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DomKen -> RE: Another reason the UN is a joke (6/23/2008 2:28:37 PM)
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quote:
ORIGINAL: Politesub53
quote:
ORIGINAL: DomKen
The report states that the UK should have a written constitution which would lay out both how the government would function and a guarantee certain rights.
People in the UK have been calling for exactly the same thing for a very long time. The existing bill of rights is simply an act of parliament and can be repealed by another. All sorts of other aspects of the UK government are simply based on tradition or centuries old royal decrees.
There hasnt been any call for this in the UK, sure its been mentioned, even by Gordon bBown, but by and large there hasnt been a general call for change. Blair actually passed reforms to the UK Constitution while in office, altering many of the old traditions. There will be a new Supreme Court to take over the role of the Law Lords
Our laws are partially written but not codified. Most of it being passed down from common law from the past. It can all be found in statutes and written judgements.
The most important part of our constitution is parliamentary sovereignty as decreed in the 1689 bill of rights. This allows any parliament to pass laws, and not be bound by a previous government. Although the Monarch is known as the sovereign, sovereignty is held by parliament. The monarch can withold Royal Assent to a bill being passed, but this hasnt happened for around 300 years or so.
How could reforms to a UK Constitution be passed when no such thing exists? The UK government is cobbled together from the Magna Carta, acts of Parliament, the 1689 bill of rights and common law.
A written constitution would create a single supreme law of the land and would provide a place to enshrine basic human rights safe from the majority in parliament.
Jusr remember not to publicly call for the form of that government to be a republic because that is still treason under the Treason Felony Act of 1848.
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