Generally one generation in politics succeeds another almost silently; at every moment men of all ages between thirty and seventy have considerable influence; each year removes many old men, makes all others older, brings in many new.
Bagehot observes the gradual nature of generational change in political influence.
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No doubt this momentary gain is bought at a ruinous after-cost.
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, to the effectual maintenance of such a separation, the exclusion of the President's Ministers from the legislature is essential.
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