Preface --
Acknowledgements --
Abbreviations --
Table of Cases --
Table of European Treaties --
Table of Statutes --

Part I Constitution, state and beyond --
The British constitutional order --
Nature of the British constitution --
(a) Fundamentals and fluidity --
(b) Constitutional safeguards --
2 The constitution and the state --
3 Constitutional law beyond the state --
4 Constitutional reform --
(a) No overall agenda? The coherence of constitutional reform --
(b) Constitutional continuity --
(c) Fate and future of constitutional reform --
(d) A written constitution? --
The ideas of the constitution --
1 Democracy and the constitution --
(a) Representative democracy --
(b) Participatory democracy --
2 Parliamentary sovereignty --
(a) Diceyan orthodoxy --
(b) Territorial extent of sovereignty: post-colonial independence --
(c) Continuing sovereignty and the 'new view' --
(d) Sovereignty reappraised: three contemporary challenges --
(i) Membership of the European Union --
(ii) Incorporation of fundamental rights --
(iii) Challenge of common law radicalism --
Conclusions --
3 The rule of law --
(a) Government under law --
(b) Equality before the law --
(c) Discretion and the rule of law --
(d) The rule of law: wider conceptions? --
(e) The rule of law and parliamentary sovereignty --
4 Separation of powers --
(a) A political ideal or a legal principle? --
(b) The courts in the constitution: judicial review and judicial law-making --
(c) Judicial independence and the position of the Lord Chancellor --
(d) The courts and Parliament --
(e) Parliament and the executive --
5 Accountability --
(a) Access to information and reasons --
3 Constitutional sources --
1 Legal rules --
(a) Statute --
(b) Subordinate legislation --
(c) Common law --
(i) Developing constitutional common law: a case study --
2 Conventions --
(a) How do conventions arise? --
(b) Doubtful conventions --
(i) Going to war --
(ii) Treaties: the Ponsonby Rule --
(iii) Law Officers' advice --
(c) Conventions and laws --
(d) Patriation of the Canadian constitution: a case study --
4 Devolution and the structure of the United Kingdom --
1 The United Kingdom as a union state --
(a) Federalism --
(b) Devolution 2 The countries of the United Kingdom --
(a) England --
(b) Scotland --
(i) Scotland in the Union --
(ii) Treaties: the Ponsonby Rule --
(iii) Law Officers' advice --
(c) Conventions and laws --
(d) Patriation of the Canadian constitution: a case study --
4 Devolution and the structure of the United Kingdom --
1 The United Kingdom as a union state --
(a) Federalism --
(b) Devolution --
2 The countries of the United Kingdom --
(a) England --
(b) Scotland --
(i) Scotland in the Union --
(ii) Government of Scotland before devolution --
(iii) Devolution under the Scotland Act 1998 --
(iv) Parliament and the devolution settlement
(ii) Government of Scotland before devolution --
(iii) Devolution under the Scotland Act 1998 --
(iv) Parliament and the devolution settlement --
(v) Conclusion: how settled is the current Scottish settlement? --
(c)Wales --
(i) Devolution under the Government of Wales Act 1998 --
(ii) Dissatisfaction with the 1998 scheme for Wales --
(iii) Devolution under the Government of Wales Act 2006 --
(d) Northern Ireland --
(i) Devolved government 1921-72 --
(ii) Direct rule --
(iii) Renewed search for a settlement --
(iv) Devolution under the Northern Ireland Act 1998 --
(v) Human rights and equality --
(vi) North-South ministerial council and British-Irish council --
(e) Devolution: conclusions --
3 Local government --
(a) Structure of local government --
(b) Functions of local authorities --
(i) Powers --
(ii) By-laws --
(iii) Ultra vires and judicial control --
(c) Central-local government relations --
5 The European dimensions --
1 European Convention on Human Rights --
(a) European Court of Human Rights and its impact on British constitutional law --
(b) Domestic influence of the ECHR --
(i) Before the Human Rights Act 1998 --
(ii) Human Rights Act 1998: its general scheme --
(iii) Impact thus far of the Human Rights Act 1998 --
2 The European Union --
(a) Nature and development of the European Union 2 --
(b) Institutional structure and law-making powers --
(i) Institutions and bodies of the European Union --
(ii) Law-making in the European Union --
(c) Principles of European law: supremacy, direct and indirect effect and state liability --
(i) Supremacy --
(ii) Direct and indirect effect --
(iii) State liability --
(d) EU law in the United Kingdom --
(i) Impact of EU membership on government and Parliamen --
(ii) European Communities Act 1972 --
(iii) Impact of EU membership on questions of public law --

