Chapter 1 Guidance on answering the exam questions

 ‘Britain does not have a constitution’. Discuss.

  • You need to think here about the different meanings of ‘constitution’ and the purpose of a constitution (see section 1.2). Define what they are.
  • Explain that Britain does not have a constitution in the narrower sense of a codified document gathering together its constitutional rules, but consider whether the wider meanings of a constitution apply e.g. a powermap, uncodified rules, laws and practices that regulate the governing institutions.
  • Does the UK have rules for how the country is run which fulfil the purpose of a constitution? Give examples.
  • Explain and assess the different views of commentators on this (see section 1.7).
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