In the UK, many commentators have warned of the potential dangers of such fusion, particularly given the strong degree of control exercised by the political parties over their MPs, through the whipping system, and the general tendency since 1945 for governing parties to enjoy significant parliamentary majorities in a 'first past the post' electoral system. Lord Hailsham, Lord Chancellor from 1970–74 and from 1979–87, commenting on the relationship between these two bodies of state, coined the phrase 'elective dictatorship' in describing executive dominance over the legislature.