Caribbean Constitutional Reform

Caribbean Constitutional Reform PDF Author: Simeon C. R. McIntosh
Publisher: Ian Randle Publishers
ISBN: 9789768167286
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
"This is the first book to be written on Caribbean constitutional theory. In the continuing discourse and emergent project of constitutional reform in the Commonwealth Caribbean, it examines the origins of the Independence Constitutions across the Commonwealth Caribbean and traces the region's constitutional development from the time of the emancipation of slavery through to independence. At its core is the premise that constitutional reform must necessarily result in a redefining of West Indian political identity. The theme throughout the book is the fact that the written constitutions of the Caribbean all have their origin in the British Parliament and the unwritten English constitution that has evolved over centuries. The existing constitutions were all the result of the collaborative efforts of the region's political elite and British officials, with no participation from the West Indian people. The Crown is still claimed and the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council remains the final appellate court. In the result, political independence has simply meant that the countries of the Commonwealth Caribbean are independent subjects of the Crown rather than colonial subjects. The book begins with the process of 'lawful devolution of sovereignty' and the origins of the sovereign states of the Commonwealth Caribbean and proceeds to address the theoretical issues of founding and amendability as well as such pressing issues about the relationship between a prime minister and a head of state in a parliamentary republic and electoral reform. An entire chapter is devoted to the Bill of Rights and addresses the fundamental rights and freedoms preserved in Caribbean Bills of Rights as well as the controversial and paradoxical Savings Clauses, which in and of themselves might justify the rewriting of the fundamental rights provisions of Commonwealth Caribbean Constitutions. Caribbean Constitutional Reform offers a philosophical justification for the establishment of a Caribbean Supreme Court based on the idea of sovereignty and the right of a people to define themselves. This work makes the first definitive step to addressing these critical issues in Caribbean constitutional theory and sets the stage for a 'new constitutional discourse' shaped by a Caribbean court of final appeal. "

Caribbean Constitutional Reform

Caribbean Constitutional Reform PDF Author: Simeon C. R. McIntosh
Publisher: Ian Randle Publishers
ISBN: 9789768167286
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
"This is the first book to be written on Caribbean constitutional theory. In the continuing discourse and emergent project of constitutional reform in the Commonwealth Caribbean, it examines the origins of the Independence Constitutions across the Commonwealth Caribbean and traces the region's constitutional development from the time of the emancipation of slavery through to independence. At its core is the premise that constitutional reform must necessarily result in a redefining of West Indian political identity. The theme throughout the book is the fact that the written constitutions of the Caribbean all have their origin in the British Parliament and the unwritten English constitution that has evolved over centuries. The existing constitutions were all the result of the collaborative efforts of the region's political elite and British officials, with no participation from the West Indian people. The Crown is still claimed and the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council remains the final appellate court. In the result, political independence has simply meant that the countries of the Commonwealth Caribbean are independent subjects of the Crown rather than colonial subjects. The book begins with the process of 'lawful devolution of sovereignty' and the origins of the sovereign states of the Commonwealth Caribbean and proceeds to address the theoretical issues of founding and amendability as well as such pressing issues about the relationship between a prime minister and a head of state in a parliamentary republic and electoral reform. An entire chapter is devoted to the Bill of Rights and addresses the fundamental rights and freedoms preserved in Caribbean Bills of Rights as well as the controversial and paradoxical Savings Clauses, which in and of themselves might justify the rewriting of the fundamental rights provisions of Commonwealth Caribbean Constitutions. Caribbean Constitutional Reform offers a philosophical justification for the establishment of a Caribbean Supreme Court based on the idea of sovereignty and the right of a people to define themselves. This work makes the first definitive step to addressing these critical issues in Caribbean constitutional theory and sets the stage for a 'new constitutional discourse' shaped by a Caribbean court of final appeal. "

The New Constitution Movement

The New Constitution Movement PDF Author: Martinus François
Publisher: Trafford Publishing
ISBN: 1466913894
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 78

