One of the remarkable features of British political history is that no point in the 20th Century did it succumb to dictatorship, despite a constitutional settlement that, since 1911, has had the difficulty mode set all the way down to “Casual” as far as any wannabe autocrat is concerned.
Not just because there no limits to what the executive, provided it has a majority in parliament, can do. But also because of the wide range of powers reserved to the sovereign – that is, thereotically the Queen but in practice whoever the sitting Prime Minister is – across a wide swathe of policy areas.
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