Reshaping the British Constitution: Essays in Political Interpretation

Reshaping the British Constitution provides a vigorous critique of the deformations of Britain's customary constitution and why it could not effectively stem the growth of a centralized political authority. On this foundation it provides a critical description and assessment of recent constitutional changes including devolution, House of Lords reform, human rights and the encroachment of the European Union. Nevil Johnson suggests that since the reform programme has rested on pragmatic political expediency rather than on coherent thinking about constitutional principles, it is likely to strengthen the familiar deformations of the customary constitution.

Table of Contents:
Preface Introduction PART I: THE UNDERPINNINGS OF THE CUSTOMARY CONSTITUTION Constitutions and Constitutionalism Foundations and Principles Institutional Pluralism and Subsidiarity PART II: INSTITUTIONS AND PRACTICES UNDER THE CUSTOMARY CONSTITUTION Symbols of Unity: Monarchy and Religious Establishment A Parliamentary Government: the Executive Power The Foundations of Legitimacy: Parliament The Judiciary in the Constitution PART III: RESHAPING THE CONSTITUTION The Customary Constitution in the Melting-pot Institutional Innovation: Devolution and Decentralisation Reform at the Centre: the Primacy of Politics Human Rights and Reinforcement of the Judiciary Constitutional Consequences of Membership of the European Union Beyond Custom and Tradition: the Politics of Pragmatic Adaptation

About the Author :
Nevil Johnson is an Emeritus Fellow of Nuffield College, Oxford, where from 1969 to 1996 he was a Reader in the Comparative Study of Institutions in the University of Oxford and Professorial Fellow. The early years of his career were spent in the administrative class of the Civil Service. From 1966 to 1981 he edited the journal Public Administration, from 1981 to 1987 he was a member of the Economic and Social Research Council and he served as a partime Civil Service Commissioner from 1982 to 1985. He has twice held visiting professorships in Germany and has many publications to his credit, including In Search of the Constitution: Reflections on State and Society in Britain (1977) and State and Government in the Federal Republic of Germany (1982).

Review :

'This is a masterly work, full of detailed commentary on different aspects of the constitution and with often wry and pertinent comments and insights into the present constitutional reform programme and current political developments, written from a position that is strongly sceptical of the European Union, constitutional reform, and new Labour.' - Andrew Gamble, Professor of Politics, University of Sheffield, UK