Features of British Consitution

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Features of the British constitution Introduction. There can be no state without a constitution. A constitution consists of those fundamental rules which determine and distribute functions and powers among the various organs of the government as well as determine the relations of the governing authorities with the people. The Britain has led the modern world in the development of civil rights and modern constitutions. Since the 17th century, British have been the chief model of representative government. The British government was a model for people everywhere seeking political modernization. It has unique ability to adopt without violence. In the modern times, the British have been extraordinary able to adopt their political institutions to new needs and new ideas within a framework of legality. Salient Features of the British constitution: Following are the salient features of the British constitution: 1.Unwritten constitution: (partly written as well) The British constitution is unwritten because it is not derived from a single source. The French writer De Tocqueville once remarked that: “England has no constitution.” British constitution is a mixture of charters, statutes, judicial decisions, common law, usages or traditions, customs, conventions, precedents etc. The first constitutional document was the Magna Karta of 1215, then the bill of rights 1689, then the parliament Acts of 1911, 1949 etc. The British constitution was not framed at a single time. It is still in the process of growth. 2.Evolutionary constitution: The British constitution has developed through a process of gradual evolution. It is still going through the process of growth. It was not framed by a person or a king for his own advantage. The British people have developed their constitution from precedent to precedent and from past experience of law and practice.
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