davidallengreen ,
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The great powers of a new prime minister with a mandate and a majority

Many previous governments have been undermined by their own hubris. But there is little to bring down a more competent government.

By me, at Prospect

https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/politics/elections/general-election-2024/67173/the-great-powers-of-a-new-prime-minister-with-a-mandate-and-a-majority

The most significant principle of the constitution of the United Kingdom in practice is not the sovereignty of parliament, nor the rule of law, nor the separation of powers. It is that hubris will tend to lead to nemesis. For it is that eventuality that has again and again saved this country from prolonged periods of one-person or one-party rule. In 1989, Margaret Thatcher was met by cheers of “ten more years,” but she was gone a year later. Tony Blair believed he was politically invincible as he misled the country into invading Iraq. In 2022, allies of Boris Johnson said that he was preparing to stay as prime minister for two full parliaments. Each successful leader who takes their party into government appears to believe that the height of their political power will last forever. But in every case the body politic eventually regurgitates that prime minister and spits them out. All premierships end in failure.
ALT
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