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The British constitution, for so long considered entrenched by tradition and history has, since 1997, undergone a process unique in the democratic world - piecemeal transformation from uncodified to codified status. This process, spear-headed by the Human Rights Act and devolution to the non-English parts of the United Kingdom (at present there exists neither the political will nor the consensus to go further) has created a new constitution, characterised by limitation of the powers of Parliament.
The Human Rights Act and the devolution legislation, having the character of fundamental law, in practice limit the rights of Westminster as a sovereign parliament, and establish a constitution which is quasi-federal in nature. And though these reforms, together with Britain's membership of the European Union, do little to secure more popular involvement in politics, they nevertheless serve to replace one constitution by another.
The next phase of constitutional reform is likely to involve the creation of new forms of democratic engagement, so that Britain's constitutional forms come to be more congruent with the social and political forces of the age. The end-point of this piecemeal process might well be a fully codified or written constitution which declares that power stems not from the Queen-in-Parliament, but, instead, as so many constitutions do, from 'We the People'.
This new book, by one of Britain's most respected and experienced constitutional commentators, charts the emergence and significance of these reforms, and evaluates their success as part of a larger historical shift towards the constitutionalising of British democracy. While opinion is sharply divided as to the way forward, the author argues that former Prime Minister Tony Blair's most permanent legacy may well prove to be his championing of a new British constitution. Those seeking an authoritative insight into the state of that constitution need look no further.
Vernon Bogdanor, CBE, Fellow of Brasenose College, is Professor of Government at Oxford University, Gresham Professor of Law, a Fellow of the British Academy and an Honorary Fellow of the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies. He has been an adviser to a number of governments, including those of the Czech Republic, Hungary, Kosovo, Israel and Slovakia. His books include The People and the Party System, Multi-Party Politics and the Constitution, Power and the People, and Devolution in the United Kingdom. He is a frequent contributor to TV, radio and the press and is a sometime special advisor to the House of Lords Select Committee on the European Communities (1982-83), and the House of Commons Public Service Committee. Most recently he was awarded the Sir Isiaiah Berlin prize for Lifetime Contribution to Political Studies by the Political Studies Association.
In explaining how this new British constitution has emerged in the space of a political generation, Bogdanor is not only an insightful but also a congenial companion. His mastery of the subject is conveyed in a conversational style which makes the book a pleasure to read and for this reason The New British Constitution will appeal to the widest possible readership.
I am reluctant to end a review of such a valuable book with a cliché but in this case it is warranted. It is a 'must read' for anyone interested in British politics.
Arthur Aughey
The Journal of Legislative Studies
Volume 15, No. 4, 2009
This is a beautifully written book, the language as clear as the thinking, and it could not be more timely.
The Economist
25th June 2009
This book is written with a vigorous clarity, with easy expertise and with quiet wit. Bogdanor is himself a part of the constitution, an unacknowledged legislator: the book is a revelation. More, it is a reproach to journalism, that we have not more clearly explained a great shift of the past decade. He has.
John Lloyd
The Financial Times
28th June 2009
Bogdanor's book is a practical analysis of the British Constitution. Its appeal is certainly not limited to lawyers or political historians. The is an engaging, clear and timely read for all.
The book comes at a time when both the government and the opposition are talking widely about a bill of rights, and this is a must-read for anyone interested in the startling constitutional changes proposed by the parties.
Sangeetha Lengar
The JUSTICE Journal
Volume 6, Number 2
…[Vernon Bogdanor] is well informed, subtle and immensely thorough. This is not just a book to read, it is one to keep on the shelf for reference. Anyone remotely interested in the constitution, including all the main party leaders, should certainly acquire a copy...The New British Constitution is a formidable and invaluable achievement…
Anthony King
Times Higher Education
13 August 2009
...provides a fresh and reflective account of democratic change...despite the efforts of both Tony Blair and Gordon Brown public opinion polls and attitudinal surveys reveal declining levels of public trust in politicians and confidence in the political system. It is exactly in explaining, understanding and responding to this puzzle – major constitutional reform combined with the erosion of public support – that The New British Constitution provides a provocative and original answer.
Matthew Flinders
Vernon Bogdanor offers a fresh insight into the substantial, and still largely underappreciated, changes to the British constitution. He combines the approaches of the political historian, the constitutional lawyer and the political scientist to put the changes into a wider context. It is a must read for anyone interested in British politics.
Peter Riddell, The Times
This masterly survey charts the rise of the 'New' constitution and expertly explains both how it works and why it matters. Bogdanor is Dicey and Bagehot rolled into one for the twenty-first century
Guy Lodge, Institute for Public Policy Research
Vernon Bogdanor's The New British Constitution is a timely work…Bogdanor has set himself an ambitious target in writing this book; he is inviting comparison with the great late Victorian analysts – and advocates – of the old constitution of untrammelled parliamentary sovereignty, Bagehot and Dicey. He is worthy of the comparison. The book is an illuminating guide to quite how much of what we used to know about the British constitution has ceased to be applicable in a comparatively short time...One of Bogdanor's similarities with Bagehot (although he is a better scholar by far) is that he writes with an unusual clarity.
Lewis Baston
Progress
24th July 2009
The British Constitution is a mysterious, ramshackle and amorphous beast. Because much of it has never been written down, some people even claim that it doesn't exist. But in hunting this Snark through the thickets of legislation and tradition, there can be no more doughty guide than Vernon Bogdanor…[a] timely and indeed prescient book.
Alison Thomas
Public Servant
July 2009
If David Cameron becomes Prime Minister... he should read the thoughts of the Oxford tutor who explained it all to him when he was a student twenty years ago.
The Times Literary Supplement
September 2nd 2009
The scholarship and clarity is impressive.You will look long and hard for as complete a résumé of what has been done... as an analysis of changes which may or may not have a direction but which have certainly changed Bagehot's settlement, this is an important book.
Total Politics
September 2009
