---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Unprecedented in modern British history…"
description: "\"Unprecedented in modern British history and outside all normal civil service rules, a bunch of MPs, some of them working with foreign governments, wrot..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ece/dominic-cummings-5896_british_unprecedented-in-modern-british-history_2038399.jpg"
---

#  Unprecedented in modern British history and outside all…

![“Unprecedented in modern British history and outside all normal civil service rules, a bunch of MPs, some of them working with foreign governments, wrote primary legislation - 'the Surrender Act' also known as the Benn Act - without any of the scrutiny of who influenced and who funded it that is…” quote by Dominic Cummings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ece/dominic-cummings-5896_british_unprecedented-in-modern-british-history_2038399.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ece/dominic-cummings-5896_british_unprecedented-in-modern-british-history_2038399.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ece/dominic-cummings-5896_british_unprecedented-in-modern-british-history_2038399.jpg)

> “Unprecedented in modern British history and outside all normal civil service rules, a bunch of MPs, some of them working with foreign governments, wrote primary legislation - 'the Surrender Act' also known as the Benn Act - without any of the scrutiny of who influenced and who funded it that is normal for legislation.”

[Dominic Cummings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dominic-cummings/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Legislation passed without transparency undermines democratic accountability.

**In simple terms:** Secretive lawmaking harms democracy.

Key Takeaway

Demand openness in lawmaking.

Themes

transparency politics accountability

Mood

critical concerned

Type

political analytical

When to use this quote

- policy analysis
- journalism
- civic activism
- government oversight

Key Concepts

democratic theory legislative ethics

Questions to Reflect On

- What mechanisms can ensure legislative scrutiny?
- How do hidden influences affect public trust?

A Different Perspective

Complex political realities may limit full transparency.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[British](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/british/) [Civil service](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civil-service/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Rules](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rules/) [Service](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/service/)

## Related quotes

> [There's a way that we can deliver a Brexit that works for our country, and the really interesting thing is the amount of Tory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-soubry/there-s-a-way-that-we-can-deliver-a-brexit-that-works-for-our-country/)

[Anna Soubry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-soubry/)

> [“Yet, there is another altogether tantalizing form of surrender. The act of giving in with a vengeance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elise-title/yet-there-is-another-altogether-tantalizing-form-of-surrender-the-act/)

Elise Title

> [There are many brilliant people in the civil service and politics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dominic-cummings/there-are-many-brilliant-people-in-the-civil-service-and-politics/)

[Dominic Cummings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dominic-cummings/)

> [One of the problems with the civil service is the way in which people are shuffled such that they either do not acquire expertise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dominic-cummings/one-of-the-problems-with-the-civil-service-is-the-way-in-which-people/)

[Dominic Cummings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dominic-cummings/)

> [I urge the enactment of a civil service law so explicit and so strong that no partisan official will dare evade it, basing all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-capper/i-urge-the-enactment-of-a-civil-service-law-so-explicit-and-so-strong/)

[Arthur Capper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-capper/)

> [“Rule by decree has conspicuous advantages for the domination of far-flung territories with heterogeneous populations and for a policy of oppression. Its efficiency is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-arendt/rule-by-decree-has-conspicuous-advantages-for-the-domination-of-far/)

[Hannah Arendt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-arendt/)

> [“Many observers were disturbed by all the uniformed men striding the White House corridors. In a broad-brush indictment, Charles Sumner disapproved of the way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-chernow/many-observers-were-disturbed-by-all-the-uniformed-men-striding-the/)

[Ron Chernow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-chernow/)

> [Being in opposition takes some getting used to. As a former minister, you don't just lose your job and the enormous resources of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lammy/being-in-opposition-takes-some-getting-used-to-as-a-former-minister/)

[David Lammy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lammy/)

> [In 1925, when Britain went back to the gold standard, that was supported by the Conservative Party, the Labour Party, the Bank of England,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-balls/in-1925-when-britain-went-back-to-the-gold-standard-that-was/)

[Ed Balls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-balls/)

> [“People enter politics or the Civil Service out of a desire to exert power and influence events; this, I maintain, is an illness. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/auberon-waugh/people-enter-politics-or-the-civil-service-out-of-a-desire-to-exert/)

[Auberon Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/auberon-waugh/)

> [I don't like the royal family, I don't like the establishment, I don't like the civil service.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-weller/i-don-t-like-the-royal-family-i-don-t-like-the-establishment-i-don-t/)

[Paul Weller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-weller/)

> [“Several studies of thousands of British civil servants (the Whitehall studies) have found that workers who have little control over their jobs—meaning they have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-wheelan/several-studies-of-thousands-of-british-civil-servants-the-whitehall/)

