Hands off the constitution, Andy

For fans of British exceptionalism, the fact that the UK is only one of three of the world’s democracies without a written constitution — the other two being Israel and New Zealand — is yet another quirk to celebrate. For critics, however, the lack of a single authoritative document detailing the rules of the game, or at the very least outlining them, has long been a sore point — a source (for some, even the source) of widespread political, social and economic dysfunction. No wonder, then, that ears pricked up when Andy Burnham indicated that his plans for greater devolution “increase the case for a constitution”. But while their excitement is understandable, it may well be misplaced. True, Burnham has already declared his commitment to proportional representation, a voting system that wou