On the record
I maintain that Parliament ought to embody the public opinion of the English nation; and, certainly, that opinion is much more fixed by its property than by its mind.
Said by
Walter Bagehot
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gutenberg.orgWalter Bagehot: “I maintain that Parliament ought to embody the public opinion of the English nation; and, certainly, that opinion is…”
Editor's note · Context
Bagehot believes Parliament should reflect public opinion, which is shaped more by property than intellect.
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More from Walter Bagehot
These anomalies, in a hundred instances, mark the old boundaries of a constitutional struggle.
I cannot, therefore, join in the full cry against anomalies; in my judgment it may quickly overrun the scent, and so miss what we should be glad to find.
The casual line was traced according to the strength of deceased combatants; succeeding generations fought elsewhere; and the hesitating line of a half-drawn battle was left to stand for a perpetual limit.
It is natural that those who by special and admirable culture have come to look at all things upon the artistic side, should start back from these queer peculiarities.
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