--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The parliamentary democracy we have…" description: "\"“The parliamentary democracy we have adopted involves the British perversity of electing a legislature to form an executive: this has created a unique ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/94d/shashi-tharoor-2698_common-denominator_the-parliamentary-democracy-we-have-adop_2545200.jpg" --- # The parliamentary democracy we have adopted involves the… ![“The parliamentary democracy we have adopted involves the British perversity of electing a legislature to form an executive: this has created a unique breed of legislator, largely unqualified to legislate, who has sought election only in order to wield (or influence) executive power. It has…” quote by Shashi Tharoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/94d/shashi-tharoor-2698_common-denominator_the-parliamentary-democracy-we-have-adop_2545200.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/94d/shashi-tharoor-2698_common-denominator_the-parliamentary-democracy-we-have-adop_2545200.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/94d/shashi-tharoor-2698_common-denominator_the-parliamentary-democracy-we-have-adop_2545200.jpg) > ““The parliamentary democracy we have adopted involves the British perversity of electing a legislature to form an executive: this has created a unique breed of legislator, largely unqualified to legislate, who has sought election only in order to wield (or influence) executive power. It has produced governments obliged to focus more on politics than on policy or performance. It has distorted the voting preferences of an electorate that knows which individuals it wants but not necessarily which policies. It has spawned parties that are shifting alliances of individual interests rather than the vehicles of coherent sets of ideas. It has forced governments to concentrate less on governing than on staying in office, and obliged them to cater to the lowest common denominator of their coalitions. It is time for a change.”” [Shashi Tharoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shashi-tharoor/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The current parliamentary system elects legislators who seek executive power, leading to unqualified lawmaking, policy neglect, and coalition politics that prioritize staying in office over governance. **In simple terms:** Parliamentary democracy often yields unqualified legislators focused on power, not policy. Key Takeaway Demand reforms that separate legislative and executive authority. Themes democracy politics governance representation reform Mood critical concerned Type political analytical When to use this quote - election campaigns - policy drafting - coalition negotiations - public accountability - constitutional amendment Key Concepts separation of powers political accountability institutional design Questions to Reflect On - How can citizens pressure for institutional change? - What safeguards ensure legislators remain policy‑focused? A Different Perspective Reforms may face entrenched interests resistant to change. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Common denominator](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/common-denominator/) [Democracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democracy/) [Parliamentary democracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parliamentary-democracy/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Time for a change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time-for-a-change/) ## Related quotes > [“Personally, I am far from convinced that the British system is suited to India. The parliamentary democracy we have adopted involves the British perversity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shashi-tharoor/personally-i-am-far-from-convinced-that-the-british-system-is-suited/) [Shashi Tharoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shashi-tharoor/) > [We know that communism is the right hypothesis. All those who abandon this hypothesis immediately resign themselves to the market economy, to parliamentary democracy-the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alain-badiou/we-know-that-communism-is-the-right-hypothesis-all-those-who-abandon/) [Alain Badiou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alain-badiou/) > [If the institutions of parliamentary democracy are worth preserving, the duty to explain them to the people they are meant to serve becomes vitally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-allen-fraser/if-the-institutions-of-parliamentary-democracy-are-worth-preserving/) [John Allen Fraser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-allen-fraser/) > [“Do go on,' he said. 'There's nothing I enjoy more than listening to a highly trained intelligence leapfrogging common sense and coming to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-sharpe/do-go-on-he-said-there-s-nothing-i-enjoy-more-than-listening-to-a/) [Tom Sharpe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-sharpe/) > [The much-lauded parliamentary democracy in India has been unable to protect a genuine democratic set-up in Kashmir.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nyla-ali-khan/the-much-lauded-parliamentary-democracy-in-india-has-been-unable-to/) [Nyla Ali Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nyla-ali-khan/) > [I'm much more attracted personally to governments going their full term. It's very hard to have a fixed term election I know with ah...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-bolger/i-m-much-more-attracted-personally-to-governments-going-their-full/) [Jim Bolger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-bolger/) > [One of the most enjoyable things I do at Government House and when I travel around Australia is to talk with children. I tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-bryce/one-of-the-most-enjoyable-things-i-do-at-government-house-and-when-i/) [Quentin Bryce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-bryce/) > [Look, there is parliamentary democracy in most European countries, there is parliamentary democracy in Japan, there is parliamentary democracy in many countries, but in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-putin/look-there-is-parliamentary-democracy-in-most-european-countries/) [Vladimir Putin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-putin/) > [It would appear that the traditional parliamentary democracies can offer no fundamental opposition to that automatism of technological civilization and the industrial-consumer society, for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaclav-havel/it-would-appear-that-the-traditional-parliamentary-democracies-can/) [Vaclav Havel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaclav-havel/) > [“He can read and write, but he doesn't get what he's read. He's half-baked. The country is full of people like him, I'll tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aravind-adiga/he-can-read-and-write-but-he-doesn-t-get-what-he-s-read-he-s-half/) [Aravind Adiga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aravind-adiga/) > [Referendums are a democratic instrument, but so are decisions reached in a parliamentary democracy. I advise extreme caution when it comes to referendums. