From Gene Healy’s review of F.H. Buckley’s The Once and Future King: The Rise of Crown Government in America:
Presidents can isolate themselves in a cocoon of sycophants, even putting protesters in “Free-Speech Zones,” where their signs can’t offend the liege. And his role as head of state “tends to make criticism of a president seem like lese-majeste“–as Justice Samuel Alito learned when he dared mouth the words “not true” while Obama pummelled the Court in his 2010 State of the Union.
“Thin-skinned and grandiose” characters do better in presidential regimes, Buckley writes, whereas “delusions of Gaullist grandeur are fatal for Prime Ministers.” In the UK, they have to face the music in person every week. The aforementioned Harold Macmillan, British PM from 1957 to ’63, admitted that the very prospect used to make him physically sick.
The PM’s Question Time is but one facet of the superior executive accountability offered by parliamentary systems, Buckley argues..
It is difficult to imagine Obama (for example) facing Trey Gowdy-esque questioning, on camera, and on an almost daily basis, and surviving with his pomposity – or his policies – intact.
The whole review here.
Yes, in spite of its flaws as no system is perfect, parliamentary systems of government are far superior.
Man would it be fun to see Gowdy go after Obama. Obama would be wimpering in the corner in short order.
I’m glad I finally see it in print. America is exceptional, but does it mean that it is the best? I think not.
As Buckley says, if the pompous ‘0’ were to face the likes of Gowdy for a grilling each day or be away and fob off questions to Biden, how long would he have been able to withstand the pressure (my interpretation). My guess is that he would not even have wanted the office. But the system is totally different than the Westminster system, so it may be a moot point. I get tired of hearing guys like Limbaugh , Beck, Hannity, et al claiming that they have the greatest country. I think they should get out and see the world a little more often.
There are many good things to be found in some of the colonies such as Canada, Australia, New Zealand and one of them would be a vibrant democracy and more accountability.
The original US government was devised by men of genius. As a theoretical construct it was admirable;but political
theory was then and probably still is insufficient to describe a working political system. Too much emphasis was
put on checks and balances, for example, leading to a government which couldn’t decide anything on many occasions,
as was so pointedly adumbrated by Henry Adams in the late 19th C. The division into executive and legislative was
naive and ignored the brute fact of the power of the purse.
The whole schemozzle was a reflection of the premature date of the Revolution. Had it been carried out in the full
flower of the British Constitution the US Founders would have understood politics far better, and might well have omitted
some of their mistakes. Again, they couldn’t quite abandon the prestige of a king, so their President all too easily acquired
that prestige. This eventually led to a major and most unfortunate change in the US Constitution, the direct election
of the President, instead of his choice by Congress (whose creature he originally was, and still theoretically is).
And, of course, the initial federation was too loose for the US to continue in a violent world. That was fixed by Lincoln
by a series of legal kludges and a civil war.
A mess, as history shows. However, Americans for 150 years have been astute enough politically to make the whole
thing work. It is totally amazing; its breakdown is not, unfortunately.
The British Constitution, with its head of government embedded in the most powerful party in Parliament, is a much
better idea, though not without its faults. In particular the British (and our, and the Australian) Parliaments are engines
of decision.
The British, and ourselves, wisely kept a monarch, with residual powers rarely used, who is the Head of State and who
bears the national prestige which is so dangerous to attach to the head of government, the Prime Minister. We can say,
God save the Queen, God damn without difficulty. It is much more difficult psychologically to
say “God save Obama as US Head of State, God damn Obama as Head of Government.”
The British Constitution, and its Canadian variant, was elaborated by men of high intelligence, who were experienced
politicians, and who were NOT geniuses.
We can say, “God save the Queen, God damn the Prime Minister” without difficulty.
The review of his is quite revealing as to his thoughts. Buckley’s opinion is that the executive powers in the US, and including Britain, and Canada have greatly centralized in the presidency and in the prime minister positions. Most of older guys have seen this take place in Canada ever since the Trudeau regime.
Another interesting little tid bit was in the video clip at the end in which he says the presidency powers are similar to those of King George III.
Buckley was born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. He attended St. Joseph’s College, a boarding school in Yorkton, Sask., from which he graduated in 1965. He lives in Alexandria VA with his wife, Esther. His daughter, Sarah, is a resident at the University of Washington Medical Center.
