In Search of the Constitution

Reflections on State and Society in Britain

Nevil Johnson

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2025
• eBook ISBN: 9781040449837
• Topic: Politics & International Relations
• Subtopic: Constitutions
• Index: Politics & International Relations

First published in 1977, In Search of the Constitution consists of a collection of critical reflections on the condition of government and politics in Britain. After a discussion of the effects of the growth in the government's responsibility for the economy and of the extension of the welfare state since 1945, the argument is advanced that political problems by 1970s have assumed a constitutional character. The traditional constitutional theory no longer corresponds to the political realities, but no replacement for it has been found.

The central parts of the book analyse Parliament and its role, the central direction of government, the character of the Civil Service, the threats to the unitary state implicit in demands for devolution, individual rights and the rule of law, parties and political elites. It concludes by presenting a case for constitutional reconstruction and outlines what this might involve. This is a must read for students of British politics.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Original Title Page
• Original Copyright Page
• Table of Contents
• Preface to the paperback edition
• Foreword
• 1. The Domestic Economy and the Providential Power of Government
• 2. Equality and Welfare in the Static State
• 3. The Waning of Constitutional Understanding
• 4. Parliament: The Mirror of the Nation
• 5. Adversary Politics and Institutionalised Opposition
• 6. The Leviathan at the Centre
• 7. Challenges to the Unitary State
• 8. Law and Polity
• 9. Parties and Political Elites
• 10. The Sentiments of the People towards Government
• 11. Fundamentals in a Constitutional Reform
• 12. Towards a New Constitutional Settlement
• Index