Part II Government --
6 Crown and government --
1 The Crown --
(a) Privileges and immunities of the Crown --
2 Monarchy and the prerogative --
(a) Appointment of the Prime Minister --
(b) Dismissal of ministers --
(c) Dissolution of Parliament --
3 Central government --
(a) Ministers --
(i) Conduct of ministers --
(ii) Ministerial solidarity --
(b) The Prime Minister --
(i) The Prime Minister's Office --
(c) The Cabinet --
(i) Neither 'Prime Ministerial' nor 'Cabinet' government: the 'core executive' thesis --
(d) Ministerial committees of the Cabinet --
(e) Government departments --
(i) 'Next Steps': executive agencies --
(f) Non-departmental public bodies --
(i) Control and accountability --
(g) The civil service --
(i) The civil service: principles and conduct --
(ii) Civil servants and ministers --
(iii) Special advisers --
7 The powers of government --
1 Executive power --
2 The government's powers --
(a) Parliamentary legislation --
(i) Making of government bills --
(ii) Implementation and effectiveness of legislation --
(b) Delegated legislation --
(i) Statutory instruments --
(c) Prerogative legislation --
(d) Executive powers --
(1) Prerogative powers --
(i) Nature of the prerogative --
(iii) Prerogative and statutory powers --
(e) Administrative rule-making (quasi-legislation) --
(f) Guidance and codes of practice --(g) Voluntary agreement and self-regulation --

Part III Accountability --
8 Parties, groups and the people --
1 The people in the constitution --
2 Elections and the mandate --
(a) Review of constituency boundaries --
(b) Fairness of the contest --
(i) Election deposit --
(ii) Election expenditure --
(iii) The media --
(c) The electoral system --
(i) Some varieties of proportional representation --
(ii) The Jenkins Report --
(d) The mandate --
3 The people and government --
(a) Referendums --
4 Political parties --
(a) Selection of candidates --
(b) Party policy --
(c) Financial resources --
5 Pressure groups --
6 Open government --
(a) Code of Practice --
(b) Freedom of Information Act 2000 --
9 Parliament and the responsibility of government --
1 Introduction: responsible government --
2 Individual ministerial responsibility --
(a) A convention of resignation? --
(b) Responsibility of civil servants --
3 The power of Parliament --
(a) Opposition --
(b) Backbenchers --
(c) The House --
4 Control and scrutiny --
(a) Policy and administration --
(i) Debates --
(ii) Questions --
(iii) Select committees --
(iv) Parliamentary Ombudsman --
(b) Legislation --
(1) Primary legislation --
(ii) Delegated legislation --
(c) Finance --
(1) Public Accounts Committee --
5 The House of Lords --
(a) Reform --
10 The courts: judicial review and liability --
1 Nature and foundations of judicial review --
2 Grounds of review --
(a) Illegality --
(b) Irrationality --
(c) Proportionality --
(d) Procedural impropriety and unfairness --
(i) Bias --
(ii) Duty to act fairly
3 Scope and limits of judicial review --
(a) Scope of judicial review --
(b) Standing --
(c) Ouster clauses --
(d) Judicial review of prerogative powers --
4 Conclusion: the advance of judicial review --
5 Liability of the Crown --
(a) Contractual liability --
(b) Tortious liability --
(c) Liability in restitution --
6 Liability of public authorities --
(a) Contractual liability --
(b) Tortious liability --
7 Tribunals --

Part IV Liberty --
11 Liberty and the Constitution --
1 Sources of protection --
(a) Common law --
(b) Statute --
(c) Statutory interpretation --
(d) Delegated legislation--
2 Liberty and the Human Rights Act 1998 --
(a) The Convention rights --
(i) Absolute and qualified rights --
(ii) Positive and negative obligations --
(iii) Scope of protection --
(b) Convention rights and national security: a case study --
(i) National security before the Human Rights Act 1998 --
(ii) National security after the Human Rights Act 1998 --
(iii) Analysis and subsequent events --
3 Freedom of expression --
(a) Freedom of expression and democracy --
(b) The 'Spycatcher' cases --
(c) Freedom of expression as a common law 'constitutional right' --
(d) Freedom of expression and statute --
(e) Freedom of expression and the Human Rights Act 1998 --
(f) Conflict of rights Freedom of assembly 4 --
(a) Common law: the classic authorities --
(b) Common law preventive powers and breach of the peace --
(c) Freedom of assembly as a 'constitutional right' --
(d) Statutory restrictions on freedom of assembly --
Index.