The British press and the phone hacking scandal: Why David Cameron is not about to resign as prime minister | The Economist

 

Stephen Morris wrote:

Jul 19th 2011 1:26 GMT

Putting the theoretical rationalisations to one side, the realpolitik difference between the two cases is that the police are ultimately accountable to the politicians. If necessary, raw power can be exercised to make them resign.

In contrast, the politicians - taken as a whole - are accountable to no-one. Under Britain’s system of elective dictatorship, the people get only one choice – and then only once every five years – between two tweedledum and tweedledee cliques of elective dictators. Why on earth would David Cameron resign when he doesn’t face an election for four years??

As Rousseau observed 250 years ago:

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.

The British press and the phone hacking scandal: Why David Cameron is not about to resign as prime minister | The Economist

 

That is why it is no guarantee that you will have a responsive gvt when you have elections. But it is for sure that you will be a slave when without them.