Who rules //
Glossary //
- Absolute monarchy
- There is one leader (the monarch – king, queen, emperor) who gains power through belonging to the royal family. Leaders are born into power not chosen by the people. For example, Nepal.
- Act of Parliament
- When a bill is passed as a law it is referred to as an Act of Parliament.
- AM
- A member of the National Assembly for Wales.
- Backbenchers
- Ordinary MPs with no special roles or responsibilities within the government or their party.
- Bill
- The final proposal for a new law before it's introduced to Parliament.
- Cabinet
- A group of MPs with special government responsibilities such as health and education.
- Candidate
- The person standing for election.
- Censored
- When information is removed to prevent us from seeing or hearing it.
- Chancellor of the Exchequer
- The cabinet member responsible for the country's money. In 2005 the Chancellor of the Exchequer was Gordon Brown.
- Committee stage
- Once a bill is approved it goes on for further work to a group of around 20 MPs.
- Constituency
- The area that an MP is elected to represent.
- Constitutional monarchy
- This is a democratically run country with a monarch who has to abide by the rules and laws set by the government. The monarch's role is purely ceremonial. For example, the UK.
- Council (the local government)
- Responsible for the services and facilities in your local area.
- Councillors
- Representatives elected by the local people to sit on the council.
- Democracy
- A system where the people of a country have the right to vote for a party to represent them. Elections take place every few years.
- Devolution
- The system of transferring power from central government to local government.
- Dictatorship
- One powerful leader (dictator) who controls the government and makes all the decisions that affect a country. People's individual rights are seen as less important than the dictator's power and the country as a whole. For example, Cuba.
- Direct democracy
- The same as a democracy but every citizen is involved in every decision made by expressing their opinion and voting. This is not really used. A referendum is the closest thing to this.
- Election
- The opportunity given to people to vote.
- Emergency law
- A law that the government makes in order to deal with an emergency and protect the people of the country.
- First past the post
- The type of voting system where the winner is the one with the most votes.
- First reading
- The first time a bill is introduced to Parliament.
- First Minister
- The leader of the Scottish or Welsh government. In 2005 the First Minister for Scotland is Jack McConnell.
- General election
- A major election to select the government.
- Government
- A group of people who make important decisions about how a country is run.
- Green Paper
- The government's first proposal for a new law.
- House of Commons
- Where MPs meet to discuss and debate important issues.
- House of Lords
- The place where peers meet to discuss and debate important issues.
- Main opposition
- The party that came second in the general election.
- Manifesto
- The plans a party has for the country if it wins the general election.
- Mayor
- Meets important people who come to visit the local area and represents the area elsewhere.
- Media
- Sources of information such as radio, TV, newspapers and magazines.
- Military dictatorship
- This is the same as a dictatorship but the leader ensures that there is absolute control over the country by using military force. For example, North Korea.
- Minister
- An MP who is the head of a government department such as transport or health. For example, in 2005 Ruth Kelly was the Minister for Education.
- Minutes
- The notes made at a meeting to show what was discussed and who was present.
- MLA
- A Member of the Legislative Assembly for Northern Ireland.
- Monarch
- The leader of a monarchy such as a king, queen or emperor.
- MSP
- A member of the Scottish Parliament.
- Parliament
- The House of Lords and the House of Commons, where important decisions about the country are made. MPs sit in the House of Commons. Peers, bishops and lords sit in the House of Lords. This is where laws are made or changed.
- Peers
- Members of the House of Lords.
- Policies
- The ideas and proposals that a party has for a country.
- Postal vote
- You vote by posting your ballot paper. This must be done in advance of the election.
- Press Code
- Guidelines for the press to ensure that they are acting responsibly and not invading people's privacy.
- Press Complaints Commission
- Responsible for investigating any complaints about what has been printed in papers or magazines.
- Prime minister
- The leader of the government.
- Private Members' Bill
- A bill introduced by an MP instead of the government.
- Proportional representation (PR)
- A voting system where the percentage of votes is taken into account. A candidate must get at least 50% of the votes to win.
- Referendum
- An opportunity for people to vote on a specific question put forward by the government.
- Representative
- A person who speaks for you and gives your views and opinions to others.
- Representative democracy
- People vote for representatives to speak up for them to the government. It is a much easier system to work than a direct democracy. For example, western European countries and the USA.
- Royal assent
- The final stage of the law-making process, when the Queen gives approval to a new law.
- Second reading
- The second time a bill is read in Parliament followed by a full debate and vote.
- Spin doctor
- Someone who advises parties on how to make bad news sound better and make the media work to their advantage.
- Tax
- Money paid to the government by the public.
- Theocracy
- The government claims that its power is given from God. There is one main religion that all the people are expected to follow. Laws are derived from the religious rules. For example, Iran.
- Town hall
- Where council business is discussed and debated.
- Universal Declaration of Human Rights
- A list of all the rights humans should be entitled to drawn up by the United Nations.
- VAT (value added tax)
- A tax that is added on to the price of goods except food, children's clothes, books and magazines.
- Vote by proxy
- You allow someone else to go and vote for you. You tell them who you want to vote for and they do it for you.
- Voter turnout
- The number of people who turn up to vote in an election.
- White Paper
- A more detailed proposal for a new law.