Politics for the People

Politics doesn't need to be complicated, complex terminology and political jargon can be off-putting to most of us, so here we are building a glossary of the more fundamental terms that we hear so often, but often don't fully understand. This library will evolve into a complete guide to most important government terminology:-

PARLIAMENT

Parliament comprises the Sovereign, the House of Commons (which is the lower house of Parliament and referred to as "the Commons"), and the House of Lords.

SOVEREIGN

The ultimate executive authority over the government of the United Kingdom is still by and through the monarch's royal prerogative, in practice these powers are only used according to laws enacted in Parliament or within the constraints of convention and precedent. On the whole, the sovereign must follow the advice of government ministers.

HOUSE OF LORDS

The House of Lords is the second chamber of Parliament and is also called the Upper House. Membership of the House of Lords was once a right of birth to hereditary peers, but following a series of reforms the House now consists almost entirely of appointed members. As of July 2008 the House of Lords has 746 members, a somewhat higher membership than the 646 seat House of Commons.

HOUSE OF COMMONS

The House of Commons is the lower house of Parliament, and is the focus of power and authority in the United Kingdom. Both The House of Commons and The House of Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 646 members, who are known as "Members of Parliament" or MPs. Members are elected, through the first-past-the-post system, by electoral districts known as constituencies, and hold their seats until Parliament is dissolved (a maximum of five years between elections). By convention, however, an elected MP is chosen by the monarch to be prime minister and exercise his/her authority. This choice is largely symbolic with the actual recommendation being made by other party members.

THE CABINET

The Cabinet is a formal body composed of the most senior government ministers chosen by the Prime Minister. Most members are heads of government departments with the title "Secretary of State". Members of the Cabinet are drawn from the House of Commons and the House of Lords. Today's Cabinet Ministers 

WHITE PAPER

Documents produced by the Government setting out details of future policy on a particular subject. A White Paper will often be the basis for a Bill to be put before Parliament. The White Paper allows the Government an opportunity to gather feedback before it formally presents the policies as a Bill

GREEN PAPER

Green Papers are consultation documents produced by the Government. Often when a government department is considering introducing a new law, it will put together a discussion document called a Green Paper.

The aim of this document is to allow people both inside and outside Parliament to debate the subject and give the department feedback on its suggestions