Advantages of an Unwritten Constitution
Law of the Constitution
Formative assessment
A constitution can be defined as “a body of rules which regulates the system of government within a state. It establishes the bodies and institutions which form part of that system, it provides for the powers which they are to exercise, it determines how they are to interact and co-exist with one another and perhaps most importantly of all it is concerned with the relationship between the government and the individual”.
In simpler terms it is “that set of legal rules which governs the relationship in a state between the ruler and the ruled”
The term constitution can also be used to describe a single document that incorporates all of the above rules and regulations. This is referred to as a written constitution.
The UK is one of very few modern day democracies along with New Zealand and Israel that does not, as yet, have a written constitution and discussed further shall be the question of whether the unwritten nature of the UK constitution is an advantage or if in fact we do need a full written constitution to “bring us in line with the most progressive democracies in the world”.
The purpose of a constitution is to prevent the government from doing as it pleases i.e. To avoid tyranny and secondly to protect the rights and liberties of the individual.
Some critics such as Thomas Paine and more recently F. F. Ridley # would argue that the UK does not have a constitution at all since none of the above purposes of a constitution
Formative assessment
A constitution can be defined as “a body of rules which regulates the system of government within a state. It establishes the bodies and institutions which form part of that system, it provides for the powers which they are to exercise, it determines how they are to interact and co-exist with one another and perhaps most importantly of all it is concerned with the relationship between the government and the individual”.
In simpler terms it is “that set of legal rules which governs the relationship in a state between the ruler and the ruled”
The term constitution can also be used to describe a single document that incorporates all of the above rules and regulations. This is referred to as a written constitution.
The UK is one of very few modern day democracies along with New Zealand and Israel that does not, as yet, have a written constitution and discussed further shall be the question of whether the unwritten nature of the UK constitution is an advantage or if in fact we do need a full written constitution to “bring us in line with the most progressive democracies in the world”.
The purpose of a constitution is to prevent the government from doing as it pleases i.e. To avoid tyranny and secondly to protect the rights and liberties of the individual.
Some critics such as Thomas Paine and more recently F. F. Ridley # would argue that the UK does not have a constitution at all since none of the above purposes of a constitution
Bibliography: Parpworth; Constitutional and Administrative Law, 4th edition, (2006) Oxford Press Bradley and Ewing; Constitutional and Administrative Law, 14th edition, (2006) Longman Barnett; Constitutional and Administrative Law, 6th edition (2006) Cavendish Alder; Principles of constitutional and Administrative Law, 4th edition (2002) Palgrave The Independent ; The Big Question: Why doesn 't the UK have a written constitution, and does it matter? 14th February (2008) The Independent; leading article: rights and wrongs, 14th February (2008) www.direct.gov.uk http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/bbc_parliament/2562495.stm http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/british_constitution1.htm http://www.parliament.the-stationery-office.com/pa/ld200102/ldselect/ldconst/11/1103.htm