I put this book on my Amazon list.
“It is difficult to imagine Obama (for example) facing Trey Gowdy-esque questioning”
I’ve been avidly watching Gowdy for a while now and the man is very entertaining.
I really don’t see Obama ever being questioned. He has presidential immunity and events are pacing so fast that questioning him is rapidly becoming irrelevant.
Anyway, the guy is a such a stoop, when he says, “I didn’t know X.” well yeah, he didn’t know.
It would be like interrogating the neighbor’s dog about whether or not it pissed on your rug, except the neighbor’s dog wouldn’t have pissed on your rug.
“Man would it be fun to see Gowdy go after Obama.”
Oh yeah….but as Buckley says…If that was the drill….Obama would still be in Chicago rolling drunks…
But then if the MSM had vetted Obama rather than fellated him….Obama would still be in Chicago rolling drunks…
It seems, to function right, the system relies too heavily on the MSM as a check and balance.
Yes, in spite of its flaws as no system is perfect, parliamentary systems of government are far superior.
Yes, no doubt why the U.S. of A. is the only superpower in existence.
heh…also must be why the U.S. was the only protection the ‘superior’ parliamentary systems had against the nuclear might of the other side.
Gawd, must be easterners writing this drivel…
It is best to refer to this president by the true nature of his diktat – hr is not an “imperial” president but a “rogue” president – running a rogue regime which functions totally outside the strictures of the constitution. America has its first fascist regime.
John, Go easy on the [carriage-return], it makes an otherwise interesting post unreadable.
Read carefully, various, as I said, the Americans made it work for a long while. The problems with the American
constitution were first pointed out by Americans, which you should know.
The British Empire civilized much of the globe. The Americans have never done anything similar. Of course, you will
say, “Japan!” Point taken, but the British have great successes, such India – a vital if gaudy democracy.
I repeat, the American founders were men of genius. Ben Franklin in particular was much too clever for his own, or
anyone else’s, good. Sir John A . MacDonald was not a genius but very intelligent and an excellent politician.
“Yes, no doubt why the U.S. of A. is the only superpower in existence.”
All built with borrowed money. And that being so, it will come apart just as swiftly as it came into being, leaving only debt and a weaker nation to boot.
Would such profligate spending have been possible under a parliamentary system with it’s loyal opposition parties ready to vote non-confidence? No.
Sounds like eastern wishful thinking to me.
That thinking has existed in the east for years, all the while riding on the US coattails.
“He has presidential immunity” OZ… Not true! Nixon was granted a Pardon or he would never have resigned. Obama; not likely, far to many open issues
The Hillary will face Trey, he has already shown how he treats a MALE witness (IRS) and the poor abused female defense is off her list. As a matter of fact her talking points must have been revised multiple times. Odd that the usual suspects are not rushing to her defense.. She only has Sick Willie expounding on her virtue. She might turn out to be a bomb shell for the Marxists, like Valerie, in the Obama administration. Hope she has top notch security.
“Nixon was granted a Pardon or he would never have resigned.”
Don’t expect Obama to resign, you will be disappointed.
Until Obama does resign, and he won’t, he has presidential immunity through the invocation of Executive Privilege, which has already been invoked once during Obama’s first term to protect his appointed Attorney General Eric Holder from the investigation of Fast and Furious.
Nixon was a different sort of man than Obama. He loved the United States of America and even though there was abundant indications of election fraud by the Democrats during the 1960 election against Nixon, Nixon gave his concession speech 3 days after the election despite many on the Republican side pushing for recounts and investigations. For example Kennedy won Illinois by less than 9,000 votes, mainly in Chicago, out of 4.75 million votes cast, for a margin of 0.2%.
I think the people who broke into DNC headquarters at the Watergate Hotel in 1972 were looking for evidence that the Democrats were once again engaging in election fraud.
“I think the people who broke into DNC headquarters at the Watergate Hotel in 1972 were looking for evidence that the Democrats were once again engaging in election fraud.”
the break in artists were part of the Kennedy assassination. Even admitted to, they were quite possibly looking for evidence the DNC had found concerning this. Nixon bailed Rubinstein’s ass out in 1947, this is the same Jack Ruby that shot HLO. Ford who pardoned Nixon was on the Warren commission, and Bush #1 was in the CIA at the time of Kennedy’s demise.