The Democratic Yorkshire Alliance event “Create a People’s Constitution for Yorkshire” takes place on 17 May 2023 online from 6.00pm to 8.00pm. Tickets can be obtained by using the link below. This event is free.
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/create-a-peoples-constitution-for-yorkshire-tickets-600394134017
The UK does not have a codified constitution. According to “Parliament’s Authority” published on the parliament.uk website; “Parliamentary sovereignty is a principle of the UK constitution. It makes Parliament the supreme legal authority in the UK, the courts cannot overrule its legislation and no Parliament can pass laws that future Parliaments cannot change. Parliamentary sovereignty is the most important part of the UK constitution.”
There are dangers here if Parliament becomes an elected dictatorship and runs out of control. The following analogy is taken from “What is a Constitution? Principles and Concepts” published by the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance.
“An analogy: the constitution as rules of the game
Imagine two teams playing a game of football. If the team in possession of the ball could change the rules of the game and appoint its own referee, then the game would hardly be fair. One team would always win, and the other would lose – or simply stop playing. This is like political life without a democratic constitutional order. The party, faction or group in power makes up the rules, and those in opposition are excluded from the game that is rigged against them. A democratic constitutional order acts like the rules of the game, and its guardians – for example, a constitutional court – are like the referee. They make sure that everyone can play the ‘political game’ fairly.”
The People’s Constitution for Yorkshire looks as though it could be very different from the feudal, elitist shambles that is the UK constitution, but how could it come about, where does it fit into the scheme of things and what does “securing sovereign control of its own affairs” actually mean for Yorkshire?
Follow this link to the discussion document that really needs to be read to get some sort of understanding of what the event is all about. A question here is whether all of the topics covered are purely constitutional or whether some of them stray into the arena of day to day politics. Join us on 17 May to find out.