A written constitution is a mixed blessing. Is this the lesson to be learned by would be reformers of the British constitution from studying the workings of the US constitution?

A constitution is a system of laws and customs established by the sovereign power of a state for its own guidance, to form an established form of government. The majority of liberal democracies have a constitution, including the UK, USA and France, but with each being unique and specifically designed to meet each countries need. For instance, the US constitution is written within a single document, at a particular date in time as a product of revolution. (pg 109, McKay, 2001) The UK constitution on the other hand is instead derived from a number of sources, including Statute law, Common law and conventions rather than being written down in a single document. Due to this it is embedded with customs and tradition. One thing that constitutions do have in common though is that they intend to serve the same purpose, with the aim being to serve its citizens and to define the role and pow…(short extract)