> In democracies, there is substantial or complete independence between the branches of govt — legislative, judicial, and executive I don't think that's true a

> In democracies, there is substantial or complete independence between the branches of govt — legislative, judicial, and executive I don't think that's true at all, and I believe separation of powers is (to large degree) and Americanism. I think most democracies lack or have very weak separation of powers, and are ruled under a principle of legislative supremacy. That's pretty clear in the UK (where parliamentary supremacy is a bedrock principle of their unwritten constitution), and I believe in Napoleonic law countries there's no sense where a court can strike down a law as "unconstitutional," because I understand courts there aren't bound by precedent in the same way common law courts are.