Public law - Essay Example

As such, it specifies the law and the non – legal principles and methods that demarcate governance at the central and local levels. In addition, the constitution imposes limits on the exercise of governmental powers and describes the rights and responsibilities of citizens1. A Constitution is a set of principles by which a country is governed. It can be either written or unwritten. The United Kingdom has an uncodified constitution, which is a combination of statues, common law principles and customs2.

The objective of a constitution is to provide and guarantee the fundamental rights of its citizens. In some countries, the fundamental rights are provided either by the constitution, by the very structure of the government or by precedent. The unwritten constitution of the UK does not ensure or protect the fundamental rights of its citizens. There is no separation of powers at national level under the unwritten constitution of the UK. Every country has some form of a constitution and establishes its governments on the basis of such a constitution.

For instance, the government of the US requires its citizens to respect the national laws, whatever their status may be. The US Constitution guarantees the fundamental rights of its citizens; and it also ensures the stability of its government3. The unwritten constitution of the United Kingdom is comprised of traditions, customs, some common law principles, the Magna Charta of 1215, the English Bill of Rights of 1687, several acts passed by its Parliament and the case law developed by English courts.

In contrast to this, the United States’ constitution is a written document, which is a combination of the federal system of government and the Bill of Rights4. Codified or written constitutions are formally written by their drafters. Furthermore, these constitutions are generally based on important constitutional principles. The political institutions of