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In fact the House of Lords, as a House, is not a bulwark that will keep out revolution, but an index that revolution is unlikely.
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Walter Bagehot
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gutenberg.orgWalter Bagehot: “In fact the House of Lords, as a House, is not a bulwark that will keep out revolution, but an index that revolution is…”
Editor's note · Context
Bagehot argues that the House of Lords serves as an indicator of political stability rather than a barrier to revolution.
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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.
I own that I do not entirely sympathise with the horror of these anomalies which haunts some of our best critics.
Just so the lines of our Constitution were framed in old eras of sparse population, few wants, and simple habits; and we adhere in seeming to their shape, though civilisation has come with its dangers, complications, and enjoyments.
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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