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The main source of English law was the decisions of judges, or case law. The reasons for dealing first with legislation instead of judge made law are that whereas a law can change a common law rule the contrary is not true, and the quantity and importance of legislation, especially delegated legislation, has increased to such an extent in recent years that it can no longer be considered as inferior to case law in a number of fields.
The earliest and most important legislation was the Twelve Tables, enacted in 451–450 B. C. during the struggle of the plebeians for political equality. It represented an effort to obtain a written and public code that patrician magistrates could not alter at will against plebeian litigants.
Nowadays Parliament is the supreme legislative body of the British state and can in theory pass laws relating to any aspect of the political, economic, legal, social and cultural life of the United Kingdom as a whole, or to any of its constituent parts. Legally speaking any Parliament enjoys during its lifetime absolute legislative supermacy and the laws (or statutes as they are called) which it passes cannot be challenged by any court of law, although they may be interpreted by the courts very arbitrarily. Almost all the legislation considered by the British Parliament is introduced by the Gove
ment itself.
There are broadly two stages in the life of a Bill (a Bill is a draft law presented for consideration by Parliament): the period before it is published and introduced into Parliament; and its subsequent passage through Parliament. The first of these two stages is by far the most important, for it is during this period that the indispensable secret consultations take place with any industrial, commercial, financial or other interests that may be affected. This process of negotiation and consultation is often presented as a democratic procedure and as proof of the «pluralist» nature of the political system. In fact it is one of the means by...