Advantages & Disadvantages of Uk Constitution

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A constitution is a set of rules that identifies the structure and relationship between the different parts of the government as well as the relationship between the government and the citizens. In some countries the constitution is the supreme law of the land and the source of legal power. The extent and nature of constitutional power is generally established and ceded to the executive, the legislature and the judiciary. Likewise, the constitution will usually define the rights and freedoms of citizens. A constitution then, confers power and provides legitimacy for the state’s use and limits of power. Most written constitutions came about as a result of some political event. A written constitution also termed as an enacted constitution incorporates the rules and principles of the state in the form of a single written document and hence all other duly enacted laws must conform. It imposes limits on what may be done by ordinary legislation. An example is the American Constitution adopted by the founding fathers on September 17, 1787. With an unwritten constitution, there is no single document that sets out the rules or principles of the state and hence it is necessary to look at the various sources of constitutional power. An unwritten constitution means that the laws, policies and codes that regulate the government and society have not all been enacted into laws. These laws and policies have developed overtime through sources such Parliamentary Acts and statutes, common law or precedents, customs or conventions and more recently the E.U Law. The UK unwritten constitution, is a result of historical growth and development over many years and even though there is no single document which states these principles and rules there are separate statutes such as Human Rights Act 1998(?) which are enacted as law. ADVANTAGES: - unwritten constitution
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