Changing constitution / edited by Jeffrey Jowell and Dawn Oliver

This collection of essays by lawyers and political scientists covers central but much neglected topics in the connected fields of constitutional law and political theory. The editors' aim has been to examine some of the most pressing problems of the modern constitution in the light not only of traditional doctrine, but also of current governmental practice, which raises difficult new problems of democratic theory, public accountability, and control of discretionary powers.

One hundred years after the publica tion of Dicey's The Law of the Constitu tion, the time is ripe for a critical re-examination of some of the tenets of traditional constitutional theory. This is what the present book provides. Part I considers the Rule of Law, parliamentary sovereignty, ministerial responsibility, parliamentary democracy and represen tative and responsible government. Part II looks at current issues which call traditional theory into question. Those issues discussed include the party system and the functions of the House of Commons, the economic power of the state, public expenditure, the public sector of the economy, the relationship between central and local government, and the role of the police. Stemming from these preceding discussions, Part III considers the scope for reform in four major areas: a bill of rights, electoral reform, regional devolution, and freedom of information.