Abstract
Under a first-past-the-post election system the dissolution of Parliament always offers an escape route from crisis. It means that the problem is referred to the electors and there is a good chance that their votes will produce a decisive answer, at least in terms of parliamentary seats. Even under a proportional system, a new election may change and clarify the situation by shuffling the parliamentary pack and giving a new indication of popular feeling, even though with proportional representation, it is unlikely that there will be a clear majority for one party, or even a great variation from previous parliamentary strengths.
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Notes
H.V. Evatt, The King and his Dominion Governors, 2nd ed., London 1967;
E.A. Forsey, The Royal Power of Dissolution of Parliament in the British Commonwealth, Oxford 1943;
B.S. Markesinis, The Theory and Practice of Dissolution of Parliament, Cambridge 1972.
Quoted by R. Blake, The Unknown Prime Minister, London 1955, p. 152.
H. Nicolson, King George V, London 1952, p. 379.
J.A. Spender, Life of Lord Oxford and Asquith, London 1932, Vol. II, pp. 30–31.
See John Kerr, Matters for Judgment, Melbourne 1978 and London 1979;
and Gough Whitlam, The Truth of the Matter, Ringwood, Vic. 1979, for the views of the main protagonists.
See G. Sawer, Federation under Strain, Ringwood, Vic.1979, for the most dispassionate of the many assessments of the crisis.
B.S. Markesinis, The Theory and Practice of the Dissolution of Parliament, Cambridge 1972, p. 120.
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© 1983 David Butler
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Butler, D. (1983). The Problem of Dissolution. In: Governing without a Majority. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-18472-9_7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-18472-9_7
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