The British Constitution

The British Constitution
Author: Anthony King
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Total Pages: 450
Release: 2007
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0199232326

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: Continuity and Change

The British Constitution: Continuity and Change
Author: Matt Qvortrup
Publisher: A&C Black
Total Pages: 321
Release: 2014-07-04
Genre: Law
ISBN: 1782251944

Vernon Bogdanor once told The Guardian that he made 'a living of something that doesn't exist'. He also quipped that the British Constitution can be summed up in eight words: 'Whatever the Queen in Parliament decides is law.' That may still be the case, yet in many ways the once elusive British Constitution has now become much more grounded, much more tangible and much more based on written sources than was previously the case. It now exists in a way in which it previously did not. However, though the changes may seem revolutionary, much of the underlying structure remains unchanged; there are limits to the changes. Where does all this leave the Constitution? Here constitutional experts, political scientists and legal practitioners present up-to-date and in-depth commentaries on their respective areas of expertise. While also a Festschrift in honour of Vernon Bogdanor, this book is above all a comprehensive compendium on the present state of the British Constitution. 'The new constitutional politics has spawned a new constitutional scholarship. This stimulating collection, skilfully put together by Matt Qvortrup, works both as a welcome snapshot of where we are now and as an expert audit, from specialists in law, history and political science, of the deeper issues and of the complex dynamics of continuity and change in the ongoing refashioning of Britain's constitutional architecture.' Kevin Theakston, Professor of British Government, University of Leeds 'The highly distinguished team of scholars assembled by Matt Qvortrup has produced a deeply thought-provoking collection on the profound constitutional changes that have occurred in the UK over the last twenty years. A book worthy of reaching a very wide readership.' Roger Scully, Professor of Political Science, Cardiff University 'Vernon Bogdanor understands like few others the connections between history, politics and institutions - and that is what makes him such an authority on the British system of government.' The Rt Hon David Cameron MP, Prime Minister 'I think Vernon's guiding principle at Brasenose was to treat all his students as if they might one day be Prime Minister. At the time, I thought this was a bit over the top, but then a boy studying PPE at Brasenose two years beneath me became Prime Minister.' Toby Young, The Spectator

The British Constitution: A Very Short Introduction

The British Constitution: A Very Short Introduction
Author: Martin Loughlin
Publisher: OUP Oxford
Total Pages: 153
Release: 2013-04-25
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0191642649

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.

British Government and the Constitution

British Government and the Constitution
Author: Colin Turpin
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 910
Release: 2011-09-01
Genre: Law
ISBN: 9780521185110

This marketing-leading textbook retains the engaging and scholarly approach of previous editions, while bringing the landscape of public law completely up-to-date. With text and materials integrated throughout and an accompanying author blogspot, this textbook is, quite simply, required reading for all students of public law.

The Blair Legacy

The Blair Legacy
Author: Terrence Casey
Publisher: Palgrave MacMillan
Total Pages: 372
Release: 2009-01-15
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN:

The Blair Legacy offers a comprehensive examination of the long-term impact of Tony Blair's three New Labour Governments. Bringing together the foremost scholars from both sides of the Atlantic, this volume explores how Labour changed the terms of political debate, established an ideological stamp, reformed public services, revised economic management, transformed governing institutions, and repositioned Britain in a wider world.

Fundamentals in British Politics

Fundamentals in British Politics
Author: Ian Holliday
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Total Pages: 334
Release: 1999
Genre: Great Britain
ISBN: 9780333710975

This textbook focuses on institutions, policy and issues in the late 1990s by providing a concise analysis of the enduring features of British politics and the underlying principles of the British constitution.

Constitution-Making and the Labour Party

Constitution-Making and the Labour Party
Author: M. Evans
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 396
Release: 2003-10-15
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0230502261

Since coming to power in 1997 the Labour government 's programme of constitutional reform represents an historic challenge to both British constitutional doctrine and Labour Party orthodoxy. Mark Evans examines the nature and extent of this challenge and argues that the New Constitutionalism is a key element of a policy agenda that in its most crucial aspects reflects the continuing transformation of the British industrial-welfare state into a competition state. Constitution-Making and the Labour Party analyzes key areas of reform under the Blair government from the perspective of Labour Party history and contemporary policy analysis.

The Glorious Revolution and the Continuity of Law

The Glorious Revolution and the Continuity of Law
Author: Richard S. Kay
Publisher: CUA Press
Total Pages: 320
Release: 2014-11-10
Genre: History
ISBN: 0813226872

The Glorious Revolution and the Continuity of Law explores the relationship between law and revolution. Revolt - armed or not - is often viewed as the overthrow of legitimate rulers. Historical experience, however, shows that revolutions are frequently accompanied by the invocation rather than the repudiation of law. No example is clearer than that of the Glorious Revolution of 1688-89. At that time the unpopular but lawful Catholic king, James II, lost his throne and was replaced by his Protestant son-in-law and daughter, William of Orange and Mary, with James's attempt to recapture the throne thwarted at the Battle of the Boyne in Ireland. The revolutionaries had to negotiate two contradictory but intensely held convictions. The first was that the essential role of law in defining and regulating the activity of the state must be maintained. The second was that constitutional arrangements to limit the unilateral authority of the monarch and preserve an indispensable role for the houses of parliament in public decision-making had to be established. In the circumstances of 1688-89, the revolutionaries could not be faithful to the second without betraying the first. Their attempts to reconcile these conflicting objectives involved the frequent employment of legal rhetoric to justify their actions. In so doing, they necessarily used the word "law" in different ways. It could denote the specific rules of positive law; it could simply express devotion to the large political and social values that underlay the legal system; or it could do something in between. In 1688-89 it meant all those things to different participants at different times. This study adds a new dimension to the literature of the Glorious Revolution by describing, analyzing and elaborating this central paradox: the revolutionaries tried to break the rules of the constitution and, at the same time, be true to them.