Good government is known from bad government by this infallible test: that under the former the labouring people are well fed and well clothed, and under the latter, they are badly fed and badly clothed.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- The author claims that a government is good if the working class is well fed and clothed, and bad if they are not.
- In plain terms
- A good government feeds and clothes workers well, while a bad one does not.
- What can you take from it?
- Measure government quality by the welfare of the working class.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- How do you measure government success?
- Who should the government serve?
Another view
It ignores other important factors like freedom or rule of law.
More from William Cobbett
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