[Charles Wheelan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-wheelan/)

> [I am confident that this legislature will rise above partisan bickering, especially after the public promises its members made last fall, and that it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-edison/i-am-confident-that-this-legislature-will-rise-above-partisan/)

[Charles Edison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-edison/)

> [I am supremely humbled to receive the 40 Under Forty honor by Stony Brook University in the category of Civil Service and Activism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/momina-mustehsan/i-am-supremely-humbled-to-receive-the-40-under-forty-honor-by-stony/)

[Momina Mustehsan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/momina-mustehsan/)

> [“Whatand why were never questions for me. How was the only question. When I look back now, I realize that I never thought about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sadhguru/whatand-why-were-never-questions-for-me-how-was-the-only-question/)

[Sadhguru](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadhguru/)

## More by Dominic Cummings

> [The reason why Whitehall is full of people failing in predictable ways on an hourly basis is because, first, there is general system-wide failure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dominic-cummings/the-reason-why-whitehall-is-full-of-people-failing-in-predictable/)

[Dominic Cummings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dominic-cummings/)

> [The audience for facts, evidence and research about microtargeting, Facebook and Brexit is tiny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dominic-cummings/the-audience-for-facts-evidence-and-research-about-microtargeting/)

[Dominic Cummings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dominic-cummings/)

> [In the commercial world, big companies mostly die within a few decades because they cannot maintain an internal system to keep them aligned to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dominic-cummings/in-the-commercial-world-big-companies-mostly-die-within-a-few-decades/)

[Dominic Cummings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dominic-cummings/)

> [Physicists and mathematicians regularly invade other fields but other fields do not invade theirs so we can see which fields are hardest for very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dominic-cummings/physicists-and-mathematicians-regularly-invade-other-fields-but-other/)

[Dominic Cummings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dominic-cummings/)

> [Fundamental to real expertise is 1: whether the informational structure of the environment is sufficiently regular that it's possible to make good predictions and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dominic-cummings/fundamental-to-real-expertise-is-1-whether-the-informational/)

[Dominic Cummings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dominic-cummings/)

> [The panic over Sputnik brought many good things such as a huge increase in science funding.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dominic-cummings/the-panic-over-sputnik-brought-many-good-things-such-as-a-huge/)

[Dominic Cummings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dominic-cummings/)

> [In history books, luck is always underplayed and the talent of individuals is usually overplayed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dominic-cummings/in-history-books-luck-is-always-underplayed-and-the-talent-of/)

[Dominic Cummings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dominic-cummings/)

> [Changing the world in a profound and beneficial way is not enough to put a dint in bureaucracies which operate on their own dynamics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dominic-cummings/changing-the-world-in-a-profound-and-beneficial-way-is-not-enough-to/)

[Dominic Cummings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dominic-cummings/)

> [I make judgments about people and ideas individually - for me, parties are just a vehicle of convenience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dominic-cummings/i-make-judgments-about-people-and-ideas-individually-for-me-parties/)

[Dominic Cummings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dominic-cummings/)

> [Usually in politics everything is done on hunches.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dominic-cummings/usually-in-politics-everything-is-done-on-hunches/)

[Dominic Cummings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dominic-cummings/)

> [Technology enables people to improve communication with unprecedented speed, scale and iterative testing. It also allows people to wreak chaos with high leverage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dominic-cummings/technology-enables-people-to-improve-communication-with-unprecedented/)

[Dominic Cummings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dominic-cummings/)

> [If you want to avoid the usual fate in politics of failure, you need to understand some basic principles about why people make mistakes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dominic-cummings/if-you-want-to-avoid-the-usual-fate-in-politics-of-failure-you-need/)

[Dominic Cummings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dominic-cummings/)

> [It is hard to change people's minds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dominic-cummings/it-is-hard-to-change-people-s-minds/)

[Dominic Cummings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dominic-cummings/)

> [Music is similar to sport. There is very fast feedback, learning, and a clear hierarchy of expertise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dominic-cummings/music-is-similar-to-sport-there-is-very-fast-feedback-learning-and-a/)

[Dominic Cummings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dominic-cummings/)

> [MPs have no real knowledge of how to function other than via gimmick and briefings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dominic-cummings/mps-have-no-real-knowledge-of-how-to-function-other-than-via-gimmick/)

[Dominic Cummings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dominic-cummings/)

[Explore all 100 Dominic Cummings quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dominic-cummings/)

## More British quotes

> [I'd love to work in the States; I'd love to work anywhere where you get a good script and a good part to play.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-carmichael/i-d-love-to-work-in-the-states-i-d-love-to-work-anywhere-where-you/)

