In his 1952 book, In Place of Fear, the Labour politician Aneurin Bevan described how as a ‘young miner in a South Wales colliery, my concern was with the one practical question: Where does power lie in this particular state of Great Britain, … [Read more...] about Andy Burnham and a Written Constitution: Is the Time Arriving?
There are not one, but two, spectres haunting British government (to paraphrase Marx and Engels). They are two sometimes obscure but very real views on the way the British constitution is supposed to work. The first, and usually dominant, view is … [Read more...] about Westminster vs Whitehall: Who will win?
It is ironic that one of the greatest pieces of constitutional reform and improvement in the UK – the Representation of the People Act 1832, and its partner acts the Irish and Scottish Reform Acts of 1832 – was also the vehicle for restricting the … [Read more...] about International Women’s Day
When an updated version of the Ministerial Code was published last month, most of the headlines focused on the idea that the under-pressure Prime Minister had watered down the Code in order to save his own skin. As constitutional observers were quick … [Read more...] about Upholding standards in public life: the presidential and ‘pragmatic populist’ challenges
On Friday 22 April, The Constitution Society held a conference looking at the power of the UK executive within the political system. Speakers at the conference considered the nature the government’s power and its relationship with the institutions … [Read more...] about Executive power and the constitution: is the UK government getting more powerful?
On Friday 22 April, The Constitution Society held a conference that looked at the power of the executive within the UK political system. Speakers at the conference considered the nature the government’s power and its relationship with the … [Read more...] about Conference: Executive power and the UK constitution
Is the political constitution a concept worth protecting? The Constitution Society has published a new report examining the idea of the political constitution in the United Kingdom, in which I answer this question with a qualified ‘yes’. It argues … [Read more...] about The political constitution: an idea worth understanding
Introduction We live in constitutionally interesting times. Over the last seven years a series of events have tested the strength of the British constitution. The Union has found itself under increasing strain, with the 2014 Scottish … [Read more...] about The political constitution: an idea worth protecting?
