The Constitution of the United Kingdom: A Contextual Analysis

Constitutional Systems of the World

by Peter Leyland, Andrew Harding (Series Editor), Benjamin L Berger (Series Editor)

This is the first book in the new series Constitutional Systems of the World, and as such launches what is set to become an invaluable resource for all students and teachers of constitutional law and politics. The book provides an outline of the principles and doctrines which make up the United Kingdom constitution. The chapters are written in sufficient detail for anyone coming to the subject for the first time to develop a clear and informed view of how the constitution is arranged and how it works. The main themes include: a description of the history, sources and nature of the constitution; later chapters deal with: constitutional principles, the role of the Crown, Parliament and the electoral system, government and the executive, the constitutional role of courts including the protection of human rights, the territorial distribution of power between central, devolved and local government and the European Union dimension. Secondly, the book offers an analytical discussion of the development of the constitution, its strengths and perceived weaknesses, and the on-going reforms aimed at modernising the UK constitution. The book is written in an accessible style, with an emphasis on clarity and concision. It includes a list of references for further reading at the end of each chapter.

Genres: Nonfiction, Politics, Law

239 pages, Paperback

First published March 14, 2007

About the author

Peter Leyland is Professor of Public Law at SOAS, University of London and Emeritus of London Metropolitan University.

Reviews

[Kate Goodrum · Rating 4 out of 5]

Highly recommend to those studying a Constitutional Law paper at undergraduate level, especially if you haven't studied law before. It is fairly well organised into different areas of the constitution, and references a lot of important cases. There is not much detail about cases though, so is more useful as a basis to then branch out and research key cases and newer developments in more depth on your own.

[Fifi · Rating 1 out of 5]

No idea why this is on first year law students’ reading lists other than to scare them off by showing them the worst side of the law: dense dry blocks of text. Constitution law can be fun (Fisher, Young) and it can be explained clearly (Endicott, Craig) and this was the opposite of both