A government officer who is also an MP. It is his job to get everybody to vote in Parliament the way his party wants, even if it is unpopular and the backbenchers are rebelling. There are different le [..]

The ultimate nightmare of the Civil Service. Instead of having all government departments involved in the planning for - let's say - an airport, regional governments can quickly decide. This mean [..]

Acronym for Quasi-Autonomous Non-Governmental Organization. Quangos' official purpose is to allow for the public to influence government planning and legislation. Unofficially however quango vaca [..]

In Britain there is a government policy for receiving gifts. If a Minister receives a gift that is worth less than fifty pounds he is allowed to keep it, else it becomes the property of the government [..]

Politicians jargon to describe that a Minister is acting in service of the Civil Service and not in service of the party or public. In the civil service such a minister is called house-trained.

Elections for the House of Commons. This election is very important because it can mean that the opposition can get a majority vote and form a new government.

Documents which describes the fundamental rights that each human being has. A lot of European countries have translated its contents into their constitution for years, but the United Kingdom has imple [..]

A European identity card that the EEC wants to issue to all European citizens. Featured in the YM episode The Writing on the Wall. Introducing this card in Great Britain is political suicide according [..]

The wife of the President of a country. Most known is the American First Lady. In the YPM episode A Diplomatic Incident the French First Lady is mentioned.

A government report that is not ready for outside publication. Drafts can be redrafted if the minister is not satisfied with them, as Jim Hacker finds out in the YM episode The Writing on the Wall. Dr [..]