Full Description
This book brings together leading experts on the United Kingdom's constitutional arrangements to show how the constitution works, the role played by actors, and the scope for reform.
The experts are practitioners from the fields of law and politics, and include former judges, ministers and law officers, parliamentarians, a law commissioner, barristers, a former clerk of the House of Commons, Lord Speaker, First Minister of Wales, and the Prime Minster of New Zealand. Each contributor has been, or is, a constitutional actor and their chapter draws upon this unique first-hand experience.
In addition to contributions on the UK Constitution, there are three comparative chapters that explore constitutional reform in Jamaica, and the constitutions of Denmark and New Zealand. The chapters explore issues and themes such as devolution, protecting standards in public life, breaches of political trust and the role of the law, House of Lords reform, the role of the law officers, the role of the Law Commission, the Supreme Court as a Constitutional Court, and the experiences of those working in Parliament. Constitutional Actors in the UK Constitution will be of interest to those working in politics, the law, or the civil service, academics who teach and research in politics or law, postgraduate and undergraduate students, and members of the public looking to learn more about the constitution.
Contents
1. Mapping the UK Constitution and its Actors, Chris Monaghan (University of Worcester, UK)
2. Government by Consent - The Requirement of Trust, Daniel Greenberg CB (Parliament, UK)
3. The Committee on Standards in Public Life and the Integrity System, Gillian Peele (University of Oxford, UK)
4. Controlling Political Wrongdoing: The Role of the Criminal Law, Jeremy Horder (London School of Economics, UK)
5. Reflections on the Constitution: A Clerkly View of Privilege, Sir Malcolm Jack, (formerly Parliament, UK)
6. House of Lords Reform, Rt Hon. Baroness D'Souza CMG (Parliament, UK)
7. The Welsh Devolution Journey 2011-2017, Rt Hon. Lord Jones of Penybont(Parliament, UK and former First Minister of Wales, UK)
8. Future Challenges for the Monarchy, Robert Hazel (University College London, UK)
9. The Role of the Law Officers, Sir Ross Cranston (London School of Economics, UK)
10. The Effects of Publicity on High Profile Litigation with Particular Emphasis on Criminal Trials and Inquiries, The Hon. Sir John Saunders (former judge, UK)
11. The Justice Committee in the 2019 Parliament: Bridging the Gap, Jack Simson Caird (Parliament, UK)
12. Access to Law: The Forgotten Pillar of the Welfare State, Rt Hon. Lord Boateng CVO (Parliament, UK and former minister, UK)
13. The Constitutional Role of the Law Commission , Alison L Young (Law Commission, UK)
14. Equality as a Constitutional Principle and New Controversies, Karon Monaghan KC (Matrix Chambers, UK)
15. The United Kingdom Supreme Court as a Constitutional Court Post-Brexit, Aidan O'Neill KC (Matrix Chambers, UK)
16. The Pitfalls of Constitution Writing, Rt Hon Baroness Stuart of Edgbaston (Civil Service Commissioner, UK and Parliament, UK) and Matthew Lloyd (Queen Mary University of London)
17. The Poison Pill in Commonwealth Caribbean Constitutions, Richard Albert (University of Texas at Austin, USA)
18. Governance New Zealand Style, Rt Hon Sir Geoffrey Palmer KC, KCMG, AC, PC (former Prime Minister, New Zealand)
19. Civil Servants as Actors in a Danish Constitutional Context, Henrik Skovgaard-Petersen (Prime Minister's Office, Denmark)
