2009年可谓是英国政府处境最为尴尬、面临最多棘手问题的一年。从英国首相布朗到下面的政府官员几乎全部深陷“报销门”丑闻,下议院议长被迫辞职更是史无前例。~①此外,苏格兰的自治问题更是让忙于应付“报销门”的内阁大臣、国会议员们疲于奔命。这些政治事件成为2009年英国宪政的核心问题。因为无论是“报销门”还是提议采用全民公投的形式决定苏格兰的未来,无一不彰显着这个拥有最悠久宪政历史的国度如何朝着宪政这个方向进一步迈进。没有成熟的法治环境和深远的宪政文化,英国政府是绝对 2009 can be described as the most embarrassing situation in the UK government, faced with the most difficult issues of the year. Almost all of the government officials from British Prime Minister Gordon Brown to the following fall under the “reimbursement door” scandal, and the speaker’s resignation is even more unprecedented. In addition, the question of autonomy in Scotland is even more exhausting for the cabinet ministers and members of the National Assembly who are busy coping with “reimbursement.” These political events have become the core issue of British constitutional government in 2009. Whether it is “reimbursement” or the proposal of a referendum to decide Scotland’s future, all show how the country with the longest history of constitutional government can move further in the direction of constitutional government. Without a mature rule of law environment and far-reaching constitutional culture, the British government is absolute