| Advantages | Disadvantages |
|---|---|
| Rights are adequately protected Example: The Human Rights Act 1998, The Equalities Act 2010 | Easy to remove peoples’ rights Example: Police Protest Powers - restricts Right to Protest, [Rights Removal Bill 2023](Rights Removal Bill | British Institute of Human Rights) - attempt to revoke Human Rights Act 1998, unsuccessful due to political pressure |
| Flexibility allows it to be amended with time Example: The Equalities Act 2010 - brought together many different laws into one | Flexibility can be abused - elements of government can become too powerful Example: Online Safety Act 2023 |
| System has worked for the last 1,000 years Example: Magna Carta | Government and Prime Minister can be too powerful - power needs to be distributed Example: Iraq War 2003 |
| Prevents absurd and outdated arguments Example: U.S. Constitution 2A (Right to Arms) | |
| No popular demand for alteration Example: No protests to change |
Researched Examples
Advantages
Rights are adequately protected
Example 1: The Equalities Act 2010
The Equalities Act (2010) centralises a large number of various rights and protections of identity into a singular act whilst expanding upon existing rights.
Example 2: The Human Rights Act 1998
The Human Rights Act (1998) brought over the same human rights as established in the European Union and European Convention on Human Rights.
Other Recent Examples:
- Preventing Sexual Harassment (2024)
- Discrimination Statements (2024)
- Pregnancy and Breastfeeding (2024)
- Definition of Disability & Indirect Discrimination (2024)
- Employment Rights Act 2025
Flexibility allows it to be amended with time
Example 1: The Firearms Act 1997 colloquially known as “The Handguns Act”
The Firearms Act (1997) was passed after the Dunblane school massacre - it established a near-total ban on private handgun ownership with limited exceptions.
System has worked for the last 1,000 years
Example 1: Magna Carta
The Magna Carta is a very old piece of legislation which provides the foundations for Parliament and is still in place, demonstrating the system functionality.
Prevented absurd and outdated arguments
Example 1: U.S. Constitution 2A
The U.S. constitution still permits U.S. citizens to own and carry guns despite the harm it does to modern U.S. society with near daily shootings
“Every day, nearly 130 people in the US are killed with guns and more than 200 are shot and wounded.” Source
No popular demand for alteration
Example 1: Lack of protests
There is no protests demanding for a codified constitution.
Disadvantages
Easy to remove peoples’ rights
Example 1: Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022
The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act (2022) was passed to further strengthen police control over protests, further restricting/impeding on ones’ right to protest.
Note
The Public Order Act 1986 originally provided the police with powers to place restrictions and conditions on protests.
Example 2: The Rights Removal Bill 2023 NOT PASSED
The Rights Removal Bill would retract the Human Rights Act 1998, however it was not passed due to overwhelming opposition.
Flexibility can be abused - elements of government can become too powerful
Example 1: The Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Act 2024
The Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Act (2024) declared that Rwanda is safe for asylum seekers, this was done in response to the UK Supreme Court ruling that Rwanda was not a safe country for asylum seekers.
Example 2: The Voter Identification Regulations 2022
The Voter Identification Regulations (2022) introduces voter ID, however it disenfranchises young people from voting due to age-skewed design effects and an uneven implementation.
This is because, even though it was not explicitly written to exclude youth, it is:
- Structurally advantaged to older voters with several age-specific documents
- Unevenly impact younger voters due to lower awareness and rates of ID possession
- as shown in post-election surveys
- The government has not raised awareness about this.
This can be seen in what valid documents consist of:
- Passports
- Driving Licenses
- Immigration and Defence Documents
- National or Electoral Identity Cards
- This includes the Voter Authority Certificate which can be obtained for free.
- Other Accepted Photo ID
- Concessionary Travel Passes with Photo
Expired IDs are also accepted if the photo bears a good likeness.
However, this has been amended in recent years with:
- Bank cards now being accepted as ID
- Support for secure digital IDs
Example 3: The Online Safety Act 2023
The Online Safety Act (2023) forces tech companies to collect and verify personal information to access various features, putting “strong age-appropriate systems [in place] for kids”. It permits Ofcom to determine what is in need of age assurance, being potentially abusable.
Government and Prime Minister can be too powerful - power needs to be distributed
Example 1: Iraq War 2003
The UK’s participation in the Iraq War (2003) was done without sufficient evidence, having put political pressure on the MI5/6 to sway their report writings (falsely more assertive) and manipulating cabinet by keeping them behind. .