"The English people believes itself to be
free; it is gravely mistaken; it is free only during the election of Members of
Parliament; as soon as the Members are elected, the people is enslaved; it is
nothing. In the brief moments of its freedom, the English people makes such use
of that freedom that it deserves to lose it".
(Rousseau: "The Social
Contract)
But what else can the English [sic] people do Peter? Despite the occasional surprise, such as the recent Copeland by-election, the vast majority of constituencies return candidates from the party they’ve always supported, so the majority of votes cast are irrelevant to the overall result. Democratic Deficit explains this point in greater detail.
ReplyDeleteI just finished reading your Templar series. If I remember correctly Phillip's people never found any Templar treasure what so ever.
ReplyDeleteI've read the two pieces on Eleanor of Aquitaine. One of the most fascinating people of all time. I know it's very iffy historically, but I loved "The Lion in Winter" with O'Toole and Hepburn.
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