The Westminster System "Model" or "Muddle"?

Laurence Whitehead

《Taiwan Journal of Democracy》 Special Issue (2013/05) Pp. 9-38

並列摘要

In Lijphart's conceptual schema, the Westminster Model constitutes the prototypical instance of majoritarianism. Historically, the United Kingdom system has indeed provided a ”model,” in the sense that it has influenced various other democracies (albeit imperfectly). Even in its prime, it possessed sui generis features that could not be generalized. This essay focuses on the many constitutional modifications introduced since 1997. The U. K. system has recently diverged ever further from the Model, owing both to devolution and also to a range of other measures that were loosely justified by the intention to make it more consensual. In its current state, it may still be majoritarian in spirit, but it also contains features of coalition politics; direct democracy; some judicialization of rights; and a proliferation of delegated authorities. All mingle in an uncomfortable combination. The present system is also unstable, with an uncertain and underdetermined future trajectory. The essay concludes with some implications of this case study for Lijphart's broader comparative enterprise.

並列關鍵字

Constitutionalism ； conceptual mapping ； majoritarianism ； power hoarding ； Westminster Model

參考文獻

http://www.democraticaudit.com (accessed April 7, 2013)

BBC Web site, September 28, 2010 , contains wording of the PM's annotation

Amery, Leo(1953).Thoughts on the Constitution.Oxford:Oxford University Press.

Bagehot, Walter(1963).The English Constitution.London:Fontana.

Bingham, Tom(2010).The Rule of Law.London:Allen Lane.