A-Level Politics — Government in the UK, USA & Ideas

The UK constitution

• Uncodified, flexible, unitary (though devolved), resting on parliamentary sovereignty and the rule of law. Sources: statute, common law, conventions, authoritative works (and formerly EU law).
• Reforms: devolution, the Human Rights Act 1998, Lords reform, the Supreme Court (2009). Debate over a codified constitution (clarity/rights vs flexibility/sovereignty).

Devolution and Wales

• Powers devolved to the Senedd (Welsh Parliament), the Scottish Parliament and Northern Ireland Assembly; the growth of Welsh devolution (from the 1997 referendum to primary law-making powers); asymmetry and the debates over further devolution, the West Lothian question and federalism.
• The distinctive Welsh dimension of the modern UK constitution (a key Eduqas focus).

Sovereignty

• Where sovereignty lies and how devolution and (formerly) the EU affected parliamentary sovereignty; the post-Brexit settlement.

Evaluation

• Has devolution strengthened UK democracy, and should the constitution be codified?

Use the sources and reforms - and the Welsh/Senedd dimension - to evaluate devolution's impact and whether the UK constitution should be codified.

Diagram