Established church The Church of
England is
the established church, which
means that:
1.)the
Monarch is the Supreme Governor of the church,
2.)the Church performs a number of
official functions ,
3.)Church and State are
linked .
To disestablish Disestablishmentarianism refers to campaigns to sever
links between church
and state, particularly in relation to the Church of England as an established church.
It was initially a
movement in the United Kingdom in the
18th century . The established churches
in
Wales and
Ireland could not
count on
even nominal adherence by a
majority of the population
of those countries. In Ireland, the predominantly Roman
Catholic population campaigned against
the
position of the established Anglican Church of Ireland - eventually disestablished in Ireland
from 1
January 1871.
A broad church The Church of England is
a broad church, representing a
wide spectrum of
theological
thought and
practice The Church of England is
a broad church, representing a wide spectrum of theological
thought and practice.
Within the Church "High Church" and "Low Church" wings can be
identified. The
former are also
known as Anglo-Catholic and the
latter as Evangelical theologies
and
practices .
Anglican church(es) The
Anglican Communion is an international
association of
independent churches consisting of the Church of England and national and
regional Anglican churches in
full communion with it. Full participation in the sacramental life
of each church is
available to all communicant Anglicans.
The Kirk = the Church of Scotland is Presbyterian in its structure, governed by a system
of
local , regional and national 'courts' or councils. 'Presbyterian'
government refers to the
sharing of
authority in the church by an equal number of 'elders' (elected from the
membership of the
church) and ministers.
Evangelical = low church The
Low Church movement can
trace its
roots back to the
early 18th century but is primarily associated with the opposition to the Anglo-Catholic movement of
the
later 19th century. Low Church placed great
emphasis on preaching, personal piety and the
authority of scripture and
gave much less
importance to the
orders of priesthood and episcopacy.
Anglo-Catholic = high church High Church is the older of the two
terms and was
first applied in the
late 17th century to those individuals who were opposed to the
Puritan wing of the
Church of England. It is first and foremost associated with the Anglo-Catholic movement of the
later 19th century (from 1833 onwards). High Churchmen placed great emphasis on liturgy and
the sacraments, especially the weekly or
daily celebration of the Eucharist as well as on the three
orders of ministry (deacon,
priest and bishop).
Archbishop In Christianity, an
archbishop is a bishop of
higher rank or office.
Like popes, patriarchs, metropolitans, cardinal bishops, diocesan bishops, and suffragan bishops,
archbishops are in the
highest of the three
traditional orders of bishops, priests, also
called presbyters, and deacons. An archbishop may be
granted the title, or ordained as
chief pastor of a metropolitan see or
another episcopal see to which the title of archbishop is attached.
Bishop is an ordained or consecrated
member of the
Christian clergy who is generally entrusted
with a position of authority and oversight. Some Protestant churches
including the Lutheran and Methodist churches have bishops serving
similar functions as well, though not
always
understood to be within apostolic succession in the
same way. One who has been
ordained deacon, priest, and then bishop is understood to
hold the fullness of the (ministerial)
priesthood,
given responsibility by
Christ to govern,
teach and sanctify the
Body of Christ,
members of the Faithful. Priests, deacons and lay ministers cooperate and
assist their bishop(s) in
shepherding a
flock .
Vicar/ priest is a representative,
deputy or substitute;
anyone acting "in the
person of"
or
agent for a
superior (
compare "
vicarious " in the
sense of "at second
hand ").
Linguistically,
vicar is cognate with the
English prefix "
vice ",
similarly meaning "deputy".
Minister In Christianity, a
minister is
someone who is authorized by a church, or
other religious organization, to
perform functions
such as teaching of beliefs;
leading services such
as weddings, baptisms or funerals; or otherwise providing
spiritual guidance to the community.
The
term is taken from Latin
minister ("servant", "attendant"), which itself was derived
from
minus ("less").[1]
In Catholic churches, the
concept of a priesthood is emphasised. In Protestant churches, the title
usually refers to a member of the ordained clergy who leads a congregation or participates in a
role in a parachurch ministry; such a person may also be called a presbyter, pastor,
preacher ,
bishop, chaplain or elder.
Nonconformists In English church history, a
nonconformist was a Protestant
Christian who
did not "conform" to the governance and usages of the established Church of England.
Free Churches A "
free church" is a Christian denomination or independent church that is
intrinsically separate from government (as opposed to a theocracy, or an "established" or state
church). They operate under the
guidelines of
complete separation of church and state. A free
church does not
define government
policy , and a free church does not
accept church theology or
policy definitions from the government. A free church also does not
seek or receive government
endorsements or funding to
carry out its
work .
