Tutorial #8 The Westminster System

The English Civil War ( ) The civil war was a conflict fought between those who wanted authority concentrated in a Parliament (the “Roundheads”) and the Royalists (or “Cavaliers”) who wanted to maintain their ancient feudal privileges (including the Crown). The Roundheads won the conflict and King Charles I of England was beheaded in the process. This civil war was a clash of worldviews not unlike what occurred in the United States in 1776.

Artistic Rendering of Cahokia Mississippian Society Parliament & the Governing Principles of Reason The Westminster system was based upon one, single important concept, e.g. Accountability. In the previous centuries, kings and the like could rule without any thought of what their subjects needed or required. Some rulers were outright selfish and the people suffered. The beautiful thing about a government which is held accountable is that it is forced to make decisions which benefit the people as a whole (instead of a narrow minority).

James II The interesting thing about a king like James II is that although he sought to exercise absolute control all by himself he completely relied upon the support of others for his power. This begs the question: does power exist in the Crown (the one) or in the people who agree to allow him to have power over them (the many)? In my reasoning, the many is where the true power lies and not in the Crown (as is usually thought).

Alexander Hamilton Hamilton was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. Even though he was a democratic-minded person he regarded the great mass of people as a “great beast that must be tamed”. In certain respects, the great dysfunction in the political system of the United States is an example of what the British called “mobocracy”. In certain respects, Hamilton was right to want to tame this great beast (yet if the people were not manipulated by politicians and just given accurate information in the first place then perhaps the “beast” would not have to be tamed).