Any political movement that proclaimed the will of the people would eventually be taken up and misused by one leader – whether it was Cromwell or Robespierre or whoever came next. They’d claim to represent this mythical entity, summon up tremendous power, and use it in their own interests. It was true that the people were sovereign, as the Levellers and the American revolutionaries had claimed. But as soon as that power was recognised, it had to be limited.
