📚 Legal Sovereignty and Political Sovereignty | 法律主权与政治主权
For Edexcel A-level Politics, the distinction between legal sovereignty and political sovereignty is one of the most important concepts in the UK constitution. It separates the formal legal right to make law from the real political power that shapes how that right is used.
对 Edexcel A-level 政治学而言，法律主权与政治主权的区别是英国宪法中最重要的概念之一。它将制定法律的正式法律权利与塑造该权利使用方式的现实政治权力区分开来。
Legal sovereignty asks: who has the legal authority to make and unmake law? Political sovereignty asks: whose will actually determines what law is made and accepted?
法律主权问的是：谁拥有制定和废除法律的法定权力？政治主权问的是：谁的意志实际决定制定并接受什么法律？
1. Defining the Two Types of Sovereignty | 两种主权的定义
Legal sovereignty refers to the body that possesses the formal legal right to enact, amend or repeal any law without external legal limitation. In the UK, this is Parliament.
法律主权指拥有正式法律权力的机构，能够在不受外部法律限制的情况下制定、修改或废除任何法律。在英国，这就是议会。
Political sovereignty refers to the body whose will is ultimately obeyed in practice. It is not necessarily written into law, but it shapes how legal power is used.
政治主权指其意志在实践中最终被服从的主体。它不一定写入法律，但影响法律权力的使用方式。
The distinction can be understood as de jure power versus de facto power. Legal sovereignty is de jure; political sovereignty is de facto.
这种区别可以理解为法律上的权力与事实上的权力。法律主权是法律上的，而政治主权是事实上的。
2. A.V. Dicey and the Classical Distinction | A.V. Dicey 与经典区分
The distinction is closely associated with the constitutional theorist A.V. Dicey. He argued that legal sovereignty belongs to the body that can make or unmake any law.
这一区别与宪法理论家 A.V. Dicey 密切相关。他认为法律主权属于能够制定或废除任何法律的机构。
In Dicey’s view, the legal sovereign in the UK is the Crown-in-Parliament, meaning the monarch acting together with the House of Commons and the House of Lords.
在 Dicey 看来，英国的法律主权者是国王在议会（Crown-in-Parliament），即君主与下议院、上议院共同行动。
However, Dicey also recognised that behind the legal sovereign there is a political sovereign: the electorate. Its will ultimately determines how Parliament legislates.
然而，Dicey 也认识到在法律主权者背后还有一个政治主权者：选民。选民的意志最终决定议会如何立法。
3. Legal Sovereignty: Parliament as the Supreme Law-Maker | 法律主权：议会作为最高立法者
Parliament is legally sovereign because no court or other body can strike down an Act of Parliament as unconstitutional. This is the doctrine of parliamentary sovereignty.
议会拥有法律主权，因为没有任何法院或其他机构能以违宪为由推翻议会法案。这就是议会主权原则。
Parliament can make or unmake any law, and it cannot bind its successors. For example, it can repeal the Human Rights Act 1998 if it chooses, even though doing so would carry political costs.
议会可以制定或废除任何法律，并且不能约束其后任。例如，它可以选择废除 1998 年《人权法》，尽管这样做会带来政治代价。
Legal sovereignty also means that EU law no longer has supremacy over UK law after Brexit. Parliament has regained formal supremacy as the highest law-making authority.
法律主权还意味着，脱欧后欧盟法律不再优先于英国法律。议会已重新获得最高立法权威。
This legal authority is not unlimited in practice, but the formal rule remains: what Parliament enacts, no domestic court can invalidate.
这种法律权力在实践中并非不受限制，但正式规则仍然是：议会制定的法律，国内法院不能宣布无效。
4. Political Sovereignty: The Electorate as the Ultimate Sovereign | 政治主权：选民作为最终主权者
Political sovereignty ultimately lies with the people. Governments are formed through free elections, and they depend on public consent to remain in office.
政治主权最终属于人民。政府通过自由选举产生，并依赖公众同意才能继续执政。
The electorate can remove a government, force policy change, and express direct political will through referendums and protest.
选民可以罢免政府、迫使政策改变，并通过公投和抗议表达直接政治意愿。
Although referendums are usually legally advisory, they carry enormous political authority. The 2016 EU referendum result was not legally self-executing, but it politically compelled Parliament to act.
虽然公投在法律上通常只是咨询性质的，但它们具有巨大的政治权威。2016 年脱欧公投结果在法律上不能自动生效，但在政治上迫使议会采取行动。
This shows that political sovereignty can override legal convenience: Parliament could legally have ignored the result, but politically it could not.
这表明政治主权可以压倒法律上的便利：议会本来在法律上可以无视结果，但在政治上却不能。
5. Comparing Legal and Political Sovereignty | 法律主权与政治主权的比较
The table below summarises the main differences between legal sovereignty and political sovereignty in the UK.
下表总结了英国法律主权与政治主权之间的主要区别。
| Feature | Legal Sovereignty | Political Sovereignty |
|---|---|---|
| Holder | Parliament (Crown-in-Parliament) | Electorate / public opinion |
| Basis | Formal constitutional rules | Consent, elections and legitimacy |
| Enforcement | Courts cannot strike down Acts of Parliament | Voting, referendums, protest, public pressure |
| Example | Parliament could legally repeal the Scotland Act 1998 | No government would do so without Scottish consent |
Legal sovereignty is narrow and formal; political sovereignty is broad and informal. The two usually operate together, but they can come into tension.
