About this Symposium
Barber’s The United Kingdom Constitution: An Introduction recognises and embraces the constitution’s historical, social, political, and legal dimensions. It critically examines the radical changes to the UK constitution that have occurred over the last thirty years, paying particular attention to the revival of the constituent territories of the UK - Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, and England - and to the increasing role played by the judges in constitutional disputes. Barber explores the constitutional principles, including state sovereignty, separation of powers, democracy, subsidiarity, and the rule of law, principles which set the overall structure of the constitution and inform statutes and the decisions of judges
Barber’s book is widely regarded to be both deep and simply expressed at the same time, recalling some of the fine and lasting titles produced by Oxford’s Clarendon Law series over the years. In this session, a range of UCL public law scholars will explore the contents of the book in a discussion which, consistently with the book itself, will be pitched to be both deep and accessible to undergraduate students, who are most heartily welcome to join the event. The event, like the book, is for both research-active scholars and public policy makers as well as students coming to grips with the basics of the constitution.
The Speaker
Professor Nick Barber (Oxford University)
The Commentators
- Professor Erin Delaney (UCL Laws)
- Professor Tom Hickman (UCL Laws)
- Professor Jeff King (UCL Laws)
- Professor Colm O'Cinneide (UCL Laws)
- Dr Ewan Smith (UCL Laws)