ABSTRACT
Modern Britain is a representative parliamentary democracy. Electors vote for the 'image' of a party, or even its leader, rather than for a particular candidate judged on his own merits. Modern British politics are dominated by the great party machines, which closely link constituency parties to those in Parliament. Constituencies return only one member, although they still vary considerably in size. Election expenses are subject to a strict legal limit and there are stringent laws against electoral corruption. There were also between a hundred and two hundred 'placemen' or 'King's Friends'. Almost invariably they supported the King's government, since they were financially dependent on it. The powers of the monarchy and the House of Lords were much greater than they are nowadays and an integral part of the workings of government. It is, perhaps, worth noting that in the eighteenth century the role of the central government was extremely limited by modern standards.
