The 1922 Constitution as a Failed Attempt to Break with Westminster Tradition

This chapter seeks to re-examine a dominant popular narrative about the 1922 Constitution: that it largely followed and replicated, without great change, the Westminster model of parliamentary and executive governance. If this were the case, it would be surprising given the revolutionary zeal of the Irish independence movement and its critiques of the operation of the Westminster parliament. Contrary to this narrative, however, the 1922 Constitution in fact represents a fascinating but failed attempt to radically break with the Westminster tradition. The Constitution’s oft-overlooked experimental elements—functional/vocational councils, external ministers, direct democracy, etc.—envisaged a stark break with the Westminster reality of executive dominance, empowering parliament and the people and limiting the influence of cabinet governance. This experiment failed for various complex reasons and perhaps was always destined to fail in the circumstances in which the new state found itself. Nevertheless, it is important to remember the 1922 Constitution as the radical experiment in governance that it was.