Changing States, Changing Nations : Constitutional Reform and National Identity in the Late Twentieth Century

This book presents the remarkable constitutional reforms undertaken by the Blair and Brown governments in the UK. The reforms are remarkable in that they had the potential to change the way Britons understood the national identity of the UK. The book illuminates the ambitions of the key players in Whitehall and Westminster and is enriched through a study of comparable constitutional reforms in Canada and Australia: the Charter of Rights and Freedoms pioneered by Pierre Trudeau and the attempt by Paul Keating to make Australia a Republic. The Canadian and Australian chapters are a contribution to the political history of those nations and a device for understanding the changes in Britain. The author is an expert in the use of Freedom of Information and was a senior policy maker in Whitehall working primarily on constitutional reform. Readers will benefit from the author’s unrivalled access to interviewees and documentary sources in the three countries covered in the book. Foreword Acknowledgements Contents Archives and Manuscript Collections Consulted, with Abbreviations Used in Notes Publisher’s Note 1. Constitutional Reform and National Identity I. Constitutional Reform in Britain under Blair and Brown II. Comparative Studies of Constitutional Reform III. Rationale for Selection of Case Studies IV. Definitions: Nation and Nation State V. National Myths and Symbols VI. National Identity VII. Changes in National Identity VIII. National Identity and Constitutional Reform IX. Comparative Case Studies X. Changing States, Changing Nations 2. 'Doing Good By Stealth': Tony Blair and Reform of the British Constitution I. Labour and Constitutional Reform II. Labour and the Maximalists: The 1987 Parliament III. Labour Policy-making in the Wake of the 1992 Defeat IV. Labour and the Nation V. New Labour and the Constitution VI. Shuffling the Pack: Preparing for Government VII. New Labour, No Britain VIII. Cook-Maclennan IX. From the Manifesto to the Polls X. The Election XI. Into Government XII. The First Session: May 1997–November 1998 XIII. The Second Session: November 1998–November 1999 XIV. The End of the Affair: New Labour and the Liberal Democrats XV. The Third and Fourth Sessions: November 1999–June 2001 XVI. The First Term: Constitutional Reform Delivered? XVII. The 2001 Manifesto XVIII. The Constitution in the Second Term: 2001–05 XIX. The Constitution in the Third Term: Blair's Final Years XX. Britain's Quiet Constitutional Revolution 3. 'Just Watch Me': Pierre Trudeau and the Canadian Constitution I. Canada at the Centenary II. Enter Trudeau III. From the Centenary to Victoria IV. Stasis V. From PQ Victory to Liberal Defeat VI. A Final Chance VII. Quebec Votes VIII. Constitutional Reform in the Wake of the No Vote IX. Going it Alone X. One Last Try XI. Aftermath XII. Consequences XIII. The Sesquicentenary of Confederation 4. 'A Small But Significant Step': Australia and the Republic I. The Combatants II. Enter Paul Keating III. Mapping the Course: The Republic Advisory Committee IV. Becalmed V. John Howard and the Republic VI. The Convention VII. Australia Votes No VIII. Why the Republic was Lost IX. Where Next for Republican Australia? X. Constitutional Change and National Identity 5. 'Power to The People'?: The UK Constitution After Blair I. Brown Arrives II. Britishness III. Governance of Britain IV. The Coalition and Constitutional Reform V. Brexit VI. What Next for the British Constitution? VII. Public Engagement VIII. Public Reaction to the Reforms IX. The Future of Britain X. Brown and the Constitution 6. Changing States, Changing Nations I. Three Stories: One Pattern? II. Lessons for Reformers? III. Re-engineering National Identity IV. Changing States, Changing Nations Note on Sources Select Bibliography Index "This book takes four recent examples of constitutional reform - in the UK, USA, Canada and Australia - and shows how each challenged citizens' basic understanding of what it was to be part of the nation. Vividly told, the narratives explore the ambitions of reformers to reshape their nations; Trudeau's bid to recast the Canadian Confederation; Keating's attempt to secure an Australian Republic; New Labour's radical reworking of the British constitution; and a campaign by the Right in the USA to grant the Stars & Stripes constitutional protection against violation. Taken together the stories explore shifting concepts of nationhood but each is, in its own right, an important contribution to the political history of the nation in question. The three Commonwealth stories contrast with their American counterpart. In Canada, Australia and the UK globalisation is threatening the established model of nationhood derived from a shared history, culture and ethnicity. Reformers are reaching for a national identity based on a common commitment to fundamental values and beliefs - in other words, the founding premise of the United States, the first modern nation. But the US tale is a cautionary one: it shows how a national community which purports to unite behind certain precepts can, in practice, engage in partisan contests in politics and in the courts to redefine the meaning of those allegedly shared precepts. A common creed may prove to be the starting point for dissent, not its conclusion. Why does all this matter? Because few things are more important to us than who we are how we relate to one another. In the present century globalisation will place ever greater pressure on our concept of nationhood and our sense of belonging. This book offers insights into the choices facing reformers and factors which determine their success"-- Provided by publisher