The House of Commons--now that it is the true sovereign, and appoints the real executive--has long ceased to be the checking, sparing, economical body it once was.
Walter Bagehot: “The House of Commons--now that it is the true sovereign, and appoints the real executive--has long ceased to be the…”
Editor's note · Context
Bagehot observes that the House of Commons has evolved into a sovereign body that no longer acts as a frugal check on spending.
Share
More from Walter Bagehot
One of the greatest pains to human nature is the pain of a new idea.
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.
It is absurd to choose by contested party election an impartial chooser of Ministers.
If the above reasoning be sound, compulsory constituencies are necessary, voluntary constituencies destructive; the optional transferability of votes is not a salutary aid, but a ruinous innovation.





