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Hinnia移動頁面用戶:Politics Notes/沙盒/憲法筆記至用戶:Politics Notes on the UK Constitution
（建立內容為「==Constitution== *'''Outlines how a country or society is structured'''. *Includes laws, rules, and customs that guide the political system. *Establishes important government institutions. *Decides who has the power to make decisions. *Safeguards the fundamental rights of citizens through a Bill of Rights. *Prevents the government from abusing its power. *Puts limits on the government through checks and balances. ==Codified Constitution (e.g.US)== *A sing…」的新頁面） |
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***to pass new Acts that overturn unfavourable rulings in the courts | ***to pass new Acts that overturn unfavourable rulings in the courts | ||
***Making it difficult for citizens to engage with the System | ***Making it difficult for citizens to engage with the System | ||
== New Labour and Constitutional Reform 1997-2010 == | |||
Labour emerged victorious from the 1997 GE after promising a program of constitutional reform that was driven by 4 interlocking themes | |||
=== Modernisation === | |||
* The existing institutions like Parliament, the executive branch, and the civil service were seen as outdated and inefficient | |||
* So reforms were proposed to make them more effective and up-to-date. | |||
=== Democratisation === | |||
* The goal was to encourage greater participation in the political process. | |||
* This would be achieved through | |||
** electoral reform | |||
** making the voting system fairer | |||
** and increasing the use of referendums to involve citizens directly in decision-making. | |||
=== Decentralisation === | |||
* Power and decision-making authority would be devolved to new institutions, giving more control to local governments. | |||
* The aim was to enhance the role and influence of local communities in shaping policies and making decisions. | |||
=== Rights === | |||
* The rights of citizens would be strengthened and safeguarded | |||
{| class="wikitable" | |||
|+ | |||
!Area | |||
!Reforms | |||
|- | |||
| rowspan="2" |Rights | |||
|Human Rights Act 1998: Incorporated the ECHR into UK Law | |||
Rights protected by the HRA include: | |||
* Right to Life | |||
* Right to Liberty and Personal Security | |||
* Right to a Fair Trial | |||
* Respect for Private and Family Life | |||
* Freedom of Thought and Expression | |||
* Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and Association | |||
* Right to Marry and Start a Family | |||
* Freedom from Torture and Degrading Treatment | |||
* Freedom from Discrimination | |||
The HRA requires the British Government to ensure that legislation is compatible with the ECHR. | |||
|- | |||
|Freedom of Information Act 2000: Gave greater access to information held by public bodies | |||
|- | |||
| rowspan="7" |Devolution | |||
|The new system was one of asymmetric devolution | |||
|- | |||
|The Scottish parliament with primary legislative and tax-raising powers | |||
|- | |||
|The Northern Ireland Assembly with primary legislative powers | |||
|- | |||
|The Welsh Assembly with secondary legislative powers | |||
|- | |||
|A directly elected Mayor of London and the London Assembly | |||
|- | |||
|Elected Mayors in some English authorities | |||
|- | |||
|West Lothian Question: | |||
"Why should Scottish MPs be able to vote on English matters at Westminster, | |||
when English MPs cannot vote on matters devolved to the Scottish Parliament" | |||
|- | |||
|Electoral Reform | |||
|New electoral systems for devolved assemblies, for the European Parliament and for elected mayors | |||
|- | |||
| rowspan="2" |Parliamentary Reform | |||
|All but 92 hereditary peers removed from the Lords (HoL Act 1999) | |||
|- | |||
|Limited reforms to the workings of the House of Commons | |||
Changes to the PMQ | |||
Working hours of the Commons | |||
2009 Reform of the Commons Committee (chaired by Tony Wright) | |||
* chars of selected committees to be elected by backbenchers | |||
* a backbench business committee to determine the business of the Commons for 1 day each week | |||
* a petitions committee to select issues for debate that have been suggested by the public via e-petitiobs | |||
|- | |||
| rowspan="4" |Judiciary | |||
|Constitutional Reform Act 2005 | |||
|- | |||
|Supreme Court started work in Oct 2009 | |||
|- | |||
|New judicial appointments system | |||
|- | |||
|Changes to the role of the Lord Chancellor | |||
|} | |||
== The Conservatives and Constitutional Reform 2010-16 == | |||
=== The Coalition and Constitutional Reform 2010-15 === | |||
Coalition governments inevitably involve a degree of compromise. | |||
Only 5 can be seen as worthy of more detailed consideration. | |||
'''''Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011''''' | |||
Established a pattern of fixed general elections every 5 yrs. | |||
removed the PM's ability to call an election at an advantageous time. | |||
'''''Scotland Act 2012''''' | |||
Gave the Scottish government the power to vary income tax up or down y 10 pence in the pound and devolved further powers to the Scottish Parliament. | |||
Allowed the Scottish government to borrow up to 2.2B per annum. | |||
'''''Protection of Freedoms Act 2012''''' | |||
Offered citizens greater protection from the state | |||
By putting in place proper scrutiny of the security services and oversight of surveillance and data collection. | |||
'''''House of Lords Reform Act 2014''''' | |||
aimed at halting the inexorable increase in the number of those eligible to sit and vote in the Lords | |||
by giving existing peers the right to retire or resign | |||
it also allowed peers to be removed as a result of serious criminal offences or non-attendance | |||
54 peers had resigned under the terms of the Act by 2016 | |||
with a further 4 removed as a result of non-attendance | |||
'''''Wales Act 2014''''' | |||
UKGOV's response to the Silk Commission's recommendations on further devolution to Wales | |||
transferred control of some smaller taxes to devolved institutions in Wales | |||
put in place a mechanism by which devolution of other lower-level taxes could be developed with the approval of Westminster | |||
provided the legal framework required for a Welsh referendum on the partial devolution of income tax | |||
symbolically changed the name of the Welsh executive from the Welsh Assembly Government to the Welsh Government. | |||
=== The Conservatives and Constitutional Reform, 2015 onwards === | |||
'''"English votes for English Laws"''' | |||
only English MPs should be allowed to vote on measures identified as affecting only England. | |||
== Should the UK adopt a Codified Constitution == | |||
=== Arguments in Favour === | |||
provide greater clarity on what is and what is not constitutional | |||
rules governing the political system would be set out in an authoritative document | |||
reducing ambiguities | |||
rights of citizens would be given further constitutional protection | |||
a codified constitution would tackle the centralisation of power by setting limits on the power of the executive and introducing more effective institutional checks and balances | |||
local and subnational governments would enjoy constitutional protection | |||
=== Arguments Against === | |||
it would remove the flexibility and adaptability | |||