Beyond Magna Carta

A Constitution for the United Kingdom
1. Auflage 2015
ISBN: 978-1-84946-309-6
Verlag: Hart Publishing

Buch, Englisch, 314 Seiten, Hardback, Format (B × H): 156 mm x 234 mm, Gewicht: 625 g

The 800th anniversary of Magna Carta falls in June 2015. In this work Dr Blick argues that this event should be the occasion for a reassessment of the past, present and future of the UK constitution. He draws on his experience as research fellow to the first ever parliamentary inquiry into the possibility of a written constitution for the UK. Dr Blick considers a series of English and UK historical texts from Anglo-Saxon times onwards, among which Magna Carta is the most prominent, which sought to set out arrangements for the governance of England and later the UK as a whole. He argues that they comprise a powerful tradition of written constitutional documents, and stresses the importance of the European dimension to their introduction and content. The author then considers the present nature of the UK constitution, describing the period of immense flux through which it has passed in recent decades, and the implications of this phase of change. Dr Blick identifies a need for a full written constitution for the UK as the next appropriate step. Finally, he discusses the democratic processes suitable to devising such a text, and what its contents might be.

'With this book Andrew Blick has made a major contribution to our understanding of how our system of government has worked in the past, how it is working - or not working - now, and what it could be in the future. Combing the centuries, he challenges many misconceptions and makes a powerful case for a written constitution. This volume is absolutely essential to anyone who wants to appreciate the real meaning of Magna Carta and why we should celebrate it.'
Graham Allen MP, Chair, House of Commons Political and Constitutional Reform Committee

'Beyond Magna Carta brings together the utility of a road map with the fascination of a changing cartography of political thought - all part of the constitutional development of these islands from the Great Charter of 1215 to the confusing aftermath of the Scottish Referendum of 2014. It is a superb work of explanation capped by intriguing suggestions of future possibilities.'
Lord Hennessy of Nympsfield, FBA, Attlee Professor of Contemporary British History, Queen Mary, University of London.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Blick, Andrew

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Weltgeschichte & Geschichte einzelner Länder und Gebietsräume Geschichte einzelner Länder Europäische Länder
• Sozialwissenschaften Politikwissenschaft Politikwissenschaft Allgemein Politische Geschichte
• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Geschichtswissenschaft Allgemein Historiographie
• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Weltgeschichte & Geschichte einzelner Länder und Gebietsräume Europäische Geschichte

Inhaltsverzeichnis

1. Introduction

The ' Vow '

Constitutional Perceptions

PART I: The Written Constitutional Tradition
2. Before Magna Carta: Early Law Codes and Charters

The Ethelbert Law Code

Anglo-Saxon Codes After Ethelbert
Post-Conquest Texts

3. Magna Carta: The Life, Death and Afterlife of a Text
The Magna Carta Moment

The 1215 Text

Magna Carta After 1215

The Global Status of Magna Carta

4. Revolutionary Century

The Petition of Right 1628

Blueprints: The Army and the Levellers

Constitutions Under Cromwell
The Bill of Rights 1689

The Act of Settlement 1701: Alternative Constitutional Model ?

5. Union and Parliament

The Creation of a Union

Great Britain and Ireland

Albert Venn Dicey and Parliamentary Sovereignty

The Parliament Act 1911

PART II: A System in Turmoil
6. The Dynamic Constitution

Constitution and Society

Parliament

The Civil Service

The Process of Change

7. European Integration and its Consequences on and the UK Constitution

The European Communities Act 1972

The Rise of the Referendum: 1975 to the Present

The Fracturing of Collective Responsibility

8. The Multination State

Devolution and its Implications

England Left Behind

Local Government in England

The English Question

9. The Rule of Law, Human Rights and Constitutional Conflict
The Rule of Law in the United Kingdom

The Human Rights Act

Protected Rights, their Limitations and their Impact

A Clash of Models

10. Direction of Travel

Codifying Convention and Limiting the Royal Prerogative
A New Model ?

A Written Constitution: Proposals and Drafts

Practical Steps: Gordon Brown and Beyond

PART III: A Constitution for the United Kingdom
11. Advocating and Creating a Written Constitution

The Positive Case for a Written Constitution

The Negative Case for a Written Constitution

Creating a Constitution

Preparatory Steps and Composition of a Convention

Remit, Working Methods and Ratification of the Text

12. The Constitution

Presentation, Writing Style and Preamble
A Federal Union

The UK Executive

Parliament After Sovereignty

The Composition of Parliament

Electing Parliament

Parliament and Accountability

Fundamental Rights

The Courts, the Legal System and Constitutional Review

Changing the Constitution

13. Conclusion

Über Autor(innen)

Blick, Andrew
Andrew Blick is Lecturer in Politics and Contemporary History at King's College London.

Andrew Blick is Lecturer in Politics and Contemporary History at the Institute of Contemporary British History, King's College London.