SIR: With political corruption evermore widespread, it is due time that this country had in place a written constitution. Currently ministers are given wide discretionary powers by statute. Such powers allow ministers to act as they see fit. We need a system of checks and balances to counter such free interpretation of legislation, only a written constitution, carefully composed, can achieve this.

Also the role of the judiciary needs to be revised. Judges should be more accountable, and the best way to ensure such accountability would be to force judges to stand for public election. That way the people can decide whether they want a liberal or hard-line judge, or can decide if they consider a judge to be 'out of touch' etc. Currently the judiciary is open to abuse by politicians. Take for example Prime Minister Blair's decision to appoint Alexander Irvine to Lord Chancellor. Irvine was Blair's former boss during the 70s, as well as being one of Blair's mentors.

Now Lord Irvine is in a very powerful position, being a member of the cabinet, President (speaker) of the House of Lords and head of the judiciary under the crown. Consequently Lord Irvine has the powers of the legislature, the executive and judiciary centres in his hands. That is undemocratic. We need a written constitution to prevent such abuses of political power.

Anthony Makara

Broadwalk

Westhoughton

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.