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Published: 2016-06-20

Total Pages: 506

ISBN-13: 9781332595600

Excerpt from The Dublin Review, Vol. 15 The question of Proportionate Representation - although, owing to an accidental combination of circumstances, it may seem for the moment to be disposed of - is one certain to recur, and perhaps more than once, for discussion, because it involves a deep principle, and a principle carries with it a strong vitality. It concerns the philosophy of politics, while by the superficial it is frequently treated as if it were but an arithmetical conundrum. Those who thus regard it have turned out the wrong side of the tapestry for inspection; the pattern is lost to them, and it is no wonder if they amuse themselves by plucking at the stuck-out ends of threads. In dealing with a serious matter of ethics we cannot make a beginning unless we separate the accidental from the essential, and contemplate the problem in the light of that idea which illustrates it. Let us thus contemplate "Proportionate Representation" in its connection with two things of which the modern world makes boast, without, however, at all times appreciating their higher claims on our respect - viz., "the Nation," and "National Progress." Coleridge once exclaimed, "Oh for a statesman - a single one - who truly understands the living might inherent in a principle!" About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.