On the record
Our English system contains both contrivances; it makes party government permanent and possible in the sole way in which it can be so, by making it mild.
Said by
Walter Bagehot
Source
gutenberg.orgWalter Bagehot: “Our English system contains both contrivances; it makes party government permanent and possible in the sole way in which…”
Editor's note · Context
Bagehot describes the unique characteristics of the English political system that allow for stable party governance.
Share
More from Walter Bagehot
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.
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.
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.
These anomalies, in a hundred instances, mark the old boundaries of a constitutional struggle.
Other voices in this conversation