Maintained schools funded by the state
. Schools maintained by the local education authority
(LEA, or, in
Northern Ireland, by Education Authority). Some of those schools are
voluntary
schools (also known as
religious schools or
faith schools) where the
land and buildings are
owned by a
charity , often a religious
organisation such as a church, but the school is at
least partly funded by the local education authority. I
n all state schools, students must follow the
National Curriculum .
Independent schools independent fee-charging schools. Schools that are independent of
local or central government
control ; private schools • financed by fees and
endowments financially independent
Public schools = now a somewhat archaic term for the oldest, most exclusive and
expensive of the
boys ' independent secondary boarding schools (some are now at least partly co-
educational).
The National Curriculum was introduced into England, Wales and Northern Ireland as a
nationwide curriculum for
primary and secondary state schools
following the Education
Reform Act (1988). Notwithstanding its name, it does not
apply to independent
schools.Academies and free schools may also set their own curricula, though many
choose to
follow the National Curriculum.
The
purpose of the National Curriculum was to standardise the content taught
across schools to
enable assessment , which in
turn enabled the
compilation of league tables detailing the
assessment statistics for each school.
These league tables, together with the
provision to
parents of some
degree of
choice in assignment of the school for their
child (also legislated in the same
act) were intended to
encourage a 'free
market ' by allowing parents to choose schools
based on
their measured
ability to teach the National Curriculum.
Whilst only certain
subjects were
included at first, in subsequent
years the curriculum grew to
fill the
entire teaching time of most state schools.
The requirement for state schools to teach Religious Education predates the National Curriculum
as this was introduced in the Education Act (1944).
Key stages 1.)Pre-school education – Starting at the age of 3 or 4 at a
nursery school or in the
nursery
class at a primary school
2.)Primary education – England and Wales: from age 5 to age 11 – Scotland: from age 5 to age
12 – Northern Ireland: from age 4 to age 11
3.)Secondary education: up to age 16
4.)
Further education (FE) – education and training that
takes place after the schoolleaving age of
16 (vocational, academic,
social ,
physical and recreational courses)
5.)Higher education (HE) – education and training that takes place at
universities , colleges and
institutes offering
studies at degree level
Core subjects The Curriculum for Excellence – 3 core subjects: health and well-being,
literacy and numeracy. – Schools are free to: • introduce
projects that use
skills and
knowledge from more
than one
subject , leading to joined-up
learning • teach about people and
places from
their local area • ask
pupils about
areas they’re interested in studying
Foundation subjects computing, physical education, citizenship
GCSE The
General Certificate of Secondary Education (
GCSE) is an academically
rigorous, internationally (by
Commonwealth countries with education systems similar or
identical to the UK education system) recognised qualification awarded in a specified subject,
generally taken in a number of subjects by pupils in secondary
education in England and Wales over two years (three years in certain schools). It was introduced
in the UK in 1988 to
replace O-level and CSE examinations.
One of the main
changes to
previous educational qualifications in the United Kingdom was to
allow pupils to complete coursework
during their two years of
study , which was marked by their
teachers and contributed to their
final examination
grade .
There has been a
move recently from
doing coursework and modular examinations for
part of the
course when pupils would take
exams throughout the course to an end of
year exam after the two years of study (a '
linear '
series). The exams are being revised to make
them more difficult such as testing skills from a
whole text in English instead of part of a text. Coursework has now been replaced by Controlled
Assessments in certain subjects, in which the
student completes a number of assessed pieces of
work which will ultimately count towards their final examination grade in the specified subject.
The Controlled Assessment
component of the qualification is usually
done under exam-style
conditions . After
major GCSE reforms, coursework/controlled assessment generally have
little to
no
influence on the final grade as opposed to the past.
