Back to the Future? Warnings from History for a Future UK Constitutional Convention. Issue 1 (26th March 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Evans, Adam
• Is Part Of: Political quarterly. Volume 86:Issue 1(2015:Jan./Mar.)
• Page Start: 24
• Page End: 32
• Publication Date: 2015-03-26
• Subjects: Political science -- Periodicals; Social sciences -- Periodicals; Great Britain -- Politics and government -- Periodicals; Great Britain -- Politics and government -- 1910-1936 -- Periodicals; 320.05
• DOI: 10.1111/1467-923X.12135
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0032-3179

Abstract

<abstract abstract-type="main" id="poqu12135-abs-0001"> <title>Abstract</title> <p>Amid the fallout from the Scottish independence referendum, a UK constitutional convention has been proposed as a mechanism to take stock not only of the referendum, but also of the past fifteen years of devolution. However, despite longstanding conceptions of British constitutional development, a constitutional convention would not herald a brave new world for the UK's constitution. As the article highlights, in the past hundred years there have been two attempts to treat the territorial constitution in the round: the Speaker's Conference on Devolution, 1919–1920 and the Royal Commission on the Constitution, 1969–1973. This article examines both of these forums, arguing that they provide clear warnings for a future UK constitutional convention, in particular the threat of internal division that any such forum risks facing. A danger that this article highlights is heightened by the associated difficulty of reaching agreement across the UK's 'state of unions'.</p> </abstract>