Constitution-Making and the Labour Party

Since coming to power in 1997 the Labour government's programme of constitutional reform represents an historic challenge to both British constitutional doctrine and Labour Party orthodoxy. Mark Evans examines the nature and extent of this challenge and argues that the New Constitutionalism is a key element of a policy agenda that in its most crucial aspects reflects the continuing transformation of the British industrial welfare state into a competition state. The text analyses key areas of reform under the Blair government from the perspective of Labour Party history and contemporary policy analysis.

Table of Contents:
List of Boxes, Figures and Tables List of Abbreviations Acknowledgements Introduction - From Elite to Third Way Democracy? PART I: UNDERSTANDING CONSTITUTIONAL CHANGE Constitutional Doctrine and Revisionism in the Labour Party The Rise of the Competition State The New Constitutionalism PART II: CASE STUDIES IN CONSTITUTIONAL CONTINUITY AND CHANGE Electoral Reform and the Clammy Hands of Centralism Parliamentary Reform - Reforming the House of Lords Bringing Rights Home Freedom of Information and Open Government Devolution to Scotland and Wales - Is Power Devolved, Power Retained? A Different Union, A Different Ireland? Constitutional Futures - The New Constitutionalism and the Impact of Spill-Over Conclusion - Elite Democracy is Third Way Democracy in Disguise Notes Bibliography Internet Sources Index

About the Author :
MARK EVANS is Head of Politics and Provost of Halifax College at the University of York. He is the author of Charter 88: A Successful Challenge to the British Political Tradition? and Policy Transfer in Global Perspective. He has published a broad range of articles and book chapters on aspects of constitutional reform, the study of policy development and post-war reconstruction and development.

Review :

'In the area of constitutional reform [New Labour] embarked on a very radical programme. Mark Evans examines the reasons why they did so and the fate of the proposals, many of which were deradicalised as they progressed through the policy making process. As such, this insightful book is essential reading for anyone interested in British politics generally and New Labour specifically.' - Professor David Marsh, Department of Political Science and International Studies, University of Birmingham

'Constitution-Making and the Labour Party is a path-breaking work in several ways. It fills a major gap in the literature on the Labour Party's uneasy historical relationship with the British Constitution and the conservative institutional implications of the latter.' - Philip G. Cerny, Professor of Government, University of Manchester

'This book...provides an historical perspective on the Labour Party and the constitution, a thorough understanding of the role of constitutional reform within the broader New Labour project and an excellent insight into how the constitution should now be studied. The book is impressive in both its scope and its analytical rigour. I thoroughly recommend it.' - Professor David Wilson, De Montfort University, Leicester, UK

'Labour's constitutional reform programme after 1997 initiated the most Comprehensive reshaping of the British constitution for three hundred years. In this wide-ranging study Mark Evans considers why Labour,historically so conservative on the constitution, became the agent of the reforms and assesses their successes and their limitations. This is an essential book for anyone interested in the future of British politics.' - Professor Andrew Gamble, University of Sheffield, UK