What British voters could learn from the Romans

When the forthcoming election result is announced, the triumphant party will presumably proclaim: ‘The British people have spoken!’ That will come as quite a surprise to the British people, because all they will have done is crossed a box approving a farrago of implausible policies or reforms in matters over which they have had no say whatsoever. The Roman plebeians were more hands-on.

Early Roman history is a complete mish-mash, much clearly invented well after the event. But it might have gone something like this: kings ruled Rome from 753 bc to 509 bc; they were advised by a senate of select tribal members called ‘patricians’; an assembly was set up to vote on laws and going to war, organised in such a way that the wealthy few could always outvote the rest. When the kings were thrown out, a fully fledged republic (res publica, ‘the people’s property/business’) emerged, at the head of which were two annually appointed consuls and other magistrates (office-holders), all senators.