aLondon School of Economics and Political Science. I would like to thank Thérèse Murphy for her comments on an earlier draft.
1468-2230/asset/MLR_left.gif?v=1&s=2b5f4c8dadd2fc2abc1d0013ea56daeac2114771)
Tilting at Windmills? Truth and Illusion in ‘The Political Constitution’
Article first published online: 23 FEB 2007
DOI: 10.1111/j.1468-2230.2007.00636.x
Additional Information
How to Cite
Poole, T. (2007), Tilting at Windmills? Truth and Illusion in ‘The Political Constitution’. The Modern Law Review, 70: 250–277. doi: 10.1111/j.1468-2230.2007.00636.x
Publication History
- Issue published online: 23 FEB 2007
- Article first published online: 23 FEB 2007
Keywords:
- Constitutional Law;
- Constitutional Theory;
- John Griffith;
- The Political Constitution;
- Human Rights Act
This article examines the constitutional scholarship of John Griffith. Centring on Griffith's seminal article ‘The Political Constitution’, the analysis reveals a more complex and pessimistic thinker than the standard image of Benthamite radical would allow. The article then examines the cogency of Griffith's vision – particularly his thesis that rights discourse ‘corrupts’ law and politics – against recent developments. It concludes by reflecting on Griffith's radical debunking style.