[Laura Carmichael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-carmichael/)

> [I shot for French and British Vogue. The British Vogue one featured clothes by Chloe and was shot at Highgate and the John Soane…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nan-goldin/i-shot-for-french-and-british-vogue-the-british-vogue-one-featured/)

[Nan Goldin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nan-goldin/)

> [We can find common qualities and common values that have made Britain the country it is. Our belief in tolerance and liberty which shines…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-brown/we-can-find-common-qualities-and-common-values-that-have-made-britain/)

[Gordon Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-brown/)

> [ No wonder that Churchill described this effort \[the British codebreakers working at Bletchley Park\] as "Britian"s secret weapon," a weapon far more effective than… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-hilton/no-wonder-that-churchill-described-this-effort-the-british/)

[Peter Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-hilton/)

> [When we first sold the Wallace and Gromit shorts to America, people suggested we get rid of the strange British accents and put clear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-park/when-we-first-sold-the-wallace-and-gromit-shorts-to-america-people/)

[Nick Park](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-park/)

> [I always wanted to make a 'James Bond' film, and they only seemed to hire British directors, and I'd made 'Swingers' - they were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-liman/i-always-wanted-to-make-a-james-bond-film-and-they-only-seemed-to/)

[Doug Liman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-liman/)

> [Somebody said that part of my reaction to British cinema is actually, paradoxically, a patriotic one. I'm so disappointed that we're not better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-brownlow/somebody-said-that-part-of-my-reaction-to-british-cinema-is-actually/)

[Kevin Brownlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-brownlow/)

> [All the cliches of glamorous sophistication have little appeal to me. Do I want to live the British version of 'Dynasty?' No thanks!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sade-adu/all-the-cliches-of-glamorous-sophistication-have-little-appeal-to-me/)

[Sade Adu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sade-adu/)

> [British Forces should be in a position to give back in a ten fold measure any attack that the Germans may attempt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-banting/british-forces-should-be-in-a-position-to-give-back-in-a-ten-fold/)

[Frederick Banting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-banting/)

> [Although I don't have anything against people from other countries, the higher the influx into England the more the British identity disappears.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/although-i-don-t-have-anything-against-people-from-other-countries/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [It could be my British need for discipline that makes me admire the American appetite for freedom and passion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-winwood/it-could-be-my-british-need-for-discipline-that-makes-me-admire-the/)

[Steve Winwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-winwood/)

> [While we like to think queueing is unique to British culture, the truth is that we are mere amateurs. The old Soviet Union turned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-hartley-brewer/while-we-like-to-think-queueing-is-unique-to-british-culture-the/)

[Julia Hartley-Brewer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-hartley-brewer/)

> [The American Constitution declares 'All men are born equal.' The British Socialist Party add: 'All men must be kept equal'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/the-american-constitution-declares-all-men-are-born-equal-the-british/)

[Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/)

> [The whole nuclear-arms-control and non-proliferation policy of the nuclear powers is a fraud: The Americans could not prevent the Soviets from replicating their weaponry,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conrad-black/the-whole-nuclear-arms-control-and-non-proliferation-policy-of-the/)

[Conrad Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conrad-black/)

> [There just seems to be more acceptance now of other kinds of British films, than the picture-postcard ones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-roth/there-just-seems-to-be-more-acceptance-now-of-other-kinds-of-british/)

[Tim Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-roth/)

[Browse all 3,149 British quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/british/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Unprecedented in modern British history and outside all normal civil service rules, a bunch of MPs, some of them working with foreign governments, wrote primary legislation - 'the Surrender Act' also known as the Benn Act - without any of the scrutiny of who influenced and who funded it that is normal for legislation.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Dominic Cummings"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dominic-cummings/unprecedented-in-modern-british-history-and-outside-all-normal-civil/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "British"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dominic-cummings/unprecedented-in-modern-british-history-and-outside-all-normal-civil/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ece/dominic-cummings-5896_british_unprecedented-in-modern-british-history_2038399.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ece/dominic-cummings-5896_british_unprecedented-in-modern-british-history_2038399.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ece/dominic-cummings-5896_british_unprecedented-in-modern-british-history_2038399.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Unprecedented in modern British history and outside all normal civil service rules, a bunch of MPs, some of…” — Dominic Cummings",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Dominic Cummings",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dominic-cummings/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Unprecedented in modern British history and...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dominic-cummings/unprecedented-in-modern-british-history-and-outside-all-normal-civil/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dominic-cummings/unprecedented-in-modern-british-history-and-outside-all-normal-civil/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```