The British Constitution Now

2011-12-13 Political Science

Author : Ferdinand Mount
Release : 2011-12-13
Genre : Political Science
Kind : eBook
Book Rating : 087/5 ( reviews)

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Book Synopsis The British Constitution Now by : Ferdinand Mount

Download or read book The British Constitution Now written by Ferdinand Mount. This book was released on 2011-12-13. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this book the former head of Mrs Thatcher's policy unit looks at the state of the British Constitution at a crucial time in its history, arguing that recent years have seen an increased willingness to monitor itself on the part of the Establishment, but that more audacious reforms are needed to restore full confidence in Parliament, government and the legal system.

The British Constitution

2007 Political Science

Author : Anthony King
Release : 2007
Genre : Political Science
Kind : eBook
Book Rating : 326/5 ( reviews)

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Book Synopsis The British Constitution by : Anthony King

Download or read book The British Constitution written by Anthony King. This book was released on 2007. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the latter part of the nineteenth century Walter Bagehot wrote a classic account of the British constitution as it had developed during Queen Victoria's reign. He argued that the late Victorian constitution was not at all what people thought it was. Anthony King argues that the same is true at the beginning of this century. Most people are aware that a series of major constitutional changes has taken place, but few recognize that their cumulative effect has been to change entirely the nature of Britain's constitutional structure. The old constitution has gone. The author insists that the new constitution is a mess, but one that we should probably try to make the best of. The British Constitution is neither a reference book nor a textbook. Like Bagehot's classic, it is written with wit and mordant humour - by someone who is a journalist and political commentator as well as a distinguished academic. The author maintains that, although the new British constitution is a mess, there is no going back now. 'As always', he says, 'nostalgia is a good companion but a bad guide.' Highly charged issues that remain to be settled concern the relations between Scotland and England and the future of the House of Lords. A reformed House of Lords, the author fears, could wind up comprising 'a miscellaneous assemblage of party hacks, political careerists, clapped-out retired or defeated MPs, has-beens, never-were's and never-could-possibly-be's'. The book is a Bagehot for the twenty-first century - the product of a lifetime's reflection on British politics and essential reading for anyone interested in how the British system has changed and how it is likely to change in future

The British Constitution: A Very Short Introduction

2013-04-25 Political Science

Author : Martin Loughlin
Release : 2013-04-25
Genre : Political Science
Kind : eBook
Book Rating : 649/5 ( reviews)

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Book Synopsis The British Constitution: A Very Short Introduction by : Martin Loughlin

Download or read book The British Constitution: A Very Short Introduction written by Martin Loughlin. This book was released on 2013-04-25. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The British constitution is regarded as unique among the constitutions of the world. What are the main characteristics of Britain's peculiar constitutional arrangements? How has the British constitution altered in response to the changing nature of its state - from England, to Britain, to the United Kingdom? What impact has the UK's developing relations with the European Union caused? These are some of the questions that Martin Loughlin addresses in this Very Short Introduction. As a constitution, it is one that has grown organically in response to changes in the economic, political, and social environment, and which is not contained in a single authoritative text. By considering the nature and authority of the current British constitution, and placing it in the context of others, Loughlin considers how the traditional idea of a constitution came to be retained, what problems have been generated as a result of adapting a traditional approach in a modern political world, looking at what the future prospects for the British constitution are. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

The New British Constitution

2009-06-03 Law

Author : Vernon Bogdanor
Release : 2009-06-03
Genre : Law
Kind : eBook
Book Rating : 146/5 ( reviews)

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Book Synopsis The New British Constitution by : Vernon Bogdanor

Download or read book The New British Constitution written by Vernon Bogdanor. This book was released on 2009-06-03. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The last decade has seen radical changes in the way we are governed. Reforms such as the Human Rights Act and devolution have led to the replacement of one constitutional order by another. This book is the first to describe and analyse Britain's new constitution, asking why it was that the old system, seemingly hallowed by time, came under challenge, and why it is being replaced. The Human Rights Act and the devolution legislation have the character of fundamental law. They in practice limit the rights of Westminster as a sovereign parliament, and establish a constitution which is quasi-federal in nature. The old constitution emphasised the sovereignty of Parliament. The new constitution, by contrast, emphasises the separation of powers, both territorially and at the centre of government. The aim of constitutional reformers has been to improve the quality of government. But the main weakness of the new constitution is that it does little to secure more popular involvement in politics. We are in the process of becoming a constitutional state, but not a popular constitutional state. The next phase of constitutional reform, therefore, is likely to involve the creation of new forms of democratic engagement, so that our constitutional forms come to be more congruent with the social and political forces of the age. The end-point of this piecemeal process might well be a fully codified or written constitution which declares that power stems not from the Queen-in Parliament, but, instead, as in so many constitutions, from `We, the People'. The old British constitution was analysed by Bagehot and Dicey. In this book Vernon Bogdanor charts the significance of what is coming to replace it. The expenses scandal shows up grave defects in the British constitution. Vernon Bogdanor shows how the constitution can be reformed and the political system opened up in`The New British Constitution'.

The Politics Today Companion To the British Constitution

1999-09-11 Law

Author : Colin Pilkington
Release : 1999-09-11
Genre : Law
Kind : eBook
Book Rating : 030/5 ( reviews)

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Book Synopsis The Politics Today Companion To the British Constitution by : Colin Pilkington

Download or read book The Politics Today Companion To the British Constitution written by Colin Pilkington. This book was released on 1999-09-11. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This companion to the British Constitution was born out of the view that the tendency for modern political studies to concentrate on processes rather than structures results in a failure to understand basic political terminology. Readers coming to politics for the first time often do not have the basic vocabulary with which to understand the subject. This book is an attempt to provide that basic vocabulary. An introductory survey of concepts relating to the constitutional framework leads to a glossary in which basic terminology is clearly defined and extensively cross-referenced. The glossary can therefore be used as a reference to find the meaning of a word or expression, as an aid to developing a newcomer's ideas or to provide illustrative material for essays.

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The British Constitution Now

The British Constitution

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