The Sixth form Curriculum 2000 = new post-16 (Sixth Form) curriculum in England, Wales
and Northern Ireland introduced in September 2000 – Aim: to make all A-level programmes
broader, offering
greater flexibility whilst maintaining depth – Includes A levels, vocational A
levels and a key skills qualification – A Level = AS (
Advanced Subsidiary) level + A2 – AS level
can be either a free-standing qualification, or the first
half of the full A level, taken in the first
year. – A2 not a separate qualification, but the second half of the A level,
designed to deepen the
knowledge gained in the first year
AS levels AS level can be either a free-standing qualification, or the first half of the full A
level, taken in the first year. – A2 not a separate qualification, but the second half of the A level,
designed to deepen the knowledge gained in the first year • about 80 AS and A level subjects
available
A levels Introduced in 1951 as a two-year course; the main route into higher education • 1987
AS levels introduced to give students more choice – 2 AS = 1 A level • Curriculum 2000 = new
post-16 (Sixth Form) curriculum in England, Wales and Northern Ireland introduced in
September 2000 – Aim: to make all A-level programmes broader, offering greater flexibility
whilst maintaining depth – Includes A levels, vocational A levels and a key skills qualification
Further education First three years of secondary education (S1-S3) are describd as a "broad
general education“ • At the
beginning of fourth year, students
begin studying for the National 4
and 5 qualifications. – The N4 does not
involve formal exams at the end of the course - these
courses rely on
continuous assessment. – The National 5 is the more academically advanced of
the qualifications and students have formal exams. • S5 and S6: Higher and Advanced Higher
education courses –
five levels:
access ,
intermediate 1, intermediate 2, higher and advanced
higher – assessed internally and by
external assessment from the SQA (=
Scottish Qualifications
Authority)
Higher education Universities are the main providers of higher education in the UK. They
vary greatly in the kind of courses they teach and in the way they organise their work, but they
are all self-governing and independent and
award degrees. An institution is granted
university status by a
royal charter granted by the
Privy Council . Read Privy Council:
Guide to its origins,
powers and members on the BBC
website to
find out what the Privy Council is, what it does and
who can be its member. 165 higher education
institutions including universities, university
colleges,
specialist higher education institutions and other higher education colleges
UCAS The
Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (
UCAS) is a UK-based
organisation
whose main role is to operate the
application process for
British universities. It
operates as an independent charity, funded by fees charged to applicants and to universities,
plus advertising income, and was
formed in 1992
through the merger of the former university
admissions system UCCA and the former polytechnics admissions system PCAS.
Clearing is a way of matching universities needing students to students needing a university,
and in
2016 it opened on Tuesday 5 July. If you didn’t receive an
offer from any of the five
universities you applied to, or find on
results day that you didn’t get the grades you needed to
reach your
Firm or
Insurance choices, UCAS Clearing is your second
chance of
getting a place at
university.
Clearing is also available for students who
already have their results and are not
holding an offer
at a UK University – if you apply to university for
2016 entry after 30 June 2016 you are
automatically entered into clearing.
Gap year In the professional or
career world, a
gap year is a year
before going to college or
university and after
finishing high school or
taking a year off before going into graduate school
after completing a bachelor as an undergraduate. It is also known as a
sabbatical year. During
this time students may
engage in advanced academic courses,
extra -academic courses and non-
academic courses, such as yearlong pre-college
math courses,
language studies, learning a trade,
art studies, volunteer work,
travel , internships,
sports and more.
Gap years are sometimes urged as a way for students to become independent and learn a great
deal of responsibility
prior to engaging in university life.[1]
Oxbridge is a portmanteau (blend word) of the University of
Oxford and the University of
Cambridge in the United Kingdom. The term is used to
refer to them collectively in
contrast to
other British universities and more broadly to
describe characteristics reminiscent of them, often
with implications of superior social or intellectual status.[1]
Civic universities - Red brick university (or
redbrick university) is a term originally
used to refer to six civic universities
founded in the major industrial cities of Great
Britain in the
19th century. The term is now used more broadly to refer to British universities founded in the
late 19th and early 20th
centuries in major cities.[1] All of the six
original redbrick institutions, or
their
predecessor institutes, gained university status before World War I and were initially
established as civic
science or engineering colleges.[2][3][4][5][6][7]
Plate- glass universities = campus universities The term
plate glass
university (or
plateglass university or
plate-glass university) refers to a group of universities
established or expanded in the United Kingdom during the mid-twentieth century. In 1963,
the Robbins
Report on higher education recommended a major expansion of the British
university system, which was realised through the
establishment of
nine completely new
universities and the conversion of the ten existing Colleges of Advanced
Technology into full
universities. Keele University was established in 1949 but has a similar history and is usually
considered part of this group as well.
While the Robbins Report was
responsible for the broader
policy that governed the early
development of these institutions
Lord Robbins was not
responsible for most of the
individual institutions as many applications for reclassification had
already been accepted by the University Grants
Committee in the later 1950s/early 1960s.
New universities = post-1992 universities The term new universities has been used
informally to refer to
several different waves of new universities created or renamed as such in
the United Kingdom. Currently, the term is synonymous with post-1992 universities and
sometimes modern universities, referring to any of the former polytechnics, central institutions or
colleges of higher education that were given university status by John Major's government in
1992 (through the Further and Higher Education Act 1992) – as well as colleges that have been
granted university status
since then. Though
referred to as new or modern, some were founded
without university status as Polytechnics in the early to mid 19th century, an example of which is
Royal London Polytechnic Institution which was established in 1838.
