Constitution Day, 28 June 2011

Ukraine marks the anniversary of its constitution today.

As in other years, I will not be entering the substance. What the text should say and who has the better of the current argument are matters for Ukrainian citizens, and a foreigner offering a view has mistaken his position for a licence.

The observation I will make is one I have made in business rather than in politics: rules are worth what the parties expect them to be worth. A contract clause that both sides assume will be enforced changes behaviour before any court is involved; one that neither side expects to be enforced changes nothing regardless of how well it is drafted.

Constitutions work the same way, and the expectation is built slowly.

A good Constitution Day to everyone marking it.