The Glossary
Here, within the next couple of weeks, will be a short glossary explaining the stranger terms and practices used in the British political system. It will be organised alphabetically, and there will be links to it from all over the site. Any suggestions will be gratefully received and acknowledged. Thanks a lot!
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z |
The Budget: Held every year, the Budget is an hour-long speech that the Chancellor makes, detailing the tax and benefit changes that will be made in the future. It is also used to make an assessment of the economy's state, and is one of the most important speeches made in Parliament.
The Cabinet: The group of ministers that the Prime Minister picks from within his MPs to run various departments. It meets usually once a week to discuss various matters.
Chancellor of the Exchequer: What Europeans would call Finance Minister, the Chancellor (currently Gordon Brown) is responsible for Budgets and generally making sure that the economy is running smoothly. He is also responsible for giving money to all the various government departments, which can lead to clashes.
Conservative Party: The name of the main right-of-centre party in British politics. The party, whose leader is William Hague, controlled the House of Commons from 1979 to 1997, winning four consecutive elections.
Constituency: An electoral region of the UK, used to elect MPs, about the size of a small town. There are over 600 in the UK.
European Parliament: The parliament of Europe, responsible for such things as transport and the environment. Some continental leaders want the parliament to gain more powers, such as tax-raising powers, to give it a more wide-ranging and public mandate. It contains Members of the European Parliament (MEPs).
First-past-the-post: Voting system used in the UK and many of its former colonies, such as Canada and New Zealand, whereby the winner in each region is the candidate polling the most votes.
House of Commons: The lower house of British politics. Members of Parliament (MPs) are elected to it through the first-past-the-post system. The two main parties are Labour and the Conservatives, of whom Labour currently hold a majority of 179, and who therefore are in power. Elections are held at least every five years.
House of Lords: The upper house of British politics. Lords (obviously!) sit in the chambers, along with Church of England clergy. The Lords are a mix of life peers and hereditary peers, the latter of which the Labour government in the commons is trying to abolish. The Lords are not directly elected, but their powers are inferior to those of the Commons, and clashes between the two are, in general, rare, with only controversial issues causing clashes.
Labour Party: The name of the main left-of-centre party in British politics, although elements now indicate that they are more in the centre than the left. Led by Tony Blair, they have been in power in the UK since 1997.
Liberal Democrat Party: The third party of British politics, led by Paddy Ashdown, they have been steadily increasing their support at the expense of the two main parties.
Lord Chancellor: The 'Speaker' of the House of Lords. Currently held by Lord Irvine of Lairg, this office requires the holder to perform broadly the same duties as the Commons Speaker, namely ensuring that things run well in debates etc. .
Plaid Cymru: A party advocating Welsh independence from the rest of the UK. It forms the official opposition in the Welsh Assembly, and its leader is Dafydd Wigley.
Prime Minister: This office is held by the leader of whichever party wins a general election. Currently held by Tony Blair, its incumbent can change if there is a leadership contest in the party, as happened midway through the 1987-1992 Conservative government when Margaret Thatcher was replaced by John Major.
The Pro-Euro Conservative Party: A right-wing faction started by two ex-Tory MEPs advocating Britain joining the Euro as soon as possible, contrasting with William Hague's Conservative policy.
Proportional Representation: A different method of voting, much vaunted by the Liberal Democrats, which gives each party a number of seats proportional to the number of votes it receives. The problems occur when people realise they have to vote for a party instead of a person, which may not sit well with them.
Scottish National Party: A party advocating Scottish independence from the rest of the UK, which forms the official opposition in the Scottish Parliament. Its leader is Alex Salmond.
Scottish Parliament: A parliament for a devolved Scotland, created from the Scottish elections on May 6th. Its responsibilities include limited tax-raising powers, education, and health.
The Speaker: Currently held by Betty Boothroyd, this office requires the holder to control debates in the House of Commons and to ensure that proceedings run smoothly. He / she sits at the head of the House, in the centre.
Tory: A term used to designate right-of-centre (usually Conservative Party) views in the UK, as in the Tory candidate for....
UK Independence Party: A right-wing faction advocating Britain's complete withdrawal from the European Union.
Ward: A small electoral region, of perhaps three to four thousand people, used to elect local and county councillors.
Welsh Assembly: The new devolved Welsh parliament, which takes on the powers previously held by the Welsh Office, and a budget of £60 million to spend on education, health, etc.