Freedom of Information Act 2000, EU Referendum Act 2015

What are three examples of statute laws?

The leader of the biggest party will be appointed PM, Salisbury Convention, Money bills start in the House of Commons

What are three examples of conventions?

Creation of a Scottish Parliament 1997, Extension of powers to Welsh Assembly 2011, Membership of the EEC 1975

What are three examples of referendums that have confirmed constitutional change?

The English Constitution by Walter Bagehot, An Introduction to the Study of the Laws of the Constitution by A.V Dicey

What are two examples of authoritative texts?

Magna Carta, Writ of Habeus Corpus

What are two examples of historical documents?

Factortame 1992, Finance Act 2004 section 320, Benefits to terrorist' wives not restricted 2010

What are three examples of the European Court of Justice striking down UK Law?

Prisoner voting 2012, DNA samples v UK 2008, m25 Three 2000

What are three examples of the European Court of Human Rights striking down UK Law?

The trial of MP Ian McShane over expenses 2014, Ruling against the Attorney general for withholding letters from Prince Charles 2014

Give two examples of cases that resulted from the Freedom of Information Act?

HRA 1998, Constitutional Reform Act 2005, Fixed-Term Parliament Act 2010, Royal Succession Act 2013

What are four examples of UK constitutional reform?

Fixed Term Parliament Act, Backbench Business Committee, Elected chairs of Select Committees, Recall of MPs

What are four successful coalition constitutional reforms?

House of Lords reform, Equal size constituencies, Electoral Reform

What are three examples of incomplete/unsuccessful constitutional reforms by the coalition 2010?

ECHR - report to deport Abu Qtada, EU membership - allowing open access to Bulgarians and Romanians 2014, Devolution - Scottish Independence Referendum

What are three examples of sovereignty being restricted?

45%/55%

What were the results of the Scottish Referendum on Independence (Yes/NO)?

Devo-max to Scotland, additional devolution to Wales and Northern Ireland, English votes for English laws in Parliament, strengthening of devolution for major cities

What terms did David Cameron propose following the Scottish Independence referendum in 2014?

Draft Legislation by November 2014, Second reading by January 2015, Legislation to be passed by end of March 2015

What was the proposed timetable for constitutional reform for scotland?

Lord Smith

Who would be responsible for devo-max to Scotland?

HRA, Devolution acts and EU membership are only semi-entrenched and can be removed; Referendums are only advisory; Parliament can pass laws and amendments to circumvent the HRA; Parliament cannot be bound by its its predecessors

What are four ways in which Parliament retains sovereignty?

Speaker, Leader of the Opposition, Select Committee Chairperson

What are three examples of positions in the House of Commons?

Hereditary, Cross-bench, Spiritual

What are three types of peers?

Lord Ashcroft, Lord Blackwell, Baroness Warsi

What are three examples of Conservative Peers?

Lord Adonis, Lord Blunkett, Baroness Amos

What are three examples of Labour peers?

Baroness Boothroyd, Lord Boyce, Baroness Deech

What are three examples of three cross-bench peers?

Lord Blair - former Met Chief Constable, Bord Birt - Former Direction General of the BBC, Lord Finkelstein - former editor of The Times

Who are three examples of three examples of peers with specialities?

Culture,Media and Sport Committee, Home Affairs Select Committee, Backbench Business Committee

What are three examples of Select Committees?

Access to Mental Health Services Bill 2014, HS2 Bill ongoing, Occupational and Personal Pension Schemes Bill 2014

What are three examples of three legislative committees?

U18s banned from tanning salons by Julia Morgan 2010, Scrap Metal Dealers Act by Richard Ottoway 2013

What are two examples of successful private members bills?

Bill to give Parliament approval over Chancellor's appointment of the Governor of the Bank of England 2012, Bill to repeal the European Committees Act 2012

What are two examples of failed private member bills?

Economy 2011, EU budget cut 2012, Syria 2012, Lords Reform 2012, Election of Speaker after elections 2015

What are five examples of the coalition government's defeats in the commons?

99

What is the number of coalition defeats in the Lords?

Levison Enquiry - closure of the News of the World, Stephen Lawrence Enquiry - second probe into Met Police practices begunn, HS2 - no effect

What are three examples of select committee hearings and their results?

Backbench business committee 2010, Fixed term parliaments 2010, Elected chairs of Select Committees 2010, Tougher rules over member's interests and lobbying 2012, PMQ moved to one day

What are five examples of reforms of the House of Commons?

Abolish all hereditary Peers, make the Lords 80% elected, reduce the size of the Lords

What are three details of Clegg's Reform of the House of Lords?

Lords Reform 2012, Constituency boundary 2012

What are two examples of failed parliamentary reforms?

Appoint and remove Cabinet ministers, to make appointments to the Lords, appoint bishops to the Church of England

What are three examples of the powers of the PM?

