Vol. 3 - Parliamentary Sovereignty and its Limits
“No Legislative Act, therefore, contrary to the Constitution, can be valid”
– Alexander Hamilton, Author of Federalist Paper 78
Alexandria is a free and just Kingdom, and like other constitutional representative democracies, power is wielded by the people through Parliament and restrained by the Constitution. As the direct representation of the people and the engine of legislation, the Parliament is an indispensable body. It creates laws, allocates the budget, and holds the rest of the government to account. A weak Parliament would lead the Kingdom astray, yet a Parliament without limitation is a threat to the liberty it claims to defend.
Parliamentary Sovereignty, as a doctrine of our Kingdom, is rightly cherished, but there is an important distinction to be recognized between sovereignty under the law and supremacy over all things. Parliament is certainly the supreme legislator, but it must never become the supreme ruler. Parliament serves the Constitution – the Constitution does not serve Parliament.
Our Constitution establishes a balance: Parliament legislates, the Crown symbolizes unity and stability, the judiciary interprets the law, and the Cabinet enforces it. Each of these institutions play a role that protects our sacred liberty through the carefully designed set of checks and balances in our founding document.
Let Parliament be bold in its duty to hold ministers accountable, to wisely deliberate, to guard the Kingdom’s purse with care, and to give a strong voice to the people through the law. However, let the Parliament never forget that its strength lies not in dominance, but in discipline, for when Parliament governs with firmness restrained by law, it becomes the guardian of our liberty. When it respects the Crown, honors the courts, and submits itself to the Constitution, it becomes the rightful heart of a free nation.
A Parliament that has the power to give you everything you desire is also a Parliament that has the power to take away everything you hold dear. Parliament shall never reign – it shall serve, and in that service, it shall secure the enduring trust of the people it represents.
– Veritas