Walter Bagehot: “We have simply no notion what it would be to be left with the visible sovereignty in the hands of an unknown man.”

We have thus a whole group of ancient republics of non-Aryan race, and one which, being more ancient than the classical republics, could not have borrowed from or imitated them.

That a House of Commons may work well it must perform, as we saw, five functions well: it must elect a Ministry well, legislate well, teach the nation well, express the nation's will well, bring matters to the nation's attention well.

And therefore party is inherent in it, is bone of its bone, and breath of its breath.

And, to the effectual maintenance of such a separation, the exclusion of the President's Ministers from the legislature is essential.