Freshers' fair, Student orientation or
new student orientation (often encapsulated into
an
Orientation week,
Frosh Week,
Welcome Week[1] or
Freshers' Week) is a
period of time at
the beginning of the academic year at a university or other tertiary institution during which a
variety of
events are
held to orient and welcome new students. The name of the period varies by
country .
Although usually
described as a
week, the
length of this period varies widely from university to
university and country to country, ranging from about three
days to a month or even more (e.g.
four or five weeks, depending on
program , at Chalmers). The length of the week is often
affected by each university's tradition as well as financial and physical
constraints . During this period,
students participate in a wide range of social
activities , including
live music and other
performances, sports challenges, stunts, and
open -air
markets .
Vice-chancellor The
Chancellor of the High Court is the head of the Chancery
Division of
the High Court of Justice of England and Wales
The Russell Group is a self-selected association of twenty-four public research
universities
situated in the United Kingdom. The group is headquartered in London and was
established in 1994 to
represent its members' interests, principally to government and
parliament ;
nineteen smaller British research universities formed the 1994 Group in response, which has
since dissolved. In 2010, Russell Group members
received approximately two-thirds of all
university research
grant and contract income in the United Kingdom.[1] The group is widely
perceived as representing the
best universities in the country.[2]
Parliamentary democracy The UK is a
parliamentary democracy: government is voted
into
power by the people, to act in the interests of the people. Every
adult has the right to
vote -
known as '
universal suffrage'.
Constitutional monarchy The UK is also a
constitutional monarchy - the head of state is
the monarch (currently
Queen Elizabeth II), who remains politically
impartial and with limited
powers.
The
single most
important fact in
understanding the
nature of the British
political system is its
fundamental continuity. Britain has not had a
revolution of the kind experienced by so many
other countries and Britain has not been invaded or occupied for
almost 1,000 years.
Westminster model The
Palace of Westminster, also known as the
Houses of Parliament,
home to the UK Parliament = British Parliament = Westminster Parliament. Three constituent
parts • The Queen-in-Parliament (or
King -in-Parliament) – The House of Commons – The House
of
Lords – The Monarch • The
evolution of the Westminster model of Parliament –
transfer of
authority from the
Crown to Parliament – transfer of authority from the House of Lords to the
House of Commons – the development of a system of responsible government – the gradual
broadening of the right to vote into universal adult suffrage.
Uncodified constitution is a type of constitution where the fundamental
rules often take the
form of customs,
usage , precedent and a variety of statutes and
legal instruments.[1] An
understanding of the constitution is obtained through reading
commentary by the
judiciary ,
government committees or legal experts. In such a constitutional system, all these
elements may
be (or may not be) recognized by courts, legislators and the bureaucracy as binding
upon government and limiting its powers. Such a
framework is sometimes imprecisely called an
"unwritten constitution";
however , all the elements of an uncodified constitution are
typically written down in a variety of official documents, though not codified in a single
document .
The legislature is a deliberative
assembly with the authority to make
laws for a political
entity such as a country or city. Legislatures form important parts of most governments; in the
separation of powers model, they are often contrasted with the
executive and
judicial branches of
government.
Laws enacted by legislatures are known as
legislation . Legislatures observe and
steer governing
actions and usually have exclusive authority to
amend the
budget or budgets involved in the
process.
The members of a legislature are called legislators; in a democracy, legislators are almost always
elected.
The executive is the organ that
exercises authority in and holds responsibility for the
governance of a state. The executive executes and enforces law.
In political systems based on the principle of separation of powers, authority is distributed
among several branches (executive, legislative, judicial) — an attempt to
prevent the
concentration of power in the
hands of a small group of people. In such a system, the executive
does not
pass laws (the role of the legislature) or interpret them (the role of the judiciary).
Instead, the executive enforces the law as written by the legislature and interpreted by the
judiciary. The executive can be the source of certain
types of law, such as a decree or executive
order . Executive bureaucracies are
commonly the source of regulations.
The judiciary of the United Kingdom are the separate judiciaries of the three legal systems
in England and Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland. However, the judges of the Supreme Court
of the United Kingdom, the
Special Immigration Appeals Commission,
Employment Tribunals , Employment Appeal
Tribunal and the UK tribunals system do have a United
Kingdom-wide jurisdiction.
Queen-in-Parliament (or, during the
reign of a
male monarch,
King-in-Parliament),
sometimes referred to as the
Crown-in-Parliament or, more fully, in the United Kingdom, as
the
King/Queen in Parliament under God,[1][2][3] is a technical term of constitutional law in
the Commonwealth realms that refers to the Crown in its legislative role, acting with the
advice and consent of the parliament (including, if the parliament is bicameral,
both the
lower house and
upper house).
