Efficient Secrets
Constitutions provide the basic laws and principles of government for modern states. They determine the powers and duties of those who govern, and guarantee rights and freedoms to those who are governed. Yet few countries politics can be understood through these documents alone. Constitutions have, in Walter Bagehot’s famous formulation, “secrets” which don’t always align to “the traditional theory, as it exists in all the books”. This podcast looks at the different efficient secrets of democratic constitutions, as well as the challenges to them, to gain deeper insights into the unstable and fractious politics of the twenty first century – a time when democratic politics finds itself under increasing attack. The podcast is part of a broader project, the Oxford Constitutional Studies Forum, which brings together scholars of law and politics to understand the challenges faced by liberal democracies across the world today.
Efficient Secrets
Is the UK Experiencing Democratic Backsliding?: Courts, Parliament and the Rule of Law
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Oxford Constitutional Studies Forum
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Season 1
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Episode 6
The United Kingdom is one of the worlds longest standing democracies, with an even longer tradition of constitutional government and the rule of law. However, in recent years increasing questions have been raised about whether British democracy is in decline. In the first of two episodes on this topic, we look at issues around the rule of law in the UK; from issues causes by the removal of the supranational framework of the EU, to attacks on Parliament and proposed reforms to judicial review and the Human Rights Act. Is the UK weaking its democracy?