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Book Description
THE NEW CONSTITUTION MOVEMENT sets out boldly to fill the void that was left after the disbanding of the Constitutional Review Commission and its Report, which became yet another casualty of the myopic self-interest of our postcolonial two-party dictatorship political system in St. Lucia known as the Westminster Model. The extraordinary thing about THE NEW CONSTITUTION MOVEMENT is that it should be read as a fitting epitaph to the Westminster Model of political governance bequeathed to us by London as part of our 1979 Independence gift. The basic postulation of THE NEW CONSTITUTION MOVEMENT is that government and politics in St. Lucia, the OECS and the wider Caribbean needs to be reinvented for a post-postcolonial 21st-century society. The fact is, building a new 21st-century society on the wreckage of the old and decrepit postcolonial structures involves the design of new, more appropriate political systems which must be altogether tougher, more challenging, more positive, more ambitious, more inspirational, more generational and, above all, more transformational. This book shows how, through a process of social reengineering, we need to radically overhaul or even scrap many of the hitherto sacred cows of the colonially inherited Westminster system to the point that they may even lose some of their traditional meanings: the Monarchy, the Office of Governor-General, the Executive Branch, the Office of Prime Minister, the Cabinet System, the Legislative Branch, the Senate, the Office of Leader of the Opposition, the Political Parties, the Public Service, Local and Municipal Government, and last but not least, Regional Integration.

Fundamental Rights and Democratic Governance

Fundamental Rights and Democratic Governance PDF Author: Simeon C. R. McIntosh
Publisher: Ian Randle Publishers
ISBN: 9768167432
Category : Capital punishment
Languages : en
Pages : 356

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Book Description
"The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) has assumed a greater role in guiding and coordinating the affairs of its member states. The introduction of the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME) and the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) bring the quest for democratic governance into sharp relief. Using Caribbean cases, Simeon McIntosh discusses the fundamental rights and freedoms of speech and of the press, freedom of religion and freedom form inhuman and degrading punishment. He examines the protection of these rights and freedoms in the light of changes in society, social progress and other developments in the Commonwealth Caribbean within the context of the CSME and the CCJ. Fundamental Rights and Democratic Governance is the first body of work to give serious philosophical treatment to the question of fundamental rights in the Caribbean. In this second instalment on Caribbean Constitutionalism, McIntosh builds on his earlier work, Caribbean Constitutional Reform: Rethinking the West Indian Polity, in laying the theoretical justification for the Caribbean Court of Justice. "

Constitutional Reform in the Caribbean

Constitutional Reform in the Caribbean PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 48

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Book Description


The Oxford Handbook of Caribbean Constitutions

The Oxford Handbook of Caribbean Constitutions PDF Author: Richard Albert
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0192511491
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 704

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Book Description
The Oxford Handbook of Caribbean Constitutions offers a detailed and analytical view of the constitutions of the Caribbean region, examining the constitutional development of its diverse countries. The Handbook explains the features of the region's constitutions and examines themes emerging from the Caribbean's experience with constitutional interpretation and reform. Beginning with a Foreword from the former President of the Caribbean Court of Justice and an Introduction by the lead editor, Richard Albert, the remainder of the book is divided into four parts. Part I, 'Caribbean Constitutions in the World', highlights what is distinctive about the constitutions of the Caribbean. Part II covers the constitutions of the Caribbean in detail, offering a rich analysis of the constitutional history, design, controversies, and future challenges in each country or group of countries. Each chapter in this section addresses topics such as the impact of key historical and political events on the constitutional landscape for the jurisdiction, a systematic account of the interaction between the legislature and the executive, the civil service, the electoral system, and the independence of the judiciary. Part III addresses fundamental rights debates and developments in the region, including the death penalty and socio-economic rights. Finally, Part IV features critical reflections on the challenges and prospects for the region, including the work of the Caribbean Court of Justice and the future of constitutional reform. This is the first book of its kind, bringing together in a single volume a comprehensive review of the constitutional development of the entire Caribbean region, from the Bahamas in the north to Guyana and Suriname in South America, and all the islands in between. While written in English, the book embraces the linguistic and cultural diversity of the region, and covers the Anglophone Caribbean as well as the Spanish-, French-, and Dutch-speaking Caribbean countries.

West Indian Constitutions

West Indian Constitutions PDF Author: Sir Fred Phillips
Publisher: New York : Oceana Publications
ISBN:
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 406

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Book Description
Reference book, commenting on the trends in constitutional reform of Caribbean countries since their independence - discusses historical background; presents case studies of Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, St Kitts Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago and Turks and Caicos Islands; considers the powers of judges and the heads of states. Bibliography.