Bills passed by the houses are
sent to the sovereign, or governor-
general, lieutenant-governor, or governor as her representative, for Royal Assent, which,
once granted,
makes the
bill into law; these primary
acts of legislation are known as
acts of
parliament. An act may also provide for secondary legislation, which can be made by the Crown,
subject to the
simple approval , or the
lack of disapproval, of parliament.
To reign Reign is a word that has traditionally been used to refer to time or period during
which a king or
emperor occupied the throne. When used as time period or duration, reign
becomes a
noun . However, it is also used as a
verb to
express domination or control or even
influence of one or the other kind as in
violence reigns, poverty reigns, etc. History books make
good use of reign to refer to the time periods during which a
particular king or queen remained
on the throne of a territory. For example, during the
reign of Queen Victoria, reign of King
Phillip, and so on. However, the word reign is also used to reflect the supremacy of a king or
queen in royal
rule or authority as in
King Edward reigned. Reign is also used to indicate
something that is predominant or prevalent as in the reign of terror or
panic reigned.
To rule Rule is a word that is primarily used to refer to a set of regulations or guidelines that
are put in place within a place or aspect of life. For example, there are codes of conduct in
different places like hospitals, churches, libraries, schools, offices, etc. that is referred to as rules.
However, rule is also used to reflect the authority or supremacy of a person like a king or queen.
In this sense, rule becomes a synonym of govern and reminds one of governance. If one tries to
differentiate between rule and reign, he
finds that a king rules during his reign.
Rule of law is a
phrase that reflects the fact that no one is bigger than law in the place. If a
country is ruled by a dictator, it simply means that the dictator is bigger than all the laws of the
country.
Reign vs. Rule • Reign is used more for the time period during which a king or queen rules a
territory (
reign of Queen Victoria). In this sense, it is a
noun .
When reign is used as a verb, it reflects the authority or supremacy of the king or the emperor
(
King Edward reigned). This is where reign becomes a synonym of rule.
• Rule is a guideline or
code of conduct to be followed in a place or situation, but it is also used
to reflect the authority or domination of a person as in rule of the dictator or king.
• Thus, one should reign when
talking about the duration or time period during which a king sat
on the throne of a place.
The royal prerogative A series of
historic powers officially held by the Queen that have, in
reality , been passed to politicians. • They enable
decisions to be taken without the backing of, or
consultation with, Parliament.
Privy Counsellor/Councillor Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, usually
known simply as the
Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the Sovereign of the United
Kingdom. Its membership mainly comprises senior politicians, who are
present or former
members of either the House of Commons or the House of Lords.
The Privy Council formally advises the sovereign on the
exercise of the Royal Prerogative, and
corporately (as Queen-in-Council) it
issues executive instruments known as Orders in Council,
which among other powers enact Acts of Parliament. The Council also holds the delegated
authority to
issue Orders of Council, mostly used to regulate certain public institutions. The
Council advises the sovereign on the issuing of Royal Charters, which are used to grant special
status to
incorporated bodies, and city or borough status to local authorities. Otherwise, the Privy
Council's powers have now been largely replaced by the Cabinet of the United Kingdom.
Rt Hon=Right Honourable The Right Honourable (
The Rt Hon. or
Rt Hon.) is an
honorific style traditionally applied to certain persons and to certain collective bodies in
the United Kingdom,
Canada ,
Australia , New
Zealand , some other Commonwealth realms,
the Anglophone Caribbean, Mauritius and
occasionally elsewhere. "Right" in this
context is
an
adverb meaning "to a great extent or degree".
Hon=HonourableLords Spiritual The
Lords Spiritual of the United Kingdom, also called
Spiritual Peers, are
the 26 bishops of the established Church of England who
serve in the House of Lords
along with
the Lords Temporal. The Church of Scotland, which is Presbyterian, and the Anglican churches
in Wales and Northern Ireland, which are no longer established churches, are not represented by
spiritual peers.
Lords Temporal In the Parliament of the United Kingdom, the
Lords Temporal are secular
members of the House of Lords. The term is used to differentiate these members—who are
either life peers or hereditary peers, although the hereditary right to sit in the House of Lords was
abolished for all but ninety-two peers in 1999—from the Lords Spiritual, who sit in the House as
a consequence of being bishops in the Church of England.
Hereditary peers Hereditary peers form part of the peerage in the United Kingdom. There
are over
eight hundred peers who hold titles that may be inherited.[1] Formerly, most of them
were entitled to sit in the House of Lords, but since the House of Lords Act 1999 was passed,
only ninety-two are permitted to do so,
unless they are also a life
peer .[2] Peers are called to the
House of Lords with a writ of summons.
