Assassination : Just Not Cricket

Went to see Rob and Rho in a production of Stephen Sondheim's Assassins on Wednesday. For those unfamiliar with the show, it's a fictional (and musical!) account of the historical characters who attempted the murder of various US presidents with some attempted guess-work at what drove them to it. The lovely thing about it dramatically (well it's Sondheim-the music takes care of itself), is that the stage becomes this timeless void where the assassins (from different decades...centuries even) can communicate and philosophise over their similar/differing predicaments. The central idea being that Abraham Lincoln's assassin set the precedent and assassination became the most extreme way to register your socio-political discontent: Within the piece he becomes the ring leader, inspiring/coercing the others into action- and with every murder his celebrity is reincarnated-every dead assassin needing the next one to survive in the eye of History.
ANYWAY- I didn't mean to tell you any of that- I just wanted to discuss Britain's comparitive LACK of assassination attempts on kings/queens/PMs. My suggested theories:
- Separation of powers= since our PM doesn't have the individual power/authority inherent in the American presidency, political discontent does not rest so heavily on one man's shoulders. (Plus in a geographically smaller country it is easier to register your discontent and 'have your voice heard' through peaceful protest and the media).
- British cynicism and "we've had it worse" syndrome = This country has a history of class-based oppression, whereas America was built on the dream of a better, fairer land for its poor immigrants. When the dream repeatedly fails to become a reality, the victims of poverty, feeling cheated by political hypocrisy place their blame where the buck stops.
I dunno- just thoughts...