A written constitution?
Speech by Lord Bingham of Cornhill, at the Judicial Studies Board Annual Lecture 2004
01/01/2004
Lord Bingham wondered whether, "at long last", the UK should adopt some form of fixed and written constitution.
He considered the arguments for and against such a move - including the example of the United States - and the question of whether the written law would truly be simplified by a single constitutional document.
"The most potent argument against a codified constitution is, as it seems to me, the degree of inflexibility which it necessarily, and intentionally, imposes. However wise, well-balanced and comprehensive the terms of a constitution may be at the time of its adoption, the passage of time is bound to render some of its provisions obsolete, mischievous or embarrassing."
