The US position puts me off a written constitution and I think we’re better off trying to make sure politicians and connected parties are held accountable to act in certain codified ways. I am afraid that having written laws actually makes it easier to find loopholes. Who knows though, nobody seems to have really cracked it!
But it could be a good first step.
A written constitution sets things in stone. That’s okay… until the everyday realities change.
Just my opinion but, the way the UK does things at the moment is much more flexible. However it could do with a system for abolishing out-of-date, or updated laws.
https://www.lawyer-monthly.com/2019/04/i-broke-dumb-laws-in-front-of-police/
I think the only way to really get a feel for whether it would be a good idea is if a detailed proposal was made. Everything else is just made on feelings.
Over the past few years we’ve seen the problems with letting simple majorities make country shattering decisions, lack of actual rules allowing ministers to come dangerously close to subverting democracy, and just general opportunity for corruption.
Well, I definitely think that UK governance needs root and branch reform.
https://3arn0wl.wordpress.com/2019/01/13/county-proportional-representation/
I don’t like the idea of more layers of representation - as far as I’m familiar, I feel like having a councillor and then an MP is fine. But I probably would support the idea that the MP is from the council stock, rather than being someone parachuted in.
This is the best summary I could come up with:
Gavin Esler (Here’s the key question about Britain in 2023: why do we put up with this rubbish?, 25 October) makes some good points, but his implication that we should have a written constitution, as the US does, should be resisted.
The US constitution makes it impossible to legislate for firearms control and periodically allows an irresponsible legislature to threaten the dissolution of all federal government by withholding the revenue needed for the armed forces and civil servants.
Gavin Esler’s article poses the questions “why are things so … shit?” and how it is that Liz Truss, Chris Grayling and others seem to repeatedly fail upwards?
Gavin Esler’s excellent article identifies the first necessary step in halting our prolonged descent into dysfunction and despair.
No sane person would agree to buy a house or a car from a salesman who said that there was no need for a written contract and that “their word was their bond”.
While there are plenty of other challenges facing the UK right now, a written constitution, created by the people, would go some way to resolving much of the dissembling, lying and corruption that are now endemic in our political system.
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