ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Uncodified constitution

Okay kiddo, so imagine if you and your friends decided to play a game but nobody wrote down all the rules. All the rules would just be spoken and agreed upon by everyone playing, right? Well, that's kind of like an uncodified constitution.

A constitution is a set of rules and laws that a country has decided to follow. Normally, these rules and laws are written down in a special document that outlines how the country should be run, what every person's rights are, and how the government and legal system should work.

But in some countries, like the United Kingdom and New Zealand, the constitution isn't written down in one special document. Instead, it's made up of different laws, court decisions, and traditions that have been agreed on over time. These rules and laws are uncodified, which just means they aren't written down in one official document like a big rule book.

So, imagine if you were playing a game with your friends and instead of having a rule book, you just agreed to follow whatever rules people remembered from past games, and also what the referee said was okay. That's kind of how an uncodified constitution works - everyone just follows the traditions and rules that have been agreed upon over time.

Some people like having an uncodified constitution because it offers more flexibility and allows for changes to be made without having to amend a big, official document. But others think that it can be confusing and doesn't provide enough clarity on what the country's rules and laws are.

Overall, an uncodified constitution is just a way of running a country without having all the rules and laws written down in one special document.