1818 Aug. 27. §.7

Things as they are {or First lines}

§.7. Conclusion

1

Seat of the profligacy and signs[?] - the daily newspapers - Options - 1. Persevering[?] obsequiousness. 2. […?] 3. Emigration[?].

§.7. Concluding Observations

Conclusions

The conclusion is, that Monarchy is an essentially and incurably vitious form of government.

That a pure Monarchy is the only one capable of a perpetual continuance.

That a mixt Monarchy and in particular the English is the only one capable of a perpetual continuance.

At present under the form of a mixt Monarchy the Monarch governs his interest predominates.

Under Parliamentary Reform still under the same form, the people would govern, their interest would predominate. Either it would do this, or it would do nothing /This is what it would do, or nothing/

This would be an imperfect and more or less inconvenient arrangement: the only arrangement which is perfect and exempt from inconvenience in every shape is pure Representative Democracy.

But, owing to the state of existing possessions, this arrangement, if at all, could not be effected without mischief to a vast and indefinite extent.

But if, in the course of the endeavour to substitute good government to misrule, war - civil war - were to take place, mischief to that amount or greater would already have taken place: in that case every arrangement short of pure representative democracy would be a palpable absurdity.

What remains to be considered is - what will be the state of the nation supposing Parliamentary Reform not to have taken place.

Of Both Lords and other proprietary Members of the House of Commons, this last state would be not as at present the better, but the worse for the minute. But in this case the disadvantageous change would not in general be expected by this or that man till after his death: the result will be to make the of things as they are, and leave posterity to take care of itself.