法律主权是狭窄而正式的；政治主权是广泛而非正式的。两者通常共同运作，但也会产生张力。
6. Referendums: Where Legal and Political Sovereignty Meet | 公投：法律主权与政治主权的交汇
Referendums are a clear illustration of the distinction. Legally, a referendum result does not automatically change the law; Parliament must pass legislation to give it effect.
公投是这一区别的明显体现。法律上，公投结果不会自动改变法律；议会必须通过立法才能使其生效。
In 2016, the UK voted to leave the EU, but that vote alone did not repeal the European Communities Act 1972. Legally, Parliament had to act.
2016 年，英国投票决定脱欧，但仅凭投票并不能废除 1972 年《欧洲共同体法》。法律上，议会必须采取行动。
Politically, however, the referendum result was treated as binding. Most MPs felt they could not ignore the expressed will of the electorate.
然而在政治上，公投结果被视为具有约束力。大多数议员认为他们不能忽视选民表达的意愿。
The European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 was Parliament exercising its legal sovereignty in response to political sovereignty.
2018 年《欧盟（退出）法》是议会在回应政治主权时行使其法律主权。
7. Brexit and the Sovereignty Debate | 脱欧与主权辩论
During EU membership, the UK’s legal sovereignty was limited in practice because EU law took precedence over UK law.
在欧盟成员期间，英国的法律主权实际上受到限制，因为欧盟法律优先于英国法律。
Brexit supporters campaigned to ‘take back control’, arguing that leaving the EU would restore full legal sovereignty to Westminster.
脱欧支持者以“夺回控制权”为口号，认为离开欧盟将恢复威斯敏斯特的完全法律主权。
After Brexit, Parliament is again the supreme legal authority in the UK. However, political sovereignty remains with the electorate, and international treaties still impose political constraints.
脱欧后，议会再次成为英国的最高法律权威。但政治主权仍在选民手中，国际条约也仍然施加政治制约。
This shows that legal sovereignty can be recovered, but political sovereignty is never absolute: it depends on consent and legitimacy.
这表明法律主权可以恢复，但政治主权从来不是绝对的：它取决于同意和合法性。
8. Devolution and the Dispersal of Political Sovereignty | 权力下放与政治主权的分散
Devolution created the Scottish Parliament, the Senedd Cymru and the Northern Ireland Assembly. Legally, these bodies are subordinate to Westminster.
权力下放设立了苏格兰议会、威尔士议会和北爱尔兰议会。法律上，这些机构从属于威斯敏斯特。
Parliament could legally abolish the devolved institutions, because legal sovereignty remains at Westminster. This is the principle of parliamentary sovereignty.
议会可以在法律上废除这些下放机构，因为法律主权仍在威斯敏斯特。这就是议会主权原则。
Politically, however, devolved institutions have strong legitimacy. It would be almost impossible for a UK government to remove them without the consent of the affected nations.
然而在政治上，下放机构拥有很强的合法性。没有相关地区的同意，英国政府几乎不可能废除它们。
Thus legal sovereignty is centralised, but political sovereignty is partially dispersed across the nations and regions of the UK.
因此，法律主权是集中的，而政治主权在一定程度上分散在英国各个民族和地区之间。
9. Judicial Review, Human Rights and Legal Sovereignty | 司法审查、人权与法律主权
Under the UK constitution, courts cannot strike down primary legislation. This preserves the legal sovereignty of Parliament.
根据英国宪法，法院不能推翻初级立法。这维护了议会的法律主权。
Under the Human Rights Act 1998, courts may issue a declaration of incompatibility if a law conflicts with the European Convention on Human Rights.
根据 1998 年《人权法》，如果某项法律与《欧洲人权公约》冲突，法院可以发布不兼容声明。
However, such a declaration does not invalidate the Act. Parliament may choose to amend the law, but it is not legally required to do so.
然而，这种声明并不会使该法案无效。议会可以选择修改法律，但在法律上并没有义务这样做。
This is a crucial example of legal sovereignty: the final legal word remains with Parliament, even when courts exercise political and moral pressure.
这是法律主权的关键例证：最终的法律决定权仍在议会，即使法院施加政治和道德压力。
10. Conclusion: A Dynamic and Contested Distinction | 结论：动态而有争议的区别
The distinction between legal sovereignty and political sovereignty is essential for analysing the UK constitution. Legal sovereignty belongs to Parliament; political sovereignty belongs to the people.
法律主权与政治主权的区别对分析英国宪法至关重要。法律主权属于议会；政治主权属于人民。
In practice, the two interact constantly. Politicians rarely use their legal power in ways that ignore political reality, and voters rarely get everything they demand through legal channels.
在实践中，两者不断互动。政客很少以无视政治现实的方式使用法律权力，选民也很少能通过法律渠道得到他们要求的一切。
Understanding this distinction helps explain important topics such as Brexit, devolution, human rights and parliamentary reform in Edexcel A-level Politics.
理解这一区别有助于解释 Edexcel A-level 政治学中的重要议题，如脱欧、权力下放、人权和议会改革。
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