UK - Written Constitution - Republic

Ok, coming from a lawyer, that was extremely stupid.

Once again, "to be fair", better and more well known lawyers that yourself disagree with you on that point. However, better and more well known lawyers than yourself also wholeheartedly agree with you on that point. My point being that the idea of whether or not the UK has a "written" constitution or not is entirely a matter of perspective.

It doesn't matter what kind of constitution you have if the people aren't willing to stand up for what's written there.

Which has been a problem of late here in the States.

I will agree with this only if you define "of late" as meaning "since the administration of George Washington, when he allowed Alexander Hamilton to set aside the clear intention of the 10th amendment simply to make his work easier, thus opening the door to a host of abuses that have never slowed down."

If your blindness means that you see the abuses of the current administration but don't realize that he is simply following the sad tradition that has been put in place almost since the beginning, then I can only say that you are a pretty poor student of American history.

You're not being patronising, you're being a lawyer, which is why you can't understand just how simple it could be. Get the leader writer of the Sun to produce a constitution, it could be understood by a 12 year old and there'd be no quibbles deliberately written in by lawyers, as happens with Acts of Parliament, to keep other lawyers in business arguing over what 'in' really means.
My turn to be geniunely patronising, when something needs to be communicated a journalist is always going to be far better at it than a lawyer.

And I've said before, I honestly think the easiest thing to do in this country would be to scrap all the laws and start again. The legal structure of this country is vastly overblown for the sole benefit of those working in it. They'd suffer if it was greatly simplified, the rest of us wouldn't.
Example: stealing is wrong. I don't care whether the intent is 'permanently depriving' someone or not, take something of mine without my permission and you've stolen it. You could abolish 'taking without the owner's consent' for a start.
And that's straight off the top of my head. Another one about which I feel strongly: death by dangerous driving, soon to be joined by another bastard child, death by careless driving. And why? Because the CPS wimps out of using a perfectly good manslaughter charge that already covers such cases. Lawyers making work for themselves.

This was a stupid idea

Where are we going back to today, Mr. Peabody?

I agree. Unfortunately you are incorrigible and are likely to have the same stupid idea again tomorrow.

I believe he is referring to Montesquieu, and his concept of Separation of Powers.

I figured it was a good chance to make something crappy in Word.
Lo and Behold - it has worked.

If the UK became a Republic, it could do worse than the kind of system we have in Ireland.
Still a Westminister-style democracy, but with a Senate instead of a House of Lords and an elected President instead of the Queen. And a nice written Constitution.

This is not the atmosphere in which you should trust a people to write a new constitution.

If the American leaders can do things like "extraordinary rendition" despite the habeas corpus parts of the Constitution (habeas corpus shall not be suspended except in cases of rebellion or invasion...) then I fail to see the value of one, written or otherwise.

That's not an anti-American remark, it's a why waste time and money remark.

given the EU constitution still won't die, a dead thread revived not totally valueless.

as for a UK constitution, i'm still all for one, although it would require some major monkeying with the system.

anything that limits parliament, with judicial enforcement, is a good thing imo.

although it'd do little to stop the UK sliding into the shithole at this point.

EDIT: How the fuck did this post wind up in THIS thread????

where was it meant to go? :flow2:

Somewhere... Somewhere else...