22 THE BRITISH APPROACH TO POLITICS

as also did a Parliament in 1716.* This means that any Parliament
could legally turn itself into a dictatorship. Yet, if it did, it would
certainly be true that the British Constitution had been changed
out of recognition: dearly, the Constitution is not only a
matter of law, and to this point it will be necessary to return
when the meaning of the word "unconstitutional" is considered;
For the present it may be noticed that the Sovereignty of Parlia-
ment is limited by the fact that everyone expects Parliament to
be periodically dissolved and re-elected, so that the last word
shall rest with the people.

RULE OF LAW.

Closely connected with the Sovereignty of Parliament is the
second great principle of the Constitution, the Rule of Law.
In 1923 the Home Secretary arrested a number of persons and
deported them to the Irish Free State. This deportation was
contrary to law, and one of the victims took legal action against
the Home Secretary. It appeared that he, and everyone who had
helped to carry out his orders, were liable to heavy penalties,
from which they were only saved by the passing of a special
Indemnity Act. This event illustrates several important ideas.
First, that what is supreme in Britain is the law; the Home
Secretary, and the whole Government have power only to carry
out the law, not to do whatever they think fit. The Latin tag
SaJu$populi suprema lex—the welfare of the people is the supreme
law-^cannot be used by a British Government as an excuse for
pursuing its own idea of the public interest without regard for
legality. Second, that everyone is subject to the law; the engine
driver and the ship's crew who helped to move the deportees
could not plead that they were under orders; their business., like
that of everyone eke, was to obey the law, not to help the Home
Secretary to break it. Third, that since Parliament can alter the

1 The 1716 Septennial Act not only prolonged the life of the Parliament
then sitting, but made seven years> instead of three, the maximum legal
life of future Parliaments. This remained the law until 1911.