Repairing British Politics

A Blueprint for Constitutional Change

Richard Gordon KC (Author)

Online Access / Resources

Repairing British Politics

A Blueprint for Constitutional Change

Richard Gordon KC (Author)

Online Access / Resources

Ebook (Epub & Mobi) ₹2380.00 Ebook (PDF) ₹2380.00

₹2380.00

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Description

The 1st edition of this seminal text was written as a response to the constitutional crisis of 2009, sparked by the 'expenses scandal', which led a general distrust of the UK's entire political order.

A decade on, it is no exaggeration to say that the situation has dramatically deteriorated. The UK's constitutional order faces an existential crisis, with Brexit placing unbearable pressure on the political and legal architecture. All this makes the need for a written Constitution more pronounced. Retaining the easily accessible style of the first edition, this book addresses how this might be put in place.

Part 1 sets out a number of arguments in favour of a written Constitution, as well as the most common objections. Part 2 presents a working draft in the form of one possible model for a Constitution. Observations and explanatory notes are attached to each section of this draft Constitution. This model Constitution is intended as the first stage in a public debate, designed to provoke further discussion about the content and method of legislating into law a written Constitution. Part 3 contains the draft of the Act of Parliament that would be needed to introduce any form of constitutional change.

Rarely has a book been more timely or essential.

Glossary of Essential Terms

Part 1: Setting the Scene
1. Outline of the Book
2. Why We Need a Written Constitution
3. Power to the People
4. Power-sustaining Devices
5. Parliamentary Sovereignty
6. No-one Ever Voted for Parliamentary Sovereignty
7. Why Parliamentary Sovereignty Doesn't Work
8. The Need for a Public Debate
9. The Virtues of Representative Democracy
10. Drafting a Written Constitution: The Practicalities
11. Contents of a Written Constitution
12. Repairing British Politics: The Proposals
13. Towards the Future
Key Points

Part 2: A Draft Constitution for the United Kingdom
Preamble
1. The State and the Constitution (Arts 1-9)
2. Lawmaking (Arts 10-31)
3. The House of Representatives (Arts 32-56)
4. The Senate (Arts 57-97)
5. Executive Government (Arts 88-118)
6. Emergency Powers (Arts 119-127)
7. Political Parties (Arts 128-135)
8. The Judiciary (Arts 136-173)
9. Fundamental Rights, Freedoms and Responsibilities (Arts 174-224)
10. The Citizens' Branch (Arts 225-229)
11. Other Aspects of Government (Arts 230-242)
12. Constitutional Conventions (Arts 243-245)
13. Constitutional Changes and Referendums (Arts 246-252)
14. Interpretation and Final Matters (Arts 253-255)

Part 3: The Constitution of Britain (Referendums) Act
1. Referendum on a Written Constitution
2. Second Referendum on the Content of a Written Constitution
3. Implementation of the Second Referendum
4. Supplementary
5. Schedules

Product details

Published	23 Jan 2025
Format	Ebook (Epub & Mobi)
Edition	2nd
Extent	264
ISBN	9781509933440
Imprint	Hart Publishing
Publisher	Bloomsbury Publishing

Author

Richard Gordon KC

Richard Gordon KC is a Barrister at Brick Court Ch…

... a must-read for anyone who wants to get a modern grip of our constitutional angst ... should be mandatory reading for those who want to think about this issue properly.

Ian Caplin, Times Online
... an outstanding piece of constitutional scholarship... it will be impossible for anyone to seriously engage with the debate about moving to a written constitution without having digested and considered Richard Gordon's work.

C.J.S. Knight, Public Law, Issue 3
[an] interesting and thought-provoking book...Creative and imaginative thinking

John Jackson, Open Democracy
His observations and explanatory remarks contain some valuable insights. Practitioners and students of law and politics will find much of interest in this book.

Jean McFadden, SCOLAG Legal Journal, Issue 409
... a coherent and well constructed argument in favour of a written constitution. It is a succinct yet masterful combination of politics, philosophy, constitutional theory, law and history, accessible to lawyers and non-lawyers alike. It is a must read for anyone interested in the future of the UK constitution.

Qudsi Rasheed, JUSTICE Journal, Volume 7, Number 1
In this work Gordon combines his expertise as a QC - specialising in administrative and public law and human rights - with an historical approach, to produce an argument about the need for change in the UK constitution, and a set of proposals about what it should become...it is informative and enjoyable to read, and fulfils its purpose well, in that it makes an effective case for a written constitution and could form a useful basis for discussions of what such an entity should comprise.

Andrew Blick, Open Democracy