Life peers In the United Kingdom,
life peers are appointed members of the peerage whose
titles
cannot be inherited, in contrast to hereditary peers. In modern
times , life peerages, always
created at the rank of baron, are created under the Life Peerages Act 1958 and entitle the holders
to seats in the House of Lords, presuming they meet qualifications such as age and citizenship.
The legitimate
children of a life peer enjoy the rank and style of children of hereditary peers,
being entitled to style themselves with the prefix "The Honourable," although they cannot inherit
the peerage itself.
Lord Speaker The
Lord Speaker is the speaker of the House of Lords in the Parliament of
the United Kingdom. The office is analogous to the Speaker of the House of Commons: the Lord
Speaker is elected by the members of the House of Lords and is
expected to be politically
impartial.
Crossbenchers A
crossbencher is an independent or
minor party member of some
legislatures, such as the British House of Lords and in the Parliament of Australia. They take
their name from the crossbenches, between and perpendicular to the government
and opposition benches, where crossbenchers sit in the
chamber .
MP A
Member of Parliament (MP) is the representative of the voters to a parliament. In many
countries with bicameral parliaments, this
category includes specifically members of the lower
house, as upper houses often have a different title.
The Speaker The Speaker of the House of Commons chairs debates in the Commons
chamber. The
holder of this office is an MP who has been elected to be Speaker by other
Members of Parliament. During debates they
keep order and
call MPs to
speak .
The Speaker is the chief officer and highest authority of the House of Commons and must
remain politically
impartial
at
all
times.
The Speaker also represents the Commons to the monarch, the Lords and other authorities and
chairs the House of Commons Commission. The
current Speaker is John Bercow, MP for
Buckingham .
Frontbenchers In many parliaments and other similar assemblies, seating is typically
arranged in
banks or rows, with each political party or caucus grouped together.
The spokespeople for each group will often sit at the
front of their group, and are then known as
being on the
frontbench (or
front bench) and are described as frontbenchers. Those sitting
behind them are known as backbenchers. Independent and minority
parties sit to the side, and are
referred to as crossbenchers.
Backbenchers In Westminster parliamentary systems, a
backbencher is a Member of
Parliament (MP) or a legislator who holds no governmental office and is not
a frontbench spokesperson in the Opposition, being instead simply a member of the "rank and
file".
The Official Opposition The
frontbench of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition in
the Parliament of the United Kingdom
consists of the
Shadow Cabinet and other official shadow
ministers of the political party currently serving as the Official Opposition. Her Majesty's Loyal
Opposition is currently the
Labour Party, and the
Leader of the Opposition is Jeremy Corbyn.
The Leader of the Opposition The
Leader of Her Majesty's Most Loyal
Opposition (more commonly known as the
Leader of the Opposition) is the politician who
leads the official opposition in the United Kingdom. The Leader of the Opposition
by convention leads the largest party not within the government: where one party wins outright
this is the party leader of the second largest political party in the House of Commons. The
current Leader of the Opposition is Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the Labour Party, who was elected
to the
leadership of the Labour Party on 12 September 2015.[2]
The State Opening of Parliament The
State Opening of Parliament is an event which
formally
marks the beginning of a session of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It includes
a
speech from the throne known as the
Queen's Speech (or
King's Speech). The State Opening
is an elaborate ceremony showcasing British history, culture and contemporary
politics to large
crowds and
television viewers.
Queen’s Speech A
speech from the throne (or
throne speech) is an event in
certain monarchies in which the reigning sovereign, or a representative thereof, reads a prepared
speech to the members of parliament when a session is opened, outlining the government's
agenda for the session. The speech is prepared by the ministers of the crown in cabinet. The
event is often held annually, although in some places it may
occur more or less frequently,
whenever a new session of parliament is opened. Many republics have adopted a similar practice
in which the head of state, often a
president , addresses the legislature; for example, in the United
States , the president makes an annual State of the Union address.
To summon/ prorogue/ dissolve Parliament In the UK, the proclamation to
summon a
new Parliament specifies the
date on which the new Parliament will meet. The appointed day is
chosen on the advice of the
Prime Minister when he (or she)
goes to see the Queen to ask that
Parliament be dissolved. Recent
custom had been for Parliament to meet on the
Wednesday following the election.
