| Word | Definition | Date Added |
|---|---|---|
| Electorate | All people who are entitled to vote. | 08/09/2025 |
| Voter Turnout | The % of the electorate who voted. | 08/09/2025 |
Paper 1
Government
| Word | Definition | Date Added |
|---|---|---|
| Authority | The acceptance of a decision or representatives ability to govern. | 08/09/2025 |
| Democracy | ”Rule of the people” in Latin. | 08/09/2025 |
| Direct democracy | Democracy is used to make decisions by citizens using methods such as referendums. | 08/09/2025 |
| General election | All 650 MPs are elected to the House of Commons, all adults over 18 are entitled to vote. | 08/09/2025 |
| Legitimacy | A decision or representative has been chosen democratically. The democratic right to rule. | 08/09/2025 |
| Power | The ability of one a person of government to make others follow a decision. %%TODO: Reword - I don’t like this, it is confusing.%% | 08/09/2025 |
| Referendum | A binary question that the electorate answer to make a decision. | 08/09/2025 |
| Representative democracy | Democracy is used to elect people on citizens behalf. | 08/09/2025 |
| Universal suffrage | The right to vote for as many people as possible. | 06/10/2025 |
Elections and Referendum
| Word | Definition | Date Added |
|---|---|---|
| Referendum (hollistic) | Better definition, earlier in the document. A vote on a single issue. The voters have the chance to answer a simple binary question that is asked of them. There has only been three UK-wide | 17/09/2025 |
| Constitutional (overview) | Rules for covernment. | 18/09/2025 |
Homework 06/10/2025
See: UK Elections Glossary 06 10 2025
| Word | Definition | Date Added |
|---|---|---|
| Apathy | Lack of interest or enthusiasm in politics or voting. This might be a significant explanation for low voter turnout. | 05/10/2025 |
| By-election | An election held in a single constituency between general elections, usually due to the death or resignation of an MP ==(e.g., 2025 Runcorn and Helsby by-election, Labour narrowly lost a safe seat to Reform UK due to the previous Labour MP punching someone in the face - GBH, link to recent events, protest voting).== | 05/10/2025 |
| Class dealignment | Breakdown in association between a social class and their traditional political party (e.g., working class and Labour). | 05/10/2025 |
| Coalition government | When two or more parties join together to form a majority government. (e.g., 2010 Conservatives & Liberal Democrats) | 05/10/2025 |
| Constituency | A geographical area where voters elect a representative to Parliament, usually around 70,000 voters. | 05/10/2025 |
| Direct democracy | Citizens make political decisions directly rather than through representatives (e.g., referendums). | 05/10/2025 |
| Electoral reform | Change or improvement to the electoral system, such as introducing proportional representation. | 05/10/2025 |
| Floating voter | A voter who is not loyal to one political party and may change their vote between elections. ==Caused by partisan dealignment.== | 05/10/2025 |
| Legitimacy | In: Glossaries | |
| Majoritarian system | Where the candidate gains a plurality (more than, “a large number of people or things.”) over the second-place candidate. %%An electoral system where the winning candidate or party must secure a majority of seats.%% | 05/10/2025 |
| Majority government | A government formed by a ruling party that holds more than half of the seats in the House of Commons (Parliament). | 05/10/2025 |
| Mandate | The authority given to a government to carry out its policies (particularly in their manifesto), as granted by winning an election ==(e.g., Labour promised not to raise income tax in their 2024 manifesto)==. | 05/10/2025 |
| Manifesto | A document outlining a political party’s policies and proposals before an election. ==Winning parities have a mandate to carry out their policies.== | 05/10/2025 |
| Marginal seat | A constituency which was won with a small majority and is highly competitive (e.g., Coventry South). %%A constituency where the election result is expected to be very close between parties.%% | 05/10/2025 |
| Minority government | A government formed by a party without an overall majority in Parliament, relying on support from other parties ==(e.g., 2017 Conservative relying on the DUP - agreement relied on a confidence and supply basis)==. | 05/10/2025 |
| Opinion poll | A survey that measures public opinion and voting intentions. | 05/10/2025 |
| Partisan dealignment | A decline in loyalty between voters and their traditional political party. Leads to floating voters. | 05/10/2025 |
