Leah Trueblood: More Good Days for Democracy: The Report of the Independent Commission on Referendums
At the beginning of Democracy in America, de Tocqueville writes that in studying democracy its “…Faults strike one at first approach, but its qualities are only discovered at length.” The … Continue reading
Leah Trueblood: The Merits and Meaning of a ‘Second’ Referendum
Introduction: Multiple votes, one referendum Even before the vote on 23 June 2016, questions were raised about the possibility of a ‘second’ referendum. I place the term ‘second’ in inverted … Continue reading
Peter Oliver: Canada @ 150
Editors’ note: 2017 is a significant landmark in the constitutional history of Canada. It is 150 years since Canadian Confederation was brought about by the passage of the British North America Act … Continue reading
Jack Simson Caird: The European Union (Withdrawal) Bill: Constitutional Change and Legal Continuity
Cross-posted with the Constitution Unit blog. Nine months after Theresa May first announced that there would be a ‘Great Repeal Bill’, and three and a half months after triggering Article … Continue reading
Mike Gordon and Adam Tucker: Twenty Years On: Assessing the State and Legacy of New Labour’s Constitution
In such frenzied constitutional times – with only a general election resulting in a hung Parliament and a minority government and the start of Brexit negotiations to have kept public … Continue reading
Pavlos Eleftheriadis: The Systematic Constitution
The Supreme Court judgment in Gina Miller is not merely an affirmation of what the High Court said. The eight member majority confirmed the earlier decision, but also took the … Continue reading
Alison Young: R (Miller) v The Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union [2016] EWHC 2768 (Admin): Constitutional Adjudication – Reality over Legality?
In a ground-breaking decision, the High Court in Miller issued a declaratory order that ‘the Secretary of State does not have power under the Crown’s prerogative to give notice pursuant … Continue reading
Mark Elliott and Stephen Tierney: House of Lords Constitution Committee Reports on Wales Bill
The House of Lords Constitution Committee today publishes its report on the Wales Bill. The history of the Bill is a somewhat chequered one, a Draft Bill published in October … Continue reading
Marco Goldoni: Constitutional Referendums as Vectors of Regime-building: Observations from the Italian Case
It is referendums’ season. After Brexit and the Hungarian referendum on the European migrants’ resettlement plans (the so called ‘quota referendum’), an important constitutional plebiscite will take place in Italy … Continue reading
Leah Trueblood: Referendums, Compromise, and Ratification
Resolving any political question requires compromise. This is as true for constitutional questions as it is for questions of policy. This can be seen now in the European Union’s reminders … Continue reading