The Constitutional Systems of the Commonwealth Caribbean

The Constitutional Systems of the Commonwealth Caribbean PDF Author: Derek O'Brien
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1782253955
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 336

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Book Description
The Commonwealth Caribbean comprises a group of countries (mainly islands) lying in an arc between Florida in the north and Venezuela in the south. Varying widely in terms of their size, population, ethnic composition and economic wealth, these countries are, nevertheless, linked by their shared experience of colonial rule under the British Empire and their decision, upon attaining independence, to adopt a constitutional system of government based on the so-called 'Westminster model'. Since independence these countries have, in the main, enjoyed a sustained period of relative political stability, which is in marked contrast to the experience of former British colonies in Africa and Asia. This book seeks to explore how much of this is due to their constitutional arrangements by examining the constitutional systems of these countries in their context and questioning how well the Westminster model of democracy has successfully adapted to its transplantation to the Commonwealth Caribbean. While taking due account of the region's colonial past and its imprint on postcolonial constitutionalism, the book also considers notable developments that have occurred since independence. These include the transformation of Guyana from a parliamentary democracy to a Cooperative Republic with an executive president; the creation of a Caribbean Single Market and Economy and its implications for national sovereignty; and the replacement of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council by the Caribbean Court of Justice as the final court of appeal for a number of countries in the region. The book also addresses the resurgence of interest in constitutional reform across the region in the last two decades, which has culminated in demands for radical reforms of the Westminster model of government and the severance of all remaining links with colonial rule.

Democracy and Constitution Reform in Trinidad and Tobago

Democracy and Constitution Reform in Trinidad and Tobago PDF Author: Kirk Peter Meighoo
Publisher: Ian Randle Publishers
ISBN: 976637337X
Category : Constitutional history
Languages : en
Pages : 266

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Book Description
"The countries of the Commonwealth Caribbean are all self-governing, determining their own futures. But some 40 years after gaining independence from Britain, the question remains whether these countries are truly democratic and whether the parliamentary and electoral systems adopted, are well suited to the Caribbean experience. Meighoo and Jamadar answer these questions in the negative. A true democracy, they argue, is one where the Legislature has the authority and the strength to make the Executive effectively accountable and responsible to it and where the electoral system results in the true practical separation of the Legislature and the Executive. Using Trinidad and Tobago as the model, Democracy and Constitution Reform in Trinidad and Tobago offers an overview of the constitutional reform process in the Commonwealth Caribbean. In these young, postcolonial democracies, where party politics have had a negative impact on the process of democratic reform, the authors review the historical, political and cultural motivations that have spawned the most recent debates on constitutional reform; and more particularly on the proposals for parliamentary and electoral reform. The book concludes with a review of past proposals and recommendations, and puts forward the authors' own suggestions for reform. At a time when most of the Commonwealth Caribbean is undergoing a process of constitutional debate and change, this book makes a valuable contribution to the discussion and provides a basis for the informed citizen, student or pundit to judge the process of reform. "

The Oxford Handbook of Caribbean Constitutions

The Oxford Handbook of Caribbean Constitutions PDF Author: Richard Albert
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN: 0198793049
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 753

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Book Description
The Oxford Handbook of Caribbean Constitutions offers a detailed and analytical view of the constitutions of the Caribbean region, examining the constitutional development of its diverse countries. The Handbook explains the features of the region's constitutions and examines themes emerging from the Caribbean's experience with constitutional interpretation and reform.0Part I, 'Caribbean Constitutions in the World', highlights what is distinctive about the constitutions of the Caribbean. Part II covers the constitutions of the Caribbean in detail, offering a rich analysis of the constitutional history, design, controversies, and future challenges in each country or group of countries. Each chapter in this section addresses topics such as the impact of key historical and political events on the constitutional landscape for the jurisdiction, a systematic account of the interaction between the legislature and the executive, the civil service, the electoral system,0and the independence of the judiciary.0Part III addresses fundamental rights debates and developments in the region, including the death penalty and socio-economic rights. Finally, Part IV features critical reflections on the challenges and prospects for the region, including the work of the Caribbean Court of Justice and the future of constitutional reform.0This is the first book of its kind, bringing together in a single volume a comprehensive review of the constitutional development of the entire Caribbean region, from the Bahamas in the north to Guyana and Suriname in South America, and all the islands in between. While written in English, the book embraces the linguistic and cultural diversity of the region, and covers the Anglophone Caribbean as well as the Spanish-, French-, and Dutch-speaking Caribbean countries.

Fundamentals of Caribbean Constitutional Law

Fundamentals of Caribbean Constitutional Law PDF Author: Tracy S. Robinson
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780414089853
Category : Constitutional law
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
" ... [I]dentifies the key features of the constitutional systems in the twelve independent states and 6 overseas territories in the Anglophone Caribbean, discusses the foundational concepts associated with these constitutions, and reviews the development and reform of constitutional law in this region"--Back cover