Quoting