A lifetime contribution to constitutional history

‘I like to say that I make my living from a subject that doesn’t exist’, says Vernon Bogdanor, Oxford’s Professor of Politics and Government and Fellow of Brasenose College; ‘namely, the British constitution. Of course, we are one of the very few democracies which don’t have written or, as I prefer to say, codified constitutions.’ Written or not, the subject has occupied Professor Bogdanor for much of his career. As he prepares to retire from his Oxford chair at the end of this academic year, his international reputation has been reflected in a brace of recent honours, including his appointment to the Légion d’honneur and, last year, the Sir Isaiah Berlin Prize for Lifetime Contribution to Political Studies, appropriately enough as the University prepared to celebrate Berlin’s centenary this June. In 1998 he was awarded a CBE for contributions to constitutional history. His many books have been accompanied by work as an adviser to the Czech Republic, to Hungary, Israel, Romania, Slovakia and Trinidad; helping to draw up a constitution for Kosovo; and as an expert whose counsel has been sought by the British government and judiciary.

Characteristically, though, he is looking forward rather than back. ‘I am fortunate enough to have a post at King’s College London, a research professorship, which involves me giving a seminar a week on constitutional history, so it will be a soft landing’, he explains.

What have been his Oxford highlights? ‘Too many to list, really’, he says. ‘Stimulating pupils, most of all.’ David Cameron, now leader of the Conservative Party, was a PPE undergraduate when the two men first met. ‘He was enormously able. He got a distinction in Prelims and a very, very good First in Schools in PPE, so he’s not at all like this media stereotype of a lightweight public school boy. And he wasn’t a “hearty” type in any way; he was an old-fashioned, courteous undergraduate who was very popular.’

Media stereotyping of Oxford is something that concerns Professor Bogdanor. ‘There are many misconceptions about Oxford, and the University has to do much more to counter them. There’s a traditional attitude at the University which regards contact with the media with some distaste, and that’s no longer acceptable. Oxford is a very great international university, but it has to keep saying that, loud and clear.’

Professor Bogdanor makes regular media appearances, and his experience of journalism is long-standing. After a First in PPE at The Queen’s College in 1964, he began work as a financial journalist – ‘a false start’ – before returning to academic life. He became a fellow of Brasenose College in 1966 and Professor of Government and Politics in 1996. Speaking about his work, in particular the nature of the British constitution, he says: ‘The Queen once sat in on one of [the historian Professor] Peter Hennessy’s seminars at Queen Mary, University of London, listened carefully, and, at the end, said: “The British constitution is a puzzle, and always will be.” I’ve used that as an epigraph in one of my books, and I’ve tried to elucidate that puzzle.’

In his latest book, The New British Constitution, Professor Bogdanor reviews the changing relationship between citizen and state. ‘It’s been particularly fascinating in recent years. I think we have been doing something unique in the democratic world: moving from an uncodified system, based in part on unwritten conventions and codes, into a codified constitution. Not in one fell swoop, but in a piecemeal, ad hoc, unplanned way, without anyone thinking what the destination is. You may say that is a particularly British way, but I think the reason is that there is not much consensus on what the final resting place should be.’

Not, he says, that academic research will always have a clear end in view; nor should it. It is one of his concerns over the current relationship between academics and government. ‘I think it’s one of the trends that we all find very worrying that governments sometimes demand that you show the immediate, practical importance of your research; academics should be allowed some degree of curiosity, and to follow that curiosity wherever it goes.’

Warming to his theme, he adds: ‘Although a university is not a nationalised industry, the government is now telling the universities how many students they can take, what they are to charge, and is beginning to tell us how we ought to select students. There are great dangers of government control, and I think universities need to regain their independence.’ Oxford’s system of self-government is another of its strengths, he argues. ‘It may be slower, but it means that, in the end, academics are committed to the decisions that are made. That’s one of the things that makes Oxford such an attractive university.’

In his Who’s Who entry, Vernon Bogdanor lists ‘music, walking and talking’ as his recreations. If thinking, writing and – yes – talking about institutional and constitutional politics has shaped much of his career, what about another of those ‘recreations’, music? He is an accomplished pianist. ‘I think everyone needs a hobby, and playing the piano is a very good one. If you’re trying to play a piece of Bach or Schubert, it’s anything but relaxing – it’s really quite hard work. The important point is, it’s hard work in a different way from one’s academic work. So you’re using your mind, you’re reflecting, but in a very different sort of way, and that itself is greatly beneficial.’