VOLUME I
PAGE
Introductory Note on the Constitution[1]
PART I.—THE CENTRAL GOVERNMENT
CHAPTER I
The Crown[16]
CHAPTER II
The Crown and the Cabinet[27]
CHAPTER III
The Cabinet and the Ministers[53]
CHAPTER IV
The Executive Departments[81]
CHAPTER V
The Treasury[115]
CHAPTER VI
Miscellaneous Offices[131]
CHAPTER VII
The Permanent Civil Service[145]
CHAPTER VIII
The Ministers and the Civil Service[173]
CHAPTER IX
The House of Commons—Constituencies and Voters[195]
CHAPTER X
The House of Commons—Electoral Procedure[219]
CHAPTER XI
The House of Commons—Disqualifications, Privilege, Sessions[239]
CHAPTER XII
Procedure in the House of Commons—The House, its Rules and Officers[248]
CHAPTER XIII
Procedure in the House of Commons—Committees and Public Bills[264]
CHAPTER XIV
Procedure in the House of Commons—Money Bills and Accounts[279]
CHAPTER XV
Procedure in the House of Commons—Closure[292]
CHAPTER XVI
Procedure in the House of Commons—Sittings and Order of Business[302]
CHAPTER XVII
The Cabinet's Control of the Commons[309]
CHAPTER XVIII
The Commons' Control of the Cabinet[327]
CHAPTER XIX
The Form and Contents of Statutes[356]
CHAPTER XX
Private Bill Legislation[367]
CHAPTER XXI
The House of Lords[394]
CHAPTER XXII
The Cabinet and the House of Lords[405]
CHAPTER XXIII
The Cabinet and the Country[423]
PART II.—THE PARTY SYSTEM
CHAPTER XXIV
Party and the Parliamentary System[435]
CHAPTER XXV
Party Organisation in Parliament[448]
CHAPTER XXVI
Non-party Organisations outside of Parliament[458]
CHAPTER XXVII
Local Party Organisations[466]
CHAPTER XXVIII
Action of Local Organisations[491]
CHAPTER XXIX
The Rise and Fall of the Caucus—The Liberals[501]
CHAPTER XXX
The Rise and Fall of the Caucus—The Conservatives[535]
VOLUME II
CHAPTER XXXI
Ancillary Party Organisations1
CHAPTER XXXII
The Functions of Party Organisations18
CHAPTER XXXIII
The Labour Party24
CHAPTER XXXIV
Candidates and Elections46
CHAPTER XXX
The Strength of Party Ties71
CHAPTER XXXV
Political Oscillations101
CHAPTER XXXVII
The Existing Parties113
PART III.—LOCAL GOVERNMENT
CHAPTER XXXVIII
Areas of Local Government129
CHAPTER XXXIX
Boroughs—The Town Council144
CHAPTER XL
Boroughs—The Permanent Officials171
CHAPTER XLI
Boroughs—Powers and Resources181
CHAPTER XLII
London202
CHAPTER XLIII
The London County Council215
CHAPTER XLIV
Municipal Trading233
CHAPTER XLV
Other Local Authorities268
CHAPTER XLVI
Central Control284
PART IV.—EDUCATION
CHAPTER XLVII
Public Elementary Education295
CHAPTER XLVIII
Secondary Education324
CHAPTER XLIX
The Universities343
CHAPTER L
Education in Scotland354
PART V.—THE CHURCH
CHAPTER LI
Organisation of the Church362
CHAPTER LII
Revenues of the Church374
CHAPTER LIII
The Free Church Federation380
PART VI.—THE EMPIRE
CHAPTER LIV
Component Parts of the Empire386
CHAPTER LV
The Self-governing Colonies392
CHAPTER LVI
The Crown Colonies408
CHAPTER LVII
India and the Protectorates420
CHAPTER LVIII
Imperial Federation430
PART VII.—THE COURTS OF LAW
CHAPTER LIX
History of the Courts439
CHAPTER LX
The Existing Courts451
CHAPTER LXI
The English Conception of Law471
CHAPTER LXII
Effects of the Conception of Law489
PART VIII.—REFLECTIONS
CHAPTER LXIII
Aristocracy and Democracy505
CHAPTER LXIV
Public, Private and Local Interests514
CHAPTER LXV
The Growth of Paternalism520
CHAPTER LXVI
Party and Class Legislation531
CHAPTER LXVII
Conclusion539
INDEX541

INTRODUCTORY NOTE ON THE CONSTITUTION

Different Meanings of the word Constitution.

De Tocqueville declared that the English Constitution did not really exist,[1:1] and he said so because in his mind the word "constitution" meant a perfectly definite thing to which nothing in England conformed. An examination of modern governments shows, however, that the thing is by no means so definite as he had supposed.

A Document Embodying the Chief Institutions.

The term "constitution" is usually applied to an attempt to embody in a single authoritative document, or a small group of documents, the fundamental political institutions of a state. But such an attempt is rarely, if ever, completely successful; and even if the constitution when framed covers all the main principles on which the government is based, it often happens that they become modified in practice, or that other principles arise, so that the constitution no longer corresponds fully with the actual government of the country. In France, for example, the principle that the cabinet can stay in office only so long as it retains the confidence of the popular chamber, the principle, in short, of a ministry responsible in the parliamentary sense, was not mentioned in the charters of 1814 or 1830, and yet it was certainly firmly established in the reign of Louis Philippe; and it is noteworthy that this same principle, on which the whole political system of the English self-governing colonies is based, appears neither in the British North American Act nor in the Australian Federation Act. The first of those statutes, following the English tradition, speaks of the Privy Council for Canada,[1:2] but never of the cabinet or the ministers; while the Australian Act, going a step farther, refers to the Queen's Ministers of State,[1:3] but ignores their responsibility to the parliament.[2:1] Again, in the United States, the provision that the electoral college shall choose the President has become so modified in practice that the electors must vote for the candidate nominated by the party to which they owe their own election. In choosing the President they have become, by the force of custom, as much a mere piece of mechanism as the Crown in England when giving its assent to acts passed by the two Houses of Parliament. Their freedom of choice is as obsolete as the royal veto. So far, therefore, as this meaning of the term is concerned, the constitution of England differs from those of other countries rather in degree than in kind. It differs in the fact that the documents, being many statutes, are very numerous, and the part played by custom is unusually large.

Not Changeable by Ordinary Legislation.