While a parliament is
prorogued, between two legislative sessions, the legislature is
still constituted – i.e. no general election takes place and all Members of Parliament thus retain their
seats. In many legislatures, prorogation
causes all orders of the body – bills, motions, etc. – to be
expunged.Prorogations should thus not be confused with recesses, adjournments, or
holiday breaks from legislation, after which bills can
resume exactly where they
left off. In the United
Kingdom, however, the practice of terminating all bills upon prorogation has
slightly altered; public bills may be carried over from one legislative session to the next.
The
Parliament of the United Kingdom is
dissolved 25
working daysbefore a polling day as
determined by the
Fixed -term Parliaments Act 2011. This period was formerly 17 days, and the
new 25-day period, operative for the first time in the General Election of 2015 (7 May),
represents the
longest United Kingdom election period without a Parliament since 1924.
Members of Parliament cease to be so, as soon as it is dissolved, and, although they and their
staff
continue to be paid
until polling day, they may not enter the Palace of Westminster.
Parliament is usually prorogued or adjourned before it is dissolved. Parliament may continue to
sit for a
wash -up period of a few days after the Prime Minister has announced the date when
Parliament will be dissolved, to finish some last
items of Parliamentary business.
Session • A Parliament lasts five years and runs from one general election to the next. – The
fixed-term Parliament was introduced in 2011. • A session of Parliament runs from the State
Opening of Parliament (until 2011 in November, from 2012 in May) through to the prorogation
next year. – Prorogation is the formal name given to the period between the end of a
parliamentary session and the State Opening of Parliament. •
Recess : A period of time when
Parliament does not sit
Recess A period of time when Parliament does not sit
Question Time is an
opportunity for MPs and Members of the House of Lords to ask
government ministers
questions . In the House of Commons it takes place for an
hour Monday to
Thursday after prayers. In the House of Lords it lasts for half an hour. The Prime Minister
answers questions from MPs in the Commons for half an hour every Wednesday from 12pm. In
2011 PMQs was 50 years old and to celebrate the occasion The Guardian ran an
interesting article about it. You can watch PMQs on the Parliament website.
Whips A
whip is an official in a political party whose primary purpose is to ensure discipline in
a legislature. Whips are the party's "enforcers", who typically offer inducements and threaten
party members to ensure that they participate according to the official party policy. A whip's role
is also to ensure that the elected representatives of their party are in attendance when important
votes are taken. The usage comes from the
hunting term "whipping in", i.e. preventing hounds
from wandering
away from the
pack .
A three-line whip In the UK a three-line whip is an instruction given to Members of
Parliament by the leaders of theirparty
telling them they must votein the way that
the party wantsthem to on a particular subject.
Withdrawal of the whip It means that the person who has had the whip
withdrawn has the
ties that links them to a political party severed. They are effectively an independent MP after that
point.
Unwhipped vote A free vote - or unwhipped vote - in Parliament is one in which MPs or
members of the Lords are not put under pressure to vote a certain way by their party leaders.
Free votes have traditionally been
allowed on ethical issues that are
seen as a
matter of
conscience.
Hansard- Hansard is the traditional name of the transcripts of Parliamentary
Debates in Britain and many Commonwealth countries. It is named after
Thomas Curson
Hansard (1776–1833), a London
printer and
publisher , who was the first official
printer to the
parliament at Westminster.
General committees The main role of General Committees is to
consider proposed
legislation in detail. This committee system allows faster
processing of Bills and is
unique to the
House of Commons; the Lords meet as a whole House in this
function . The committees reflect
the political makeup of the House. The government always has a majority
Committees on BillsA Public or Private Bill Committee is appointed for each Bill that goes through Parliament.
Depending on its
complexity , the
consideration of a Bill can take a few minutes to a few months.
The Lords meet as a whole House in this function (in the debating chamber) or as a
Grand Committee away from the chamber. Proceedings in a Grand Committees are the same as
Committees of the whole House with an important exception: motions must be passed
unanimously, so a dissenting
voice from one Member could block an
amendment to a Bill.
Naming Public Bill CommitteesEach Public Bill Committee is named after the Bill it considers. For example, a committee
considering a Bill titled the Climate Bill would be called the Climate Bill Committee.
How they workEach committee is assigned a chairman and debate Bills as they would do in the Commons
chamber, with broadly the same rules of debate applying. Public Bill Committees, unlike the
Standing Committees they replace, have the power to take written and
oral evidence from
officials and experts
outside of Parliament. This is intended to give Committee members more
information on which to make their decisions.
The minimum number of Members in a committee is 16 and the
maximum is about 50. The
proportion of Members in a Public Bill Committee mirrors the political parties' strengths in the
Commons, so there is always a government majority.
ReportsPublic Bill Committees examine each Bill line by line. Once a committee has
finished looking at
a Bill, it reports its conclusions and any amendments made to the Commons, where Members
debate the Bill further.
