A survey of the executive power of the Commonwealth.
Access status:
Open Access
Type
ThesisThesis type
Professional doctorateAuthor/s
Louat, FrankAbstract
It is an axiom that British legal and political
institutions are not a manufacture but a growth. The
device of the representative assembly itself, which was
the incalculable contribution of England towards the
solution of the world problem of government, was not the
creation ...
See moreIt is an axiom that British legal and political institutions are not a manufacture but a growth. The device of the representative assembly itself, which was the incalculable contribution of England towards the solution of the world problem of government, was not the creation of any brilliant mind, but a gradual evolution from inconsiderable beginnings. Systems of government are not static but dynamic; and particularly is this true of the British system. The representative Parliament, once confirmed in its control of the public purse, made its way rapidly to omnipotence, and during more than a century while society remained in essentials unchanged, it wielded a power which was almost as unqualified in fact as it was and still is in theory. But the fundamental changes in the character- istics of communal life which, beginning with the Industrial Revolution, have continued ever since with accelerating momentum, could not fail to involve a profound re-adjustment in methods of government. The new conditions are more than a mere objective contrast with the old. The change has been psychological as well; there is ground for the belief that there has been an increasing tolerance of detailed restriction of individual liberty; though here one enters a dubious realm in which cause end effect are hard to distinguish.
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See moreIt is an axiom that British legal and political institutions are not a manufacture but a growth. The device of the representative assembly itself, which was the incalculable contribution of England towards the solution of the world problem of government, was not the creation of any brilliant mind, but a gradual evolution from inconsiderable beginnings. Systems of government are not static but dynamic; and particularly is this true of the British system. The representative Parliament, once confirmed in its control of the public purse, made its way rapidly to omnipotence, and during more than a century while society remained in essentials unchanged, it wielded a power which was almost as unqualified in fact as it was and still is in theory. But the fundamental changes in the character- istics of communal life which, beginning with the Industrial Revolution, have continued ever since with accelerating momentum, could not fail to involve a profound re-adjustment in methods of government. The new conditions are more than a mere objective contrast with the old. The change has been psychological as well; there is ground for the belief that there has been an increasing tolerance of detailed restriction of individual liberty; though here one enters a dubious realm in which cause end effect are hard to distinguish.
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Date
1932Rights statement
The author retains copyright of this thesis. It may only be used for the purposes of research and study. It must not be used for any other purposes and may not be transmitted or shared with others without prior permission.Faculty/School
Faculty of LawAwarding institution
The University of SydneySubjects
Australia -- Politics and governmentShare