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-schulz/referendums-are-a-democratic-instrument-but-so-are-decisions-reached/) [Martin Schulz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-schulz/) > [I'm a firm believer that if we could restore real parliamentary democracy, the best way to do that would be to get rid of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-may/i-m-a-firm-believer-that-if-we-could-restore-real-parliamentary/) [Elizabeth May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-may/) > [A parliamentary democracy that has developed its delicate balances over hundreds of years will not give up its sovereign rights.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-portillo/a-parliamentary-democracy-that-has-developed-its-delicate-balances/) [Michael Portillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-portillo/) > [No government really rooted in limited, parliamentary democracy should have the power to make its citizens fight and kill and die in a war…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-clinton/no-government-really-rooted-in-limited-parliamentary-democracy-should/) [Bill Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-clinton/) > [No matter how many troops we have in place or how long they stay, we cannot impose a parliamentary democracy there any more than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-clooney/no-matter-how-many-troops-we-have-in-place-or-how-long-they-stay-we/) [Nick Clooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-clooney/) ## More by Shashi Tharoor > [“six decades of Independence have wrought significant change, as exposure to British practices has faded and India’s natural boisterousness has reasserted itself. Some of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shashi-tharoor/six-decades-of-independence-have-wrought-significant-change-as/) [Shashi Tharoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shashi-tharoor/) > [“My China Diary and Walking With Lions, were memoirs of his diplomatic and political experiences. The”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shashi-tharoor/my-china-diary-and-walking-with-lions-were-memoirs-of-his-diplomatic/) [Shashi Tharoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shashi-tharoor/) > [The U.N. guards the vital principles entrenched in its charter, notably the sovereign equality of states and the inadmissibility of interference in their internal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shashi-tharoor/the-u-n-guards-the-vital-principles-entrenched-in-its-charter-notably/) [Shashi Tharoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shashi-tharoor/) > [“control. The people’s character is deliberately debased, their mind is denationalized and perpetually kept in ignorance and fed with stories of England’s greatness and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shashi-tharoor/control-the-people-s-character-is-deliberately-debased-their-mind-is/) [Shashi Tharoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shashi-tharoor/) > [“The past is not necessarily a guide to the future, but it does partly help explain the present. One cannot, as I have written…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shashi-tharoor/the-past-is-not-necessarily-a-guide-to-the-future-but-it-does-partly/) [Shashi Tharoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shashi-tharoor/) > [The steep decline in America's image and standing after 9/11 is a direct reflection of global distaste for the instruments of American hard power:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shashi-tharoor/the-steep-decline-in-america-s-image-and-standing-after-9-11-is-a/) [Shashi Tharoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shashi-tharoor/) > [“On election days, the burdens of poverty and corruption and of a creaky economic system are put aside, and India celebrates. Many voters dress…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shashi-tharoor/on-election-days-the-burdens-of-poverty-and-corruption-and-of-a/) [Shashi Tharoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shashi-tharoor/) > [“History, in any case, cannot be reduced to some sort of game of comparing misdeeds in different eras; each period must be judged in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shashi-tharoor/history-in-any-case-cannot-be-reduced-to-some-sort-of-game-of/) [Shashi Tharoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shashi-tharoor/) > [“India is my country, and in that sense my outrage is personal. But I seek nothing from history—only an account of itself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shashi-tharoor/india-is-my-country-and-in-that-sense-my-outrage-is-personal-but-i/) [Shashi Tharoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shashi-tharoor/) > [I make no bones about the fact that India matters to me, and I would like to matter to India.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shashi-tharoor/i-make-no-bones-about-the-fact-that-india-matters-to-me-and-i-would/) [Shashi Tharoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shashi-tharoor/) > [“In debate he thought high and aimed low.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shashi-tharoor/in-debate-he-thought-high-and-aimed-low/) [Shashi Tharoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shashi-tharoor/) > [“Jawaharlal Nehru, who wrote in a 1936 letter to an Englishman, Lord Lothian, that British rule is ‘based on an extreme form of widespread…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shashi-tharoor/jawaharlal-nehru-who-wrote-in-a-1936-letter-to-an-englishman-lord/) [Shashi Tharoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shashi-tharoor/) > [Much of the conventional analysis of India's stature in the world relies on the all-too-familiar economic assumptions. But we are famously a land of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shashi-tharoor/much-of-the-conventional-analysis-of-india-s-stature-in-the-world/) [Shashi Tharoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shashi-tharoor/) > [Universality of the UN is a worthwhile thing in its own self because it means that every country belongs, feels it has a stake,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shashi-tharoor/universality-of-the-un-is-a-worthwhile-thing-in-its-own-self-because/) [Shashi Tharoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shashi-tharoor/) > [The Chinese, as befits a Communist autocracy, approached the task of dominating the Olympics with top-down military discipline.