Eu Vocab

Front 1

Backbenchers

Back 1

In Westminster parliamentary systems, a backbencher is a Member of Parliament (MP) or a legislator who does not hold governmental office and is not a Front Bench spokesperson in the Opposition.

Front 2

Beveridge Report

Back 2

The Beveridge Report was the Report of the Inter-Departmental Committee on Social Insurance and Allied Services. The report identified five "Giant Evils" in society: squalor, ignorance, want, idleness and disease; proposed widespread reform to the system of social welfare in the United Kingdom to address these.

Front 3

Cabinet

Back 3

The collective decision-making body of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom, composed of the Prime Minister and some 22 Cabinet Ministers, the most senior of the government ministers

Front 4

Collectivist Consensus

Back 4

Post–World War II agreement between the Labour and Conservative Parties to expand the welfare state and nationalize parts of industry.

Front 5

Collective Responsibility

Back 5

the Cabinet must publicly support all governmental decisions made in Cabinet, even if they do not privately agree with them.

Front 6

Confederation of British Industry

Back 6

National organization representing business interests.

Front 7

Conservative Party

Back 7

Main liberal party in Britain

Front 8

Coporatism

Back 8

is a system of economic, political, or social organization that views a community as a body based upon organic social solidarity and functional distinction and roles among individuals

Front 9

Devolution

Back 9

the transfer of power from a central government to subnational authorities.

Front 10

Downing Street

Back 10

Downing Street is the street in London, England, United Kingdom, which for over two hundred years has contained the official residences of two of the most senior British cabinet ministers: the First Lord of the Treasury, an office held by the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, and the Second Lord of the Treasury, an office held by the Chancellor of the Exchequer

Front 11

Confederation of British Industry

Back 11

National organization representing business interests.

Front 12

Euroskeptic

Back 12

People opposed to expansion of the EU's power.

Front 13

First-past-the-post

Back 13

Electoral system based on single-member districts in which the candidate who receives the most votes wins

Front 14

Frontbenchers

Back 14

In many parliaments and other similar assemblies, seating is typically arranged in banks or rows, with each political party or caucus grouped together. The spokespeople for each group will often sit at the front of their group, and are then known as being on the frontbench (or front bench) and are described as frontbenchers

Front 15

Fusion of Powers

Back 15

a feature of parliamentary democracies, wherein the executive and legislative branches are intermingled

Front 16

Good Friday Agreement

Back 16

Accord between the governments of the United Kingdom and the republic of Ireland and the dominant political factions in Northern Ireland, designed to bring an end to the conflict between Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland.

Front 17

Gradualism

Back 17

Slow change, not a radical event such as an uprising.

Front 18

Irish Republican Army

Back 18

an underground Irish nationalist organization founded to work for Irish independence from Great Britain: declared illegal by the Irish government in 1936, but continues activity aimed at the unification of the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland

Front 19

Keynesian Welfare State

Back 19

State of economy when fiscal policy leads of deficit spending furthers the nations debt - leads to stagflation. Ex. 70's U.S.

Front 20

Labour Party

Back 20

The leading left-wing party in Britain, in power since 1997.

Front 21

Liberal Democratic Party

Back 21

In Britain, the number-three party and in some ways the most radical

Front 22

Manifesto

Back 22

In Britain and other parliamentary systems, another term for a party's platform in an election campaign.

Front 23

Mixed Economy

Back 23

an economy in which there are elements of both public and private enterprise.

Front 24

Nationalization

Back 24

Philosophies or attitudes that stress the importance of extending the power or support for a nation; government takeover of private business.

Front 25

Official Secrets Act

Back 25

A stock short title that provides for the protection of state secrets and official information, mainly related to national security.

Front 26

Parliament

Back 26

The legislature of Great Britain, historically the assembly of the three estates, now composed of Lords Spiritual and Lords Temporal, forming together the house of Lords, and representatives of the counties, cities, boroughs, and universities, forming the House of Commons

Front 27

Privatization

Back 27

The selling off of state-owned companies.

