This book examines a number of ideas which are key to understanding the phenomena which we call “constitutions”, including power, political associations, institutions and the common good.

This book examines how constitutions, and the UK's in particular, emerge from disagreement and power tussles.

Tensions arise over both distribution and use of powers. A constitution seeks a degree of stability, but also adjusts dynamically to social, economic, military and political events and changing expectations of the state and what makes it legitimate. To show how these processes work, the book illustrates how different kinds of power are allocated between state institutions at different levels of government, how they are distributed between institutions at the same level of government, and some of the values which animate the relationships between institutions. To understand the nature of constitutional practices and rules, the book compares the UK's constitution with aspects of other countries' constitutional accommodations.

It is hoped that people embarking on the study or practice of law, politics or government will find this useful, and that more established practitioners, scholars and general readers will also find it interesting.