In what sense is the UK experiencing a constitutional crisis? What is the most compelling argument for the UK to embark on a process for creating a new constitution?
There are three sets of arguments, each compelling in different ways. First, the negative one: the existing system is effectively broken, demoralising and generates distrust and bad government over the long term. Second, the positive: that this is the way for the British and in particular the English to articulate who we are in the modern world – to ‘constitute’ ourselves after imperialism and membership of the EU with a democratic constitution, rooted in a convention process, that sets out our aspirations as a country, refreshing a long constitutional culture. Tackling both the breakdown and the need for renewal will have a very positive impact in addressing the chronic problems of democratic government in the UK. Yes, this is part of a general crisis of democratic government everywhere, due to lots of factors associated with the rise of corporate power and globalisation hollowing out a void in representative democracy, but the UK is an acute example. Paradoxically, because we do not have a codified constitution the way could be open to one that embraces all the gains made possible by the digital revolution.
