JB/104/475/001

Click Here To Edit

1819 Aug. 25

Balance of power

4

A form of government, and [Unless it be the English Constitution with a House of Commons
constituted upon the principle of radical reform] the only form of
government which has not within itself the seeds of its own
dissolution is a an aptly constituted representative democracy: for under such a
government those by whom the powers of government are exercised being elected chosen
by those over whom the powers of government are exercised, and
renewable at the end of very short periods never can find money or
money's worth to create on the part of those by whom the election
of the possessors of those powers is made an interest opposite to that of those over whom those
powers are exercised.

Whatsoever mischief sinister interest or imprudence may
have produced, that mischief never can be permanent nor even of
long continuance: for at all times the power of putting a stop to
it will be in the hands of those by whom it is suffered.

Under the English constitution as it continues sliding on the slide
whatever chance it may have of being prevented from falling into
the very bottom of the gulph of despotism, depends upon the
growth of disaffection — upon the deficiency of lo what is called
loyalty: upon the extent to which it has become manifest to the
people that the persons by whom the powers that are exercised over
them are exercised are persons whose predominant interest is opposite to theirs
who are fully apprised of that oppositeness and whose conduct
is constantly and necessarily determined by that opposite interest
of whom now are more fully apprised of their oppositeness, then
those who because from their interests being they are to a certain extent opposite to that
of the person by whom the chief portion of the powers of government
are exercised, derive have hitherto derived means of making the people believe
that the sum of their interests and thence of their affections,
and thence of their endeavours are on their side.

Identifier: | JB/104/475/001 "JB/" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 104.
Date_1	1819-08-25	Marginal Summary Numbering
Box	104	Main Headings	fallacies
Folio number	475	Info in main headings field
Image	001	Titles
Category	text sheet	Number of Pages	1
Recto/Verso	recto	Page Numbering	c4
Penner	jeremy bentham	Watermarks
Marginals		Paper Producer
Corrections		Paper Produced in Year
Notes public		ID Number	34446
Box Contents