| Plurality system | An electoral system where the candidate with the most votes wins, even if it’s not a majority (e.g. First Past the Post). | 05/10/2025 |
| Proportional systems | Electoral systems where seats are distributed in proportion to the votes each party receives. | 05/10/2025 |
| Referendum | A form of direct democracy where the electorate decide upon a single issue with a binary question (e.g., Brexit 2016). %%A public vote on a specific political question, usually with a ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ answer.%% | 05/10/2025 |
| Representative democracy | A system where citizens elect representatives (MPs) to make decisions and laws on their behalf. | 05/10/2025 |
| Safe seat | A constituency where one party/candidate has a strong and consistent majority, making it unlikely to change hands, typically by a large majority. | 05/10/2025 |
| Suffrage | The right to vote in political elections. | 05/10/2025 |
| Tactical vote | When a voter supports a candidate not because they prefer them, but to prevent another candidate from winning. More common in constituencies with marginal seats | 05/10/2025 |
| Turnout | The percentage of electorate who actually vote in an election. | 05/10/2025 |
| Two-party system | A political system dominated by two major parties that compete for power, limiting the influence of minor parties (e.g., USA & traditionally UK). | 05/10/2025 |
| Wasted vote | A vote that does not help elect a candidate, typically because it was cast for a losing or surplus-winning candidate. Common in majoritarian systems. | 05/10/2025 |
| Winner’s bonus | The tendency for the largest party in a majoritarian system to win a disproportionately large number of seats compared to its vote share. | 05/10/2025 |
Lesson 13/11/2025
| Word | Definition | Date Added |
|---|---|---|
| Hustings | Effectively a debate. | 13/11/2025 |
Parliament
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Accountability | Government and MPs must explain and justify their actions and can be held responsible by Parliament and the public. |
| Adversarial | A confrontational style of politics with two opposing sides (government vs opposition). |
| Backbenchers | MPs or peers without ministerial or shadow-ministerial roles. |
| Bicameral | A parliament with two chambers (Commons and Lords). |
| Debate | A formal discussion where MPs or peers argue for or against issues or legislation. |
| Delegate theory | Representatives should follow their constituents’ instructions rather than use personal judgement. |
| Elective Dictatorship | The idea that a majority government can dominate Parliament, limiting checks and balances. |
| Executive Dominance | When the government controls parliamentary processes due to majority and party discipline. |
| Government | The party (or coalition) with majority support in the Commons that runs the country. |
| HM Opposition | The largest non-government party responsible for scrutinising and challenging the government. |
| Legislation | Laws passed by Parliament. |
| Mandate | Authority granted by voters in an election to carry out manifesto promises. |
| Mandate theory | The principle that an elected government is justified in implementing its manifesto. |
| Parliament Act 1949 | Reduced the Lords’ power to delay most bills to one year. |
| Parliamentary Government | A system where the executive comes from Parliament and is accountable to it. |
| Parliamentary privilege | Protections allowing MPs/peers to speak freely in Parliament without legal consequences. |
| Parliamentary Sovereignty | Parliament is the supreme law-making body and can make or unmake any law. |
| Payroll vote | MPs holding government posts who are expected to vote with the government. |
| Peers | Members of the House of Lords (life peers, bishops, hereditary peers). |
| Private Members’ Bill | A bill introduced by a non-minister; few become law. |
| Public Bill Committees | Committees that examine proposed laws in detail line by line. |
| Question Time | Sessions where ministers answer MPs’ questions, increasing accountability. |
| Scrutiny | Parliament’s examination and checking of government actions and policies. |
| Select Committee | Cross-party committees that investigate government departments and produce reports. |
| Trustee theory | Representatives should use their own judgement rather than strictly follow constituents’ wishes. |
| Whips | Party officials who enforce discipline and ensure MPs vote along party lines. |
Recommended Habits
- Use more formal language
- Link terms together
- Examples
- Notes and highlights