The idea was pioneered by the United States, the first modern democracy with a written constitution.
Mr Benn's Commonwealth of Britain Bill - introduced in 1991, was the last attempt to legislate a written constitution.
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Ms Gavison argues that no other court in the world has simply given itself such powers without a written constitution.
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The clarity of a written constitution may give America an advantage over many European countries, where unwritten custom has more sway.
They will need to have a written constitution and a governing body, composed of a nurse, lay people and a hospital specialist.
America has the world's oldest written constitution (drafted in 1787) and two of the world's oldest political parties (established in 1828 and 1854).
After the interminable rows that marred the EU summit in Nice in 2000, it was realised that the expanding Union needed a written constitution.
Whether the European Union will be able to do any of the things a written constitution should have done is a question which remains open.
Continental politicos should, but probably won't, think about how to devise procedures and institutions to give people real powers that are protected by a written constitution.
In 1959, Brunei's first written constitution was promulgated.
The Leader of the Liberal Democrats, Nick Clegg, writes in the Observer today that Britain needs a written constitution - a document that formally limits the power of politicians and enshrines the supremacy of the citizen.
Labour had looked at having a Bill of Rights and Responsibilities as the basis of a written constitution - the then Justice Secretary Jack Straw believed a written statement of "common values" would help social cohesion.
The concept of civic duty has been used by those in favour of creating a written constitution for the UK - the argument being that if you know what's expected of you by society, you're more likely to do it.
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The paper notes that there would ultimately be a written constitution in an independent Scotland but that a constitutional platform, covering such matters as finance, the law and international agreements, would be needed in the interim to enable Holyrood to operate independently.
But, as I've explained to you before, Nigel, the United States, unlike the United Kingdom, has a written Constitution, and even people who do not consider themselves strict constructionists agree that there is no provision in the Constitution for wishing a President away.
Leaders on both sides of the independence debate have clashed over plans for a written Scottish constitution.
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Dower is also very good at detailing the genesis of the American-written Japanese Constitution, which, he says, was partly a means to head off other drafts, some from the Japanese, that would have abolished the monarchy.
The principle was written into the constitution this year, but will take years to implement.
The last will need a two-thirds majority in Congress: public ownership of oil is written into the constitution.
The voters rejected, in the same referendum, a new preamble for the constitution written by him which would have given constitutional recognition to indigenous Australians for the first time.
Nevertheless, some of Mr Bush's fellow Republicans in Congress propose having a ban on gay marriage written into the constitution, just to be sure, and Mr Bush is thinking of backing them.
But as you know, it is in the absolute core of our being as Americans that we allow freedom of expression that is written into our Constitution and is one of our fundamental principles.
The draft constitution, written by a committee of experts after extensive public consultation, is popular.
Cagaptay agrees that as a new constitution is written in Turkey, the Kurdish issue must be tackled.
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Are we willing to contemplate expanding the Governing Council, changing its nature, before a constitution is written?
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The next President must have the courage to nominate individuals who will interpret the laws and Constitution as written.
The Constitution was written specifically to limit the powers of the federal government.
This was one the main reasons that the new constitution was written, to allow the central government to collect taxes.
Even if a deal has been reached this time around, the issue will flare up again when a permanent constitution is written.
Failing that, we should live with the Constitution as written and ratified.
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