The Bill is
printed again with the amendments made by the Public Bill Committee; this is
publicly available in printed and online formats.
Although the Lords do not meet in Public Bill Committees, they have a report stage to allow
further consideration of Bills.
Other General CommitteesAdditional General Committees
exist to debate
matters in
specific areas, such as the Scottish
Grand Committee, the
Welsh Grand Committee, the Northern Ireland Grand Committee;
committees on Delegated Legislation and European documents.
Select committees work in both Houses. The House of Commons Select Committees
examine the work of government departments while the House of Lords Committees concentrate
on four main areas:
Europe , science, economics, and the UK constitution. The results of the
inquiries of the Select Committees are public and many
require a response from the government.
Act of Parliament Most
Acts of Parliament (= laws) start their life as
Government Bills -
proposals made by the Government and introduced by a Government Minister.
Quite often such
proposals for introducing a new law or amending and existing one, before reaching Parliament,
have
gone through
one or
both of the following stages:
The
Green Paper
The White Paper.
Bill A
bill can start in either House, but in order for it to become an Act of Parliament both
Houses have to
agree on every detail. Only after that has
happened can the bill go to the final
stage in the process:
Royal Assent.
Government bill is a formal
proposal for a new law, or a
change in the law, that is put
forward by the Government for consideration by Parliament. The Queen's Speech normally lists
the Bills that the Government are intending to put forward during the parliamentary
year. Government Bills are normally Public Bills.
Private member’s bill Some laws are proposed not by the Government but by individual
members of the House of Commons or the House of Lords. Such bills are called
Private
Members' Bills and very few of them actually end up as Acts of Parliament. You can
listen to
the Private Members' Bills podcast on the Parliament website or read a simple
introduction into
the issue on the
Channel 4 website.
White Paper is an authoritative report or guide that informs readers concisely about a
complex issue and
presents the issuing body's
philosophy on the matter. It is meant to help
readers
understand an issue, solve a problem, or make a
decision . The initial British term
concerning a type of government-issued document has proliferated—taking a somewhat new
meaning in business. In business, a white paper is closer to a form of
marketing presentation, a
tool meant to persuade customers and
partners and promote a product or viewpoint.[1][2][3] White
papers may be considered grey
literature .
Green Paper In the European Union, the United Kingdom, Commonwealth, Hong
Kong and
the United States,[1] a
green paper is a tentative government report and consultation document of
policy proposals for debate and discussion. A green paper represents the best that the government
can propose on the given issue, but, remaining uncommitted, it is
able without loss of
face to
leave its final decision open until it has been able to consider the public reaction to it. [2] Green
papers may
result in the
production of a white paper. They may be considered as grey literature.
The First reading is when a bill is introduced to a legislature. Typically, in the United States,
the title of the bill is read and immediately assigned to a committee. The bill is then considered
by committee between the first and second readings. In the United States Senateand
most British-influenced legislatures, the committee consideration occurs between second and
third readings. In Israel, the committee consideration occurs between first and second readings
and (for private member bills) between preliminary and first readings.
The Second reading is the stage of the legislative process where
a draft of a bill is read a
second time. In most Westminster systems, a vote is taken on the general outlines of the bill
before being sent to committee.
The Third reading is the stage of a legislative process in which a bill is read with
all amendments and given final approval by a legislative body. In legislatures whose procedures
are based on those of the Westminster system, the third reading occurs after the bill has been
amended by committee and considered for amendment at report stage.
The Committee stage The committee considers each
clause of the bill, and may make
amendments to it. Significant amendments may be made at committee stage. In some
cases ,
whole groups of
clauses are inserted or removed. However, almost all the amendments which are
agreed to in committee will have been tabled by the Government to
correct deficiencies in the
bill, to enact changes to policy made since the bill was introduced (or, in some cases, to
import material which was not
ready when the bill was presented), or to reflect concessions made as a
result of earlier debate.
The Report stage known formally as "consideration", takes place on the
Floor of the House,
and is a further opportunity to amend the bill. Unlike committee stage, the House need not
consider every clause of the bill, only those to which amendments have been tabled.
Royal Assent A
bill can start in either House, but in order for it to become an Act of
Parliament both Houses have to agree on every detail. Only after that has happened can the bill
go to the final stage in the process:
Royal Assent.
Division Members of both Houses
register their vote for or against issues by physically going
into two different areas ('division lobbies') either side of their debating
chambers . This is known
as 'dividing the House' and a vote is called a '
division'.
Document Outline
- Committees on Bills
- Naming Public Bill Committees
- How they work
- Reports
- Other General Committees
Kõik kommentaarid