Description
Book SynopsisProviding a recent history of the Scottish Government’s Constitutional Policy since 2011, Bulmer asks what exactly is the ‘common good’ and what type of constitution would serve it, while also addressing questions of poverty, wealth, inequality and democracy. In this revised edition Bulmer proposes an intermediate position between devolution and independence following the No vote in September 2014.
Trade ReviewAcademically insightful… Bulmer’s book is a rare example of a treatise on constitutional politics aimed at the general reader. THE SCOTSMAN on A Constitution for the Common Good
Dr W Elliot Bulmer is one of the country’s leading experts on constitutional matters. SUNDAY HERALD
Table of ContentsContents
Acknowledgements 6
Preface to the Second Edition 9
Introduction 13
Chapter One Does the Constitution still matter? 21
i Independence, Democracy and the Constitution 23
ii Independence, Sovereignty and Folkric 27
iii The Constitutional Debate before the Independence Referendum 29
iv Constitutionalism without Independence? 36
a A Federal United Kingdom 39
b A New Treaty of Union 45
c Home Rule 47
Chapter Two How can Constitutions promote the common good? 52
i The Common Good as the Purpose of the State 53
ii What is the Common Good? 58
iii Common Good, Pluralism and Pre-commitment 61
iv Political Liberty as a Common Good 65
Chapter Three How prescriptive should the Constitution be? 67
i The Case for Procedural Constitutionalism 67
ii The Limits of Prescriptive Constitutionalism 80
iii The Relationship between Procedural and Prescriptive Elements 84
Chapter Four How could the Constitution strengthen democracy? 93
i Direct Democracy 95
ii Representation and Inclusiveness 104
iii Second Chamber: Senate or Tribunate? 117
iv Local Democracy 124
v Democratising Parties 127
Chapter Five How can the Constitution promote good governance and accountability? 131
i Parliamentary Scrutiny and Fourth Branch Institutions 131
ii Recall and Popular Dissolution 139
iii Prime Ministerial Term Limits 143
iv Guarding the Guardians: Supervision of the Military and Security Services 146
Chapter Six How can the Constitution reflect our values and identities? 152
i The Preamble and Para-Consitutional Covenants 152
ii Religion and State 159
iii Monarchy and National Identity 170
Chapter Seven How can the Constitution help us to achieve social justice, tackle poverty and reduce inequality? 177
i Social and Economic Rights 177
ii Judicial or Political Enforcement 181
iii Beyond Rights: Empowering the People 184
Chapter Eight How can the Constitution promote public ethics? 187
i The need for Good Citizenship 188
ii Education for Citizenship 191
iii Principles of Public Life and Codes of Conduct 194
iv Public Honours 199
Chapter Nine How can we build a new constitutional settlement? 201
i Does process matter? 201
ii Stages of the process 208
iii Possible next steps 213
Appendices 219
Appendix A A Constitution for an Independent Scotland 221
Appendix B ‘A New Treaty of Union’ 270
Appendix C A Home Rule and Full Fiscal Autonomy Settlement for Scotland 277
Appendix D A Constitution for a Federal United Kingdom 284
Endnotes 325
