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  • Time for a formal written constitution?
  • Poopscoop
    Full Member

    The New York Times

    “Britain has never had a proper, written constitution, a matter of some pride to Britons,” writes Benjamin Mueller in the New York Times.

    “While Americans haggle over their rules, British politics runs on an evolving array of laws and practices, refereed by the so-called good chaps in government, with their impeccable sense of fair play. But popular faith in that approach was severely shaken this past week,” he says, when Prime Minister Boris Johnson suspended Parliament.

    “And that first shock was followed by a second, perhaps even more startling realisation: once someone starts kicking aside the conventions and customs that shape British democracy, there are surprisingly few hard and fast checks on executive authority.”

    Time to have something in writing as it were?
    Just in case a future nut job gets above his or her station?

    Rich_s
    Full Member

    Time to have something in writing as it were?
    Just in case a future nut job gets above his or her station?

    Gosh, that’s worked so well Stateside…

    chewkw
    Free Member

    Time for a formal written constitution?

    No.

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    Poopscoop
    Full Member

    ^^ Yes, yes it has. Where is the wall for a start? Trump is effectively neutered on many of the policies he wished to push through.

    The US constitution is not to stop the likes of Trump being voted in but to limit the damage they can cause.

    chewkw
    Free Member

    ^^ Yes, yes it has. Where is the wall for a start? Trump is effectively neutered on many of the policies he wished to push through.

    No, no … it is better for the politicians to argue until their face turn blue then for them to use constitution play the people or the govt.

    The US constitution is not to stop the likes of Trump being voted in but to limit the damage they can cause.

    Stop damage? Let it be as the people will vote them out again if they feel the damage themselves.

    brownsauce
    Free Member

    Can we have a 2nd amend. as well ?

    always fancied some guns

    CaptJon
    Free Member

    Need to sort out the house of lords first

    sparksmcguff
    Full Member

    Not really no. It’s worth reflecting on the following crude position:
    In Germany and the USA you are not permitted to do anything unless expressly granted by the constitution (minimal rights). In the UK (with no constitution) you are permitted to do anything provided it is not prohibited by common and case law (maximal rights).
    Does the clarification of rights as described by a constitution really improve on “you can do anything unless it’s been legislated against and tested by case law”.
    Common and case law helps to weed out bad (eg duplicate) legislation over time. A constitution is open to constant and wilful misinterpretation – see role of the Supreme Court in the USA.

    Onzadog
    Free Member

    Written constitution or not, I’ll wager we soon kiss goodbye to those maximal rights.

    tjagain
    Full Member

    its not so much just a written constitution we need but wide ranging constitutional reform. Voting system, local politics, devolution and a clean up of the frankly anachronistic HoP

    MoreCashThanDash
    Full Member

    I don’t think we need one, I look at countries with them and I’m not sure they’re any better off, and I don’t fancy the arguments about what should be in it.

    sparksmcguff
    Full Member

    Written constitution or not, I’ll wager we soon kiss goodbye to those maximal rights.

    The discord in thinking amongst those people who feel that rights have been eroded through membership of the EU and other institutions such as the ECHR and the reality that those institutions have help to protect the broad rights we currently enjoy is one of the notable things about Brexit and Brexit supporters.

    I’d agree with TJ that we need voting and constitutional reform.

    matt_outandabout
    Full Member

    its not so much just a written constitution we need but wide ranging constitutional reform. Voting system, local politics, devolution and a clean up of the frankly anachronistic HoP

    This.

    Onzadog
    Free Member

    I totally agree that we need reform, I’m just not sure now is the right time. Reform is desirable when people feel most threatened by the executive but the reform would be best conducted while that threat was at a minimum and desire for reform was low. But of a catch 22.

    nickc
    Full Member

    Warning, Pedantry

    We have a “written constitution” it’s just that it’s un-codified. The difference is that ours is legal instruments, statutes, precedent, and customs and usage…

    Agreed that we need voting reform, but a part of that would need to be a better (independantly) informed public.

    ads678
    Full Member

    We had a chance for voting reform not long ago and the country bottled it!

    Yes it wasn’t perfect but it was a start…..

    Sandwich
    Full Member

    The fact we haven’t a codified formal constitution has helped in the last few weeks.

    Also constitutions are written by those that it will most benefit.

    That’s a no from me. (There is some scope for some amendments to some of the laws concerning parliament to maintain its sovereignty in the face of a tyrannical executive).

    tjagain
    Full Member

    The next election should be fought by the anti tory forces as a single one off non aggression pact allowing free run at target seats on a manifestio of second referendum on Europe and a constitutional convention like the scottish one that came up with holyrood. 2 year report time. Dissolution, new election under new rules

    kayla1
    Free Member

    Can we have a 2nd amend. as well ?

    always fancied some guns

    molgrips
    Free Member

    As above, we have a constitution and it is written down – just not in a document labelled ‘Constitution’.

    They endlessly fight over the constitution in the US just as they do here. You can protect people’s rights with the constitution (e.g. emancipation) but you can also prevent progress (e.g. gun laws). I don’t think it makes a lot of difference tbh.

    What is important is that the constitution does a good job. Ours may need reform, and that won’t happen without proportional representation and political and economic education in schools, IMO.

    scotroutes
    Full Member

    The next election should be fought by the anti tory forces as a single one off non aggression pact

    Tories and Libdems are already in discussion about a “stop the SNP” voting pact in Scotland.

    tjagain
    Full Member

    Idiots! lib dems really have forgotten who the enemy is.

    bikebouy
    Free Member

    <h1 class=”post-title”>Time for a formal written constitution?</h1>

    Yes

    CountZero
    Full Member

    ^^ Yes, yes it has. Where is the wall for a start? Trump is effectively neutered on many of the policies he wished to push through.

    Currently being built, with the help of $3.2 billion appropriated from US Defence budgets aimed at helping personnel across the US and abroad.

    muddy@rseguy
    Full Member

    Tories and Libdems are already in discussion about a “stop the SNP” voting pact in Scotland.

    Really would love to know where you guys are getting your info from…is it perchance from the Momentum twitter feed?

    Or perhaps the SNP?

    ah, yes, just checked, it is the SNP

    Oh well, you never know, say something enough times it may just become true…

Viewing 25 posts - 1 through 25 (of 25 total)

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