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    The Uk Constitution and Its Core Institutions

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    Shumyila Imam
    The document discusses the key characteristics and classifications of constitutions. It defines what a constitution is and its importance. Constitutions can be classified as written or unwritten, rigid or flexible, federal or unitary, and republican or monarchial. The UK has an unwritten, flexible, unitary, and monarchial constitution with no single codified document. Power is centralized but has become more multilayered with devolution to Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

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    The Uk Constitution and Its Core Institutions

    Uploaded by

    Shumyila Imam
    23 views7 pages
    The document discusses the key characteristics and classifications of constitutions. It defines what a constitution is and its importance. Constitutions can be classified as written or unwritten, rigid or flexible, federal or unitary, and republican or monarchial. The UK has an unwritten, flexible, unitary, and monarchial constitution with no single codified document. Power is centralized but has become more multilayered with devolution to Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

    Original Title

    Public Law Lecture 2 - Copy

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    The document discusses the key characteristics and classifications of constitutions. It defines what a constitution is and its importance. Constitutions can be classified as written or unwritten, rigid or flexible, federal or unitary, and republican or monarchial. The UK has an unwritten, flexible, unitary, and monarchial constitution with no single codified document. Power is centralized but has become more multilayered with devolution to Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    23 views7 pages

    The Uk Constitution and Its Core Institutions

    Uploaded by

    Shumyila Imam
    The document discusses the key characteristics and classifications of constitutions. It defines what a constitution is and its importance. Constitutions can be classified as written or unwritten, rigid or flexible, federal or unitary, and republican or monarchial. The UK has an unwritten, flexible, unitary, and monarchial constitution with no single codified document. Power is centralized but has become more multilayered with devolution to Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
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    of 7

    CHAPTER 2

    THE UK CONSTITUTION AND ITS CORE INSTITUTIONS


    INTRODUCTION:

    Q: what is a constitution?
     In lay terms a constitution is a set of rules which govern an organization e.g.
    any social club, trade union or nation state, which have defined objectives
    and departments, or offices established to accomplish those objectives
     A constitution is required to define the power, rights and duties of the
    organization members.
     The constitution will both define the manner in which the rules, in fact
    operate and dictate what ought to happen in a given situation.
     The constitutional rules, whether written or unwritten, facilitate the stability
    and predictability of behaviour.
    Defining constitution under law:
     professor KC defines the constitution of a state as “ the whole system of
    government of a country, the collection of rules which establish and
    regulate or govern the government”
    Importance of constitution
     A constitution is something prior to government, giving legitimacy to the government and
    defining the powers under which a government may act.
     The constitution sets limits both to the powers which can be exercised and to the manner
    in which they maybe exercised.
     Constitution defines the legality of power.
    Classifications:
    Salient characteristics of the constitution are

    Written: Unwritten:
     a written constitution represents  Whereas, in unwritten constitution
    and attempt by politician s and there is no attempt made to set
    statesmen to codify all the out all the constitutional
    important laws and rules relating arrangements in coherent
    to the way in which the state will framework
    be governed (single document or
    series of documents with or
    without amendments, defining
    basic rules of state).
    Classifications:
    Salient characteristics of the constitution are

    Rigid constitution: Flexible constitution:


     it Rests on a question that whether  However, in an unwritten
    or not a constitution can be constitution parliament is a
    amended with ease. supreme law-making body and
    can pass any law. Moreover, no
     Written constitution provides a
    court may hold an act of
    legal framework for the state. If we
    parliament to be void.
    want to amend any provision in a
    written constitution a stringent  So this flexibility enables UK to
    procedure will be followed. It main bring any change with minimum
    characteristic is that amendments constitutional formality
    and repeals are difficult to make.
    Federal and unitary constitution.
     There exists a division of power between  In UK there is no defining written
    central government and the individual constitution controlling powers are
    state or provinces which make up a central government or of the UK
    federation. The powers divided between parliament. The state in theory is unitary.
    federal government and states or
    provinces will be clearly set down in the  There exist a sovereign legislative body,
    constituent document. which represents the ultimate law-making
    power in the state. No power is given to
     Some powers will be reserved exclusively the local government other than that
    to the federal government whereas, decreed by the parliament.
    some powers will be allocated exclusively
    to the regional government.  Multilayered: the UK parliament has
    legislated for whole of the United
    Kingdom (it is legally sovereign). The
    transfer of wide ranging law-making
    powers to Northern Ireland Assembly,
    Scottish parliament and National
    Assembly of Whales represents diffusion of
    powers.
     The unitary aspects of the UK constitution
    have been diminished it is now more
    accurate to label it as a multilayered
    form of government
    Republican and monarchial constitution.
     A republic is a state having figure head  Whereas, UK has the system of
    democratically elected president, constitutional monarchy
    answerable to the electorate and the
     The position of the head of the state is
    constitution.
    different (Queen Elizabeth 2 is the head
     The president of the state represents the of state) and all acts of government are
    state on formal international and undertaken in the name of the crown.
    domestic occasions. He is the one who
    enters into treaties.

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