The Party System and the Corruption of Parliament

          It was Charles II who, after the Restoration, in the abuse of Royal prerogative, first altered the established pattern of the Constitution by using stealth to insinuate the beginnings of a political dictatorship in England. This attempt changed the time-honoured Privy Council format of Executive procedure. Instead, it collectivised ministers within a secret body, hitherto unheard of in England, that would become known as 'the Cabinet.'