Voting on budgets in Parliament – a representative institution – ensured that the people as a whole were liable for the obligations incurred by their government. A constitutional approach limited the scope for wasteful spending on luxurious court life (and on military adventure), which had been the hallmark of early modern autocratic monarchy.
自从1688年英国人民发动光荣革命奋起反抗挥霍无度的斯图亚特王室之后，英国政府就采用了一套新的债务制度：在议会（代议制机构）投票通过预算，以确保人民作为一个整体对政府支出负责。这是一种限制早期专制王朝奢侈宫廷消费（或者军事行动）的宪政手段。