British Government and the Constitution

Here is a unique analysis and discussion of the working reality of the British constitution, combined with an enlightening and extremely varied selection of materials. This broad, contextual approach will be of immeasurable value to students of law, public administration, government and politics, as it presents a variety of differing viewpoints, so as to reveal and illuminate the diverse elements of the constitutional structure within which British governments exercise their powers. The book emphasizes the character of the constitution as the outcome of politics, public administration and the practice of government, as much as of courts and legislators. It also succeeds in demonstrating how the constitution is not a fixed set of rules, but a continuous, volatile clash of arguments and evolving political behaviour, its only anchorage to be found in certain traditional values and democratic principles. . The amount of fresh material and the extent of the revisions throughout this new edition is indicative of the constant fluidity of the constitution. It covers the changes wrought by 'external forces', including the Maastricht Treaty and the expansive influence of the European Convention on Human Rights, as well as domestic developments flowing from new government initiatives, an increasingly venturesome judiciary and mounting pressures for constitutional reform. Greater emphasis is placed on individual rights and civil liberties with a new section on political freedoms and a chapter on remedies against public authorities, including extended coverage of judicial review. These revisions and the inclusion of new materials result in this edition providing even better coverage of undergraduate courses in public law.

Beyond its central premise, the book can be read through the connected lenses of Nonfiction. Those themes offer useful points of attention as the characters, ideas, or world develop, especially where the book complicates the expectations of its primary category.