Hunt moved from CMS to Health, Justin Welby appointed Archbishop of Canterbury, Lord Madelson appointed to get him into Cabinet

What are three examples of the PM using prerogative powers?

Home Secretary - Theresa May, Foreign Secretary - Philip Hammond, Education Secretary - Nikki Morgan, Justice Secretary - Michael Gove

What are four examples of Cabinet posts and their holders?

Cameron forcing through gay marriage despite party opposition, Cameron removing Cables powers over Sky bid, Blair using Parliament Act to pass fox hunting against the Lords, Brown's nationalisation of the banks to save the financial crisis

What are four examples of a PM being strong?

Brown dithered over 2008 election, Cameron defeated over tax credits, Cameron dropping of constituency boundary reform, Blair forced to resign as PM by Cabinet

What are four examples of a PM being weak?

Lords defeat of Tax Credit Cuts 2015, Cameron dropped plans to ease restrictions on fox hunting after Lib Dem opposition, Rejection of 90 day detention Terror Laws in 2005 after Labour rebellion

What are three examples of occasions that Parliament has limited the PM?

Cameron forcing through the AV Referendum vote in 2010, Brown signing the Lisbon treaty to by-pass Parliament, Thatcher 1983 election to increase party majority

What are three examples where the PM has controlled Parliament?

Theresa May, Home Secretary

Who was appointed into the Cabinet due to experience?

Philip Hammond, Foreign Secretary

Who was appointed into the Cabinet due to having a Big Beast's reputation?

George Osborne, Chancellor

Who was appointed into the Cabinet due to being a personal friend to the PM?

Chris Grayling, Leader of the House

Who was appointed into the Cabinet to maintain party unity?

Vince Cable

Who was appointed into the Cabinet due to the coalition?

Geoffrey Howe over poll tax 1990, Iain Duncan Smith due to opposition to Osborne and EU 2016, Liam Fox over conflict of interests 2011, Chris Huhne criminal activity 2012

What are four examples of Cabinet resignations?

Philip Hammond to Foreign Secretary, Jeremy Hunt to Health Secretary, Stephen Crabb to Work and Pensions, Ed Miliband to Climate and Energy Secretary under Brown

What are four examples of Cabinet promotions?

Chris Grayling from Justice Secretary to Leader of the House, Michael Gove from Education Secretary to Chief Whip, Baroness Wassi left the Cabinet 2012, Andrew Lansley from Health Secretary to Leader of the House 2012

What are four examples of Cabinet demotions?

Brown limited by divided Cabinet and failed social reforms, Cameron limited by coalition Cabinet, Blair resigned under pressure from the Cabinet

What are three examples of Cabinet Government?

Blair announcing healthy care reform on the Frost Report 2002, Brown meetings with G20 leaders to deal with financial crisis 2008, Cameron ordering strikes over Libya

What are three examples of a Presidential Government?

Alistair Campbell as Press Secretary who is not in Parliament, Andy Cullson as Cameron's Press Secretary

What are two examples of the Downing Street Machine?

No longer perceived as able to win by party - Blair, Electoral defeat - Brown, Cabinet Opposition - Thatcher

What are three reasons for ending Prime Ministerial terms?

Public Judicial Inquiry - Leveson, Select Committee Hearings - questioning of ministers, Parliamentary debate - opposition questions

What are three examples of checking the Government?

Mental Health Act 2002, Belmarsh Case 2004, Office of Fair Trading v. Abbey National 2009, Suspected Terrorist Bank Assets

What are four examples of judges upholding the rule of law?

Politically independent role of Lord Chancellor 2009, Establishment of Supreme Court in 2009, JAC

What are three examples of which judicial independence is enforced?

Government creating minimum sentences, politicians do speak out - Cameron on Team Nigella, Lord Woolf criticising judges on civil rights,

What are three examples of which judicial independence is challenged?

Lord Chancellor no longer head of the judiciary, creation of the supreme court, the creation of the JAC

What are three examples of reforms of the Judiciary since 2005?

Lady Hale, Lord Reed

Who are two supreme court justices?

Child Poverty Action Group v Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 2010 ultra vires, Family of Justin Smith v. Secretary of State for Defence 2010, HM Treasury v Mohammad Jabar Ahmed 2010

What are three examples of judicial power?

HM Treasury v Mohammad Jabar Ahmed 2010, Passing of the Terrorist Asset-Freezing Act 2010

What are two examples of the government circumventing the ECHR?

Afghan Hijackers 2006, Mosely v News of the World 2008, Insurance Discrimination Case 2011

What are three examples of Supreme Court Cases Heard under the HRA(ECHR)?

Votes for prisoners 2005, DNA retention 2008, ban on deportation of Abu Qtada 2012

What are three examples of ECHR cases overruling Parliament?

Factortame 1991, Jobseeker's Allowance 2004, Retirement age in the UK 2009

What are three examples of the European court of Justice overruling Westminster?