ABSTRACT
Impeachment matters. Since its origins in 1376 impeachment has played a significant role in the political and constitutional life of both England (Britain and then the United Kingdom) and the United States of America. This chapter is intended to set out what exactly is meant by impeachment for the purposes of this volume and to answer some key questions relating to impeachment. It is intended to serve as an overview of the discussion that our contributors will engage in within their own chapters that look at Britain, Ireland and the United States of America. The inclusion of Ireland within this volume reflects the legacy that impeachment has had on Ireland, both in terms of its use by the Irish House of Commons in the seventeenth century and in the decision to include an impeachment mechanism in the Irish Constitution. We will begin by defining impeachment and setting out the impeachment process, before considering impeachment as an accountability mechanism, and how it was used in Britain and the United States of America. We will give our reasons for why we believe impeachment matters, before offering an overview of the chapters within this volume.