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shashi-tharoor/the-chinese-as-befits-a-communist-autocracy-approached-the-task-of/) [Shashi Tharoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shashi-tharoor/) [Explore all 153 Shashi Tharoor quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shashi-tharoor/) ## More Common denominator quotes > [“Yet the flip side of the coin was all the positive literature about radium. As early as 1914, specialists knew that radium could deposit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-moore/yet-the-flip-side-of-the-coin-was-all-the-positive-literature-about/) [Kate Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-moore/) > [Even if it's just a little thing, something like a song, there's still that sort of common language, that common denominator that we can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonas-carpignano/even-if-it-s-just-a-little-thing-something-like-a-song-there-s-still/) [Jonas Carpignano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonas-carpignano/) > [“Der kleinste gemeinsame Nenner ist ein Klumpen Dreck, an den sich alle klammern müssen. // The lowest common denominator is a piece of dirt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/der-kleinste-gemeinsame-nenner-ist-ein-klumpen-dreck-an-den-sich-alle/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [As long as our culture continues to fawn over its downward-aspiring lowest common denominators, the United States will remain a social and political punch…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-beal/as-long-as-our-culture-continues-to-fawn-over-its-downward-aspiring/) [Anthony Beal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-beal/) > [The common denominator is that we all need help.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judah-smith/the-common-denominator-is-that-we-all-need-help/) [Judah Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judah-smith/) > [A lot of times, women complain about men around them. It's not always someone else's fault. If you're the common denominator in 57 different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karrine-steffans/a-lot-of-times-women-complain-about-men-around-them-it-s-not-always/) [Karrine Steffans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karrine-steffans/) > [I'm an anarchist. I'm implacably opposed to heirarchical systems of power and control. I also mistrust crowds, as they often operate according to their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-self/i-m-an-anarchist-i-m-implacably-opposed-to-heirarchical-systems-of/) [Will Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-self/) > [Actually I'm more culturally Muslim than religiously but being Muslim is an important part of my identity. As Muslim, I feel it's important to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aasif-mandvi/actually-i-m-more-culturally-muslim-than-religiously-but-being-muslim/) [Aasif Mandvi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aasif-mandvi/) > [There is something powerful in the whispering of obscenities, about those in power. There's something delightful about it, something naughty, secretive, forbidden, thrilling. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/there-is-something-powerful-in-the-whispering-of-obscenities-about/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [We have almost succeeded in leveling all human activities to the common denominator of securing the necessities of life and providing for their abundance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-arendt/we-have-almost-succeeded-in-leveling-all-human-activities-to-the/) [Hannah Arendt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-arendt/) > [Yeah, I think the common denominator - and this is probably going to sound like Acting 101 - but the common denominator is belief…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenna-elfman/yeah-i-think-the-common-denominator-and-this-is-probably-going-to/) [Jenna Elfman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenna-elfman/) > [“Time and suffering are inseperable. In life, as in physics, both are the common denominator of all experiences.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-dutton/time-and-suffering-are-inseperable-in-life-as-in-physics-both-are-the/) [Christopher Dutton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-dutton/) > [Most of the time people are aiming so low on television. They're trying to reach that common denominator, especially on network television.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dylan-mcdermott/most-of-the-time-people-are-aiming-so-low-on-television-they-re/) [Dylan McDermott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dylan-mcdermott/) > [Photography appears to be an easy activity; in fact it is a varied and ambiguous process in which the only common denominator among its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-cartier-bresson/photography-appears-to-be-an-easy-activity-in-fact-it-is-a-varied-and/) [Henri Cartier-Bresson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-cartier-bresson/) > [People are the common denominator of progress. So... no improvement is possible with unimproved people, and advance is certain when people are liberated and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/people-are-the-common-denominator-of-progress-so-no-improvement-is/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) [Browse all 295 Common denominator quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/common-denominator/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The parliamentary democracy we have adopted involves the British perversity of electing a legislature to form an executive: this has created a unique breed of legislator, largely unqualified to legislate, who has sought election only in order to wield (or influence) executive power. It has produced governments obliged to focus more on politics than on policy or performance. It has distorted the voting preferences of an electorate that knows which individuals it wants but not necessarily which policies. It has spawned parties that are shifting alliances of individual interests rather than the vehicles of coherent sets of ideas. It has forced governments to concentrate less on governing than on staying in office, and obliged them to cater to the lowest common denominator of their coalitions. It is time for a change.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Shashi Tharoor" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shashi-tharoor/the-parliamentary-democracy-we-have-adopted-involves-the-british/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Common denominator" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shashi-tharoor/the-parliamentary-democracy-we-have-adopted-involves-the-british/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/94d/shashi-tharoor-2698_common-denominator_the-parliamentary-democracy-we-have-adop_2545200.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/94d/shashi-tharoor-2698_common-denominator_the-parliamentary-democracy-we-have-adop_2545200.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/94d/shashi-tharoor-2698_common-denominator_the-parliamentary-democracy-we-have-adop_2545200.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The parliamentary democracy we have adopted involves the British perversity of electing a legislature to…” — Shashi Tharoor", "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": "Shashi Tharoor", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shashi-tharoor/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“The parliamentary democracy we have adopted...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shashi-tharoor/the-parliamentary-democracy-we-have-adopted-involves-the-british/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shashi-tharoor/the-parliamentary-democracy-we-have-adopted-involves-the-british/#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 } } ] } ```