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The Constitution - Coggle Diagram

- - - - Signed by King John, the 'Great Charter' was a series of written promises between the king and his subjects. King agrees to govern England and deal with its people according to customs of feudal system.
    - - guaranteed further basic rights e.g. free elections, and laid out both rights of Parliament and limitations on power of Monarch. Includes no right to taxation without Parliament's agreement
    - - Act of the Parliament of England that settled the succession to the English and Irish crowns to only Protestants
    - - two Acts of Parliament: the Union with Scotland Act 1706 passed by the Parliament of England, and the Union with England Act 1707 passed by the Parliament of Scotland
    - - removed HOL the power to veto a bill instead Lords could delay a bill up to 1 year. The Parliament Acts define the powers of the Lords in relation to public bills. The Lords can't amend money bills
  - - - makes parliament the supreme legal authority in the UK which can create or end any law
    - - all people, no matter position, are subject and help responsible to the law
  - - - overrides other laws due to the principle of parliamentary sovereignty
    - - 'judge-made law' when deciding the outcome of a case, judges will use other cases to help determine their own verdict
    - - non-legal established laws of conduct and behaviour - what is 'expected'
    - - works written by scholars seen as experts in the constitution- they outline what is ‘correct’ for the UK constitution
    - - international agreement
- - - - Parliament has powers over all areas not specified as excepted powers
  - - - England constituency MPs cannot vote on many matters affecting Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, however, Westminster MPs from these regions can vote on matters which potentially only affect England.
- - - - House of Lords reforms
        
        House of Lords Act excluded all but 92 hereditary peers from sitting in the HoL (1999)
      - Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly elected via PR were set up (1999)
      - A Northern Ireland Assembly was created as part of the Good Friday Agreement
    - - attempts to set up regional assemblies in England were abandoned after a referendum in the North East decisively rejected the idea (2004)
      - Greater London Authority, consisting of London Mayor and Greater London Assembly was set up
      - Government of Wales Act gave law making powers
    - - European Convention of Human Rights part of statute law (1998)
      - Human Rights Act came into effect, fair trial and freedom of speech were written into law (2000)
      - Freedom of Information Act gave citizens the legal right to access government information (2000)
    - - Constitutional Reform Act
        provided for a Supreme Court to
        take over the role of the Law
        Lords (2005)
  - - - set general election dates to 5 years after the previous one
        
        can be overridden by 2/3 of House of Commons, or vote of no confidence
    - - Welsh Assembly was given more law-making powers following a referendum (2011)
  - - - Article 50 and the withdrawal form the EU, agreed a deal on 24 December
    - - government transferred more power to Scotland. This gave the Scottish government greater financial independence, new welfare powers and more legislative powers.
      - caused the proposal of English Votes for English Laws as an attempt to solve the Westloathian question
- - - - address the issues of overcentralisation
      - previously been successful
      - strong regional identities
      - West Lothian question
      - decrease the likely-hood of the break up of the UK
      - could address problems with the Barnett formula
    - - power may end up too fragmented
      - role and significance of UK parliament reduced
      - proposal of ‘English votes for English laws’ may solve the West Lothian question without the need for an English Parliament
      - little public appetite for English parliament
      - arguments over which regions to devolve
      - Giving regional governments more powers may actually accelerate demands for independence