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The English Constitution · Theme

Cabinet Government and Parliamentary Sovereignty

How The English Constitution develops Cabinet Government and Parliamentary Sovereignty.

Bagehot analyzes the Cabinet as the central 'efficient' institution, a committee of the legislature that fuses executive and legislative power, contrasting it with the American presidential system and highlighting the rarity of its prerequisites.

Where it surfaces

  • Introduction to the Second Edition

    Bagehot analyzes the evolving efficiency of cabinet government in the face of a larger electorate and the potential for parliamentary sovereignty to be challenged by popular will.

  • II

    The French experiment under M. Thiers is analyzed as a test of a Parliamentary Republic where the executive is appointed by and responsible to the legislature.

  • I: The Cabinet

    Bagehot explains how the Cabinet is effectively a committee of the legislature, and how this fusion of powers allows for strong, responsive government, in contrast to the separation of powers in Presidential systems.

  • II: The Monarchy

    The chapter compares royal and unroyal forms of Cabinet government, analyzing the sovereign's role in appointing a Premier and the latent power of Parliament.

  • II

    Compares the royal and unroyal forms of Cabinet government, focusing on the selection and tenure of the Premier and the role of the sovereign in the process.

  • The House of Commons

    The chapter emphasizes that the House of Commons' real function is to elect and dismiss the Cabinet, making it the sovereign electoral body that chooses the executive.

  • On Changes of Ministry

    Bagehot argues that the Cabinet system ensures competent administration through public accountability and the corrective influence of Parliament.

  • Its Supposed Checks and Balances

    Examines the supreme authority in the English Constitution and how the power to dissolve the Commons serves as a regulator of parliamentary sovereignty.

  • Endnotes

    The anecdote about Lord Melbourne illustrates the expectation of Cabinet unanimity, a key feature of cabinet government.