Re: OT: For information only !

From:    "Mark P. Line" <mark@...>
> Actually, these terms have pretty specific usage in political science.
>
> In a parliamentary system, the head of government (generally called the
> Prime Minister) is necessarily a sitting member of the legislative body
> (generally called the Parliament).
>
> In a congressional system, the head of government (sometimes called the
> Prime Minister if she is not also the head of state, and sometimes called
> the President if she is) is not necessarily (and probably almost always is
> not) a sitting member of the legislative body (generally called the
> Congress).
Which goes to show why political science is not a science.  These are
terms that polisci people use to help clarify their discussions somewhat,
but the debate here has (falsely, IMHO) tried to assess why some institutions
are given the names they have.  That question is a purely historical one,
and has no relevance to the actual structural makeup of the institutions
involved.

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Thomas Wier	       "I find it useful to meet my subjects personally,
Dept. of Linguistics    because our secret police don't get it right
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Chicago, IL 60637