Is a Written Constitution the Right Thing for the UK?

I feel cautious in enforcing a written constitution into our country, I believe the current rights have been stable and a change may seem unnecessary. The current arrangements have served Britain well for centuries, simply by relying on conventions. In my opinion, we should focus our energy on sorting the ever-growing problems affecting our country, rather than over complicating a situation. By not having a written constitution, it allows us to ensure the current laws adapt to changing situations quicker and easier.

A Constitution is a set of rules that help govern the country, there are many different types of constitution but the two most commonly known are uncodified and codified. The British constitution has grown over time, building on common law, case law, Acts of Parliament and European legislation. “There is no single document from which is derived the authority of the main organs of Government, such as the Crown, the Cabinet, Parliament and the courts of law. No single document lays down the relationship of the primary organs of government one with another or with the people.” Bradley, A W. and Ewing, K D. (2007, p.4). Currently the UK employs an uncodified constitution, historical facts show that Britain has not been conquered since 1066 and has had a stable Government for hundreds of years. The UK has a long history of an unbroken democratic rule; this is seen as the strength of the uncodified constitution.

Many countries tend to abide by a written constitution, usually these countries have faced dramatic change in their history such as war, France and the USA are good examples of countries with written constitutions. Some groups such as the Liberal Democrats and Charter 88 enforce the right for our country to fo...

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...deciding against a change. It seems easier and quicker to introduce a new law into the Government than amend a constitution. There could be a danger that laws may need changing frequently, this means if we adopted a codified constitution and amended it where necessary there would be no difference to the current constitutional system. The current state seems to be working fine, new laws are introduced where they are needed and this has worked well for our country, the British constitution has adapted to circumstance and will continue to grow.

Works Cited

Williams, A., 1998. UK Government & Politics. 2nd ed. Oxford: Heinemann Educational Publishers.

Elliot, C. and Quinn, F., 2008. English legal system. 9th ed. Essex: Pearson Education Limited

Bradley, A W. and Ewing, K D., 2007. Constitution and administrative law. 14th ed. Essex: Pearson Education Limited