On the record
They fancy they are governed by an hereditary Queen, a Queen by the grace of God, when they are really governed by a Cabinet and a Parliament--men like themselves, chosen by themselves.
Said by
Walter Bagehot
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gutenberg.orgWalter Bagehot: “They fancy they are governed by an hereditary Queen, a Queen by the grace of God, when they are really governed by a…”
Editor's note · Context
Bagehot explains the misconception that people are governed by a monarch rather than elected officials.
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More from Walter Bagehot
Subject to this saving remark, however, I not only admit, but maintain, that our Constitution is full of curious oddities, which are impeding and mischievous, and ought to be struck out.
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.
But it is natural also that persons used to analyse political institutions should look at these anomalies with a little tenderness and a little interest.
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