Lack of written constitution is fuelling Britain’s bad-tempered Brexit debate
Re: “The Great Brexit Betrayal – latter-day Cromwell urgently needed”, Have Your Say, yesterday.
As Britain lacks a written constitution, I doubt whether the legal case to force through Brexit mentioned by Mr Pike will succeed – too many grey areas. Mr Pike also errs in claiming that democracy was more robust in the wake of the Magna Carta. There wasn’t much democracy at the time of the Magna Carta, just feudal lords asserting their rights. Incidentally its provisions over the years have nearly all been repealed.
The foreigner of Phang Nga, one no doubt who thinks he can do as he pleases in Thailand, goes on to speak of those of “foreign origins” living in Britain who “are free to pursue their quaint cultural practices of child rape, female genital mutilation, drug-trafficking and inter-tribal warfare”. Actually their origins derive mostly from subjects of the British Empire. (Of course this has nothing to do with the EU.) Then as now these people are required to obey the law. Space does not permit me to list the convictions for the offences Mr Pike refers to. No one is above the law.
The extension of the date of Britain leaving the EU was by Statutory Instrument properly voted on by the Houses of Parliament.
It should also be noted that, at the time of Oliver Cromwell, the Commonwealth did have a written constitution – the Instrument of Government – although this was followed by a period of military rule (does that sound familiar?). After that the Humble Petition and Advice became the constitution until its repeal.
Today, in our complex world, Britain would do well to codify its constitution into one document to enshrine democracy.
Ian Martin
Bangkok
