ABSTRACT
So far the principal focus of this book has been upon the nature and extent of constitutional change in the institutional arrangements of this country both in the distant past (when that is necessary for an understanding of the present) and since the arrival in power of the Labour Government in May 1997. Yet the definition of constitutional change needs in all conscience to be broader than that if the reader is to get a complete understanding of what is implied by the word ‘constitutional’ in the British context. It needs to include some discussion of changes in the rules of the political game, which have been extensive under Labour since 1997, and in the methods of democratic decision making which are likely to have considerable longer-term significance for this country.
