1 | Page
nctj public affairs Exam Questions
with Answers latest
Uncodified Constitution Ans: The UK has a constitution
but it has not been written down in one document. It is
all over the place. The UK constitution is based on laws
passed throughout centuries, accepted conventions and
practices and legal decisions. The UK is also part of the
European Convention on Human rights even though not
the EU. These all help define the UK constitution.
Flexible constitution Ans: It can be amended to keep up
with a public opinion. For example, gun control. In 1995
after a massacre at a school in Dunblane the UK
government severely restricted the ability of people to
own firearms, introducing tight gun control legislation. In
the US constitution, the right to bear arms is written the
constitution for historical reasons - The founders of the
US wanted to justify taking up weapons to fight against
the British. It is very difficult to amend the US
constitution.
A codified constitution like in the US also has articles
such as its first amendment which guarantees the
freedom of the press. In the UK it is easier to remove
such individual rights and liberties so this could be
considered a disadvantage.
Parliamentary sovereignty Ans: In the UK system,
parliament, not the people, is sovereign. Many politicians
© 2025 All rights reserved
, 2 | Page
who opposed EU membership argued it was
undemocratic and did so on the grounds of defending
parliamentary sovereignty. In reality, parliament is not
entirely sovereign. First people vote in elections and this
limits what parliament can do and second people usually
vote for a party and usually, though not always, the
parties control parliament.
Separation of powers Ans: In the UK there is also in
principle separation of powers. The House of Commons,
the House of Lords and the executive are all distinct with
each balancing and controlling the other stopping either
one from becoming too powerful. In reality, the political
parties dominate parliament. The Prime Minister and
ministers, who make up the executive all sit in
parliament. It is parliament more often than not which is
controlled by the executive. For example, The parties and
particularly the government have the resources to hire
special advisors, influence the media and develop policy.
No other branch has these same resources. In addition,
the prime minister has the power to appoint members of
the House of Lords too which weakens their ability to
provide a check on the executives' power.
Rule of Law Ans: The law is applied equally to everyone,
no one is above the law including political elites. In
reality, conventions are not laws. It is perfectly possible
to do something which is unconstitutional but is not
technically illegal. An example would be the expense
scandal or the cash for the honours system. We of course
also saw the supreme court declare null and void the
suspension of parliament by the prime minister. A prime
minister who did something that was unconstitutional
© 2025 All rights reserved
, 3 | Page
and also managed to get the Queen involved in the
process too. To argue also that everyone is treated
equally is not entirely accurate. For example, the Prime
Minister's former advisor Dominic Cummings' breach of
Covid-19 rules. He was allowed to stay in his position and
it helped undermine trust in the government.
Common vs Statute Law Ans: Made by judges in court,
using precedent - decisions made in previous similar
cases - to decide how they will judge a case before them.
Statute law is made by parliament. For a bill to be passed,
it must be agreed to by a majority vote in both houses of
Parliament. If no statute law applies to cover a particular
situation, the common law will apply; however, statute
law always overrides common law.
Royal Prerogative Ans: The UK has a monarch with
symbolic power. The Monarch does regularly meet with
the Prime Minister and can advise and warn the Prime
Minister but monarchical powers are in effect devolved to
the Prime Minister and his/her cabinet.
UK Constitution Ans: Combo of statutory laws (acts of
parliament), Common Law (judicial decisions) and
tradition
Parliamentary democracy Ans: "A form of democracy that
operates through a popularly elected assembly and
emphasizes the importance of deliberation" (Heywood).
Roles of Parliament Ans: 1. Executive emerges from the
party(s) that command the confidence of the House of
Commons
© 2025 All rights reserved
nctj public affairs Exam Questions
with Answers latest
Uncodified Constitution Ans: The UK has a constitution
but it has not been written down in one document. It is
all over the place. The UK constitution is based on laws
passed throughout centuries, accepted conventions and
practices and legal decisions. The UK is also part of the
European Convention on Human rights even though not
the EU. These all help define the UK constitution.
Flexible constitution Ans: It can be amended to keep up
with a public opinion. For example, gun control. In 1995
after a massacre at a school in Dunblane the UK
government severely restricted the ability of people to
own firearms, introducing tight gun control legislation. In
the US constitution, the right to bear arms is written the
constitution for historical reasons - The founders of the
US wanted to justify taking up weapons to fight against
the British. It is very difficult to amend the US
constitution.
A codified constitution like in the US also has articles
such as its first amendment which guarantees the
freedom of the press. In the UK it is easier to remove
such individual rights and liberties so this could be
considered a disadvantage.
Parliamentary sovereignty Ans: In the UK system,
parliament, not the people, is sovereign. Many politicians
© 2025 All rights reserved
, 2 | Page
who opposed EU membership argued it was
undemocratic and did so on the grounds of defending
parliamentary sovereignty. In reality, parliament is not
entirely sovereign. First people vote in elections and this
limits what parliament can do and second people usually
vote for a party and usually, though not always, the
parties control parliament.
Separation of powers Ans: In the UK there is also in
principle separation of powers. The House of Commons,
the House of Lords and the executive are all distinct with
each balancing and controlling the other stopping either
one from becoming too powerful. In reality, the political
parties dominate parliament. The Prime Minister and
ministers, who make up the executive all sit in
parliament. It is parliament more often than not which is
controlled by the executive. For example, The parties and
particularly the government have the resources to hire
special advisors, influence the media and develop policy.
No other branch has these same resources. In addition,
the prime minister has the power to appoint members of
the House of Lords too which weakens their ability to
provide a check on the executives' power.
Rule of Law Ans: The law is applied equally to everyone,
no one is above the law including political elites. In
reality, conventions are not laws. It is perfectly possible
to do something which is unconstitutional but is not
technically illegal. An example would be the expense
scandal or the cash for the honours system. We of course
also saw the supreme court declare null and void the
suspension of parliament by the prime minister. A prime
minister who did something that was unconstitutional
© 2025 All rights reserved
, 3 | Page
and also managed to get the Queen involved in the
process too. To argue also that everyone is treated
equally is not entirely accurate. For example, the Prime
Minister's former advisor Dominic Cummings' breach of
Covid-19 rules. He was allowed to stay in his position and
it helped undermine trust in the government.
Common vs Statute Law Ans: Made by judges in court,
using precedent - decisions made in previous similar
cases - to decide how they will judge a case before them.
Statute law is made by parliament. For a bill to be passed,
it must be agreed to by a majority vote in both houses of
Parliament. If no statute law applies to cover a particular
situation, the common law will apply; however, statute
law always overrides common law.
Royal Prerogative Ans: The UK has a monarch with
symbolic power. The Monarch does regularly meet with
the Prime Minister and can advise and warn the Prime
Minister but monarchical powers are in effect devolved to
the Prime Minister and his/her cabinet.
UK Constitution Ans: Combo of statutory laws (acts of
parliament), Common Law (judicial decisions) and
tradition
Parliamentary democracy Ans: "A form of democracy that
operates through a popularly elected assembly and
emphasizes the importance of deliberation" (Heywood).
Roles of Parliament Ans: 1. Executive emerges from the
party(s) that command the confidence of the House of
Commons
© 2025 All rights reserved
