Book Description

"This book takes four recent examples of constitutional reform - in the UK, USA, Canada and Australia - and shows how each challenged citizens' basic understanding of what it was to be part of the nation. Vividly told, the narratives explore the ambitions of reformers to reshape their nations; Trudeau's bid to recast the Canadian Confederation; Keating's attempt to secure an Australian Republic; New Labour's radical reworking of the British constitution; and a campaign by the Right in the USA to grant the Stars & Stripes constitutional protection against violation.Taken together the stories explore shifting concepts of nationhood but each is, in its own right, an important contribution to the political history of the nation in question. The three Commonwealth stories contrast with their American counterpart. In Canada, Australia and the UK globalisation is threatening the established model of nationhood derived from a shared history, culture and ethnicity. Reformers are reaching for a national identity based on a common commitment to fundamental values and beliefs - in other words, the founding premise of the United States, the first modern nation. But the US tale is a cautionary one: it shows how a national community which purports to unite behind certain precepts can, in practice, engage in partisan contests in politics and in the courts to redefine the meaning of those allegedly shared precepts. A common creed may prove to be the starting point for dissent, not its conclusion. Why does all this matter? Because few things are more important to us than who we are how we relate to one another. In the present century globalisation will place ever greater pressure on our concept of nationhood and our sense of belonging. This book offers insights into the choices facing reformers and factors which determine their success"--