ABSTRACT

Constitutional reform stands placed to occupy centre stage of a Blair Government. It has all the charm of a wadi in the middle of the sub-Sahara. It is after all an idea. And the governing principle of New Labour has been that ideas are like legs to midVictorians, necessary but dubious. And those that do exist for the new Government, ideas that is, have a peculiarly metaphysical quality about them. Alec Salmond of the Scottish Nationalists put it best: Tony Blair says “Education, education, education” and Gordon Brown says “No money, no money, no money!”.’ So if Labour want to do anything and maybe get into the history books in addition to being talked about and photographed getting on and off aeroplanes, they had better do something cheap. Which brings us to constitutional reform.