Power and principle in constitutional law

Is sovereignty relevant to modern government? This is a question of great theoretical interest, but it is now also of great practical interest. The current debates on the future of the European Union after the British referendum have touched on issues of sovereignty. Many people in the United Kingdom, for example, are worried about what they perceive to be an incursion to sovereignty by European institutions and believe that the withdrawal from the EU will restore sovereignty. This is what Prime Minister May said at a speech to the Conservative Party Conference in September 2016. She promised that leaving the EU will make the United Kingdom once again a fully ‘sovereign’ state. Does it make sense to speak of sovereignty in this way? Or is the ideal of absolute self-government a mirage? Can the idea of sovereignty carry the political burden placed upon it