UK Constitution
Name an author of a work of constitutional authority.
Walter Bagehot, A V Dicey
How many members of the House of Commons are there?
650
Gordon Brown
Right to freedom of speech, religion, protest
Define federalism.
A system where power is shared/delegated from central government to states/regions.
What is the Sewel Convention?
It states that Parliament should not legislate on devolved matters/responsibilities like healthcare or education
Name one type of peer that makes up the House of Lords other than hereditary peers.
Life peers or Lords Spirirtual
What is the power of patronage?
The power to make appointments
When was the US constitution written?
1787
What part of the US constitution makes clear that all powers not mentioned explicitly go to the states?
10th amendment
Name one constitutional reform introduced under Blair.
Devolution (Scotland Act 1996, Good Friday Agreement 1998, Gov of Wales Act 1998), HRA 1998, House of Lords Act 1999, CRA 2005
Who can suggest Private Members Bills?
Backbenchers
Who made up the Quad?
David Cameron, Nick Clegg, George Osborne and Danny Alexander
In the US constitution, who has the power to declare war?
Congress
Define cooperative federalism.
What does EVEL stand for?
English Votes for English Laws
What did the 1949 Parliament Act do?
Reduced the time for which Lords could delay bills to 1 year
Under which PM was the Poll Tax introduced?
Margaret Thatcher
For an amendment to pass, what proportion of state legislatures must approve it?
Three quarters
Give an example of how federalism has meant that there are different policies/approaches in different states.
For what percentage of its history since 1998 has the Northern Ireland Assembly been suspended up to 2024? (Closest answer can have 400 points if nobody gets it right)
40%
What comes after the report stage in the process of passing a bill?
The third reading
On average, how often was a new law passed under Tony Blair? (Closest can have 400 points if nobody gets it)
Every 3 hours
In the US constitution, who has the power to ratify treaties?
The Senate
7 states have 4 Electral College votes each. Can you name them? (You can have 100 points for each one you get...!)
Maine, Rhode Island, Montana, Hawaii, Idaho, New Hampshire, West Virginia