Front 28

Proportional representation

Back 28

Electoral system in which parties receive a number of seats in parliament proportionate to their share of the vote

Front 29

QUANGO

Back 29

A semi-public advisory and administrative body supported by the government and having most of its members appointed by the government

Front 30

Shadow cabinet

Back 30

In systems like Britain's, the official leadership of the opposition party that "shadows" the cabinet

Front 31

Social Democratic Party

Back 31

a political party in Germany and Britain (and elsewhere) founded in late 19th century

Front 32

Thatcherism

Back 32

the policies of monetarism, privatization, and self-help promoted by Margaret Thatcher.

Front 33

United Kingdom

Back 33

a kingdom in NW europe, consisting of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: formerly comprising Great Britain and Ireland.

Front 34

Westminister

Back 34

a central borough (officially a city) of Greater London, England: Westminster Abbey, Houses of Parliament, Buckingham Palace

Front 35

Whitehall

Back 35

the British government or its policies

Front 36

Broadening

Back 36

Support for expanding EU membership.

Front 37

Codecision

Back 37

A procedure introduced with the Maastricht Treaty which was initially intended to replace the Cooperation procedure

Front 38

Deepening

Back 38

Expansion of the EU's powers

Front 39

Democratic Deficit

Back 39

The lack of democratic procedures in the EU.

Front 40

Qualified Majority Voting

Back 40

The EU voting system in which the Council of Ministers does not need to reach unanimity on most issues

Front 41

Subsidiary

Back 41

In the EU, policy that devolves decision making to the lowest appropriate level

Front 42

Supranational

Back 42

Authority that transcends national borders

Front 43

Three Pillars

Back 43

Informal term denoting the main areas in which the EU has worked since the Maastricht Treaty

Front 44

Maastricht Treaty

Back 44

Created the EU and EMU; signed in 1992.

Front 45

Three Line Whip

Back 45

In the parliamentary system, statements to MPs that they must vote according to the party's wishes

Front 46

Trade Union Congress

Back 46

a national trade union centre, a federation of trade unions in the United Kingdom, representing the majority of trade unions.

Front 47

Vote of Confidence

Back 47

In a parliamentary system, a vote in which the members express their support for (or opposition to) the government's policies. If it loses, the government must resign.

Front 48

Unitary State

Back 48

Regimes in which subnational units have little or no power

Front 49

Democratic Deficit

Back 49

The lack of democratic procedures in the EU

Front 50

Qualified Majority Voting

Back 50

The EU voting system in which the Council of Ministers does not need to reach unanimity on most issues

Front 51

Subsidiarity

Back 51

In the EU, policy that devolves decision making to the lowest appropriate level

Front 52

Supranational

Back 52

Authority that transcends national borders

Front 53

Three Pillars

Back 53

Informal term denoting the main areas in which the EU has worked since the Maastricht Treaty

Front 54

Unanimity Principle

Back 54

Formerly required for all decisions in the EU, now only for major new policies

Front 55

Common Agricultural Policy

Back 55

The EU's agricultural policy, blamed for many of its economic troubles and likely to be changed as it adds new members

Front 56

Common Market

Back 56

Colloquial name used to describe the European Union, especially in its early years

Front 57

European Coal and Steel Community

Back 57

an economic union created in 1952 and providing for the pooling of coal, iron, and steel production in Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and West Germany

Front 58

European Community

Back 58

an association of W European countries that includes the European Atomic energy Community (Euratom), the European Economic Community, the European Parliament, and allied organizations.

Front 59

European Court of Justice

Back 59

the highest court in the European Union in matters of European Union law

Front 60

European Monetary Union

Back 60

The current name of the "Common Market."

Front 61

European Parliament

Back 61

The EU's legislature

Front 62

Single European Act

Back 62

the first major revision of the 1957 Treaty of Rome., Adopted by members of the European Community in 1987, this act committed member countries to establish a single market by the end of 1992

Front 63

Great Britain

Back 63

an island of NW europe, separated from the mainland by the English Channel and the North Sea: since 1707 the name has applied politically to England, Scotland, and Wales