The British Constitution Essay example - 482 Words

The British Constitution A constitution is a set of laws on how a country is governed. The British Constitution is unwritten, unlike the constitution in America, and, as such, is referred to as an uncodified constitution. The British Constitution can be found in a variety of documents. Supporters of our constitution believe that the current way allows for flexibility and change to occur without too many problems. Those who want a written constitution believe that it should be codified so that the public as a whole has access to it – as opposed to just constitutional experts who know where to look and how to interpret it. Amendments to Britain’s unwritten constitution are made the same way –†¦show more content†¦There are two basic principles to the British Constitution: * The Rule of Law * The Supremacy of Parliament The main arguments for a written and codified constitution: Parliament is currently unrestrained: It can make or unmake any law. It cannot be checked by any other branch of the system Its heavy workload can mean poor laws are passed The Unitary system can mean the creation of laws that are inappropriate to regions of the UK ~ The independence of the Judiciary would be protected ~ Basic rights of citizens are identified and guaranteed ~ There will be less constitutional crises as there will not be confusion as to what is unconstitutional behaviour ~ A large parliamentary majority means the domination of the legislature by the executive. An elective dictatorship ~ The first past the post system creates an exaggerated mandate for the largest party, which is unlikely to have over 50% of the votes (this has not happened since 1945) ~ Without a Bill of Rights, it is Parliaments duty to preserve liberties. However these can be removed at any time by Parliament (e.g. Internment, the Prevention of Terrorism Act). The main arguments against a written and codified constitution: ~ If it aint broke, dont fix it. The British constitution has served us well over theShow MoreRelatedThe Uk s Constitution And The British Constitution2341 Words   |  10 PagesA constitution is defined in the Oxford English Dictionary as â€Å"A body of fundamental principles or established precedents according to which a state or organisation is governed.† It has also been described by the writer AV Dicey as â€Å"All rules which directly or indirectly affect the distribution and exercise of the sovereign power in the state.† (A V Dicey, Introduction to the Study of the Law of the Constitution, Macmillan, London 1915). The UK s constitution is not written in a single documentRead MoreThe reform of the British constitution remains unfinished business.1439 Words   |  6 Pages In this essay, I would like to analyse why the reform of the British constitution is seen as unfinished business. Constitutional reform is when the system of government and how government institutions interact is changed. This has also meant the codification of some components of the constitution in the UK. Between 1997 and 2007, there were a considerable number of constitutional reforms introduced by the Blair governments. These reforms included devolution in Scotland, Wales and Northern IrelandRead MoreThe Pros and Cons of an Unwritten Constitution in the UK Essay example655 Words   |  3 PagesUnwritten Constitution in the UK The UK has an unwritten constitution unlike the U.S.A. Instead Britains laws, policies and codes are developed through statutes, common law, convention and more recently E.U law. It is misleading to call the British constitution unwritten; a more precise form of classification would be un-codified. This means that the British constitution has no single document, which states principles and rules of a state. 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