Britain has no written constitution.

This is one of the stock statements that pundits make on British political life. And, of course, like most stock statements, it isn’t really true. The vast majority of the British constitution is in fact written down, but in disparate documents, none of which are headed ‘warning: contains constitution’.

The Act of Settlement, the Parliament Acts, the Scotland Act, the Government of Wales Act, the Bill of Rights. These are all parts of the constitution, although none are explicitly headlined as such.

A small but consistent strand of modern British politics (which surfaces again in the comments on Eddie’s post below) has been the campaign to give the UK a unified written constitution. It has been becalmed for some time now, but with the tensions brought by such issues as devolution, Lords reform and European integration, the question is once again being posed.

In this post, I want to take a brief look at what the purpose of such a constitution would be, how the UK might go about adopting one, and then throw open the debate on what it might contain.
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Before I raise the blood-pressure of at least one of my fellow Sharpener writers, let me be clear at the start. I am in favour of the new EU constitution, albeit in a somewhat guarded fashion. My vote on it will almost certainly be a yes.

What I object to is more fundamental – I simply hate referendums. They are a blot on the electoral landscape, they provide craven politicians with an excuse to abdicate responsibility and they undermine the very nature of representative democracy. They should simply never happen.

Many commentators have bemoaned the Labour party’s perceived mangling of the British constitution. They have claimed that devolution is dismantling the kingdom, that Lords reform has resulted in a half-way house that pleases nobody, and that the abolition of the post of Lord Chancellor has shown the incompetence of the whole enterprise. Arguments can be made for all these statements. But for me, the most damning legacy that Labour has left on our way of government, and one of the least mentioned, is its headlong dash to hold referendums whenever the going gets tough.

Let me explain.
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A cordial Trans-Atlantic welcome from Manhattan. I’m a Brit currently exiled in New York City and I blog at Third Avenue. I haven’t been here all that long, so am still non-plussed by such news as that the Mets have beaten the Knicks by 29 innings and a touch-down. My interests remain deeply rooted in UK politics, an area in which until recently I was reasonably gainfully employed.

As a starter, I will consider from my left-of-centre perspective the future prospects of the Tory party. The party’s in deep trouble, able to win some seats because of local swings, but unable to increase its share of the national vote.

So here’s my memo to Conservative Central Office. I’m no Tory, and would be unlikely to vote for them even if they took my advice. Much of the following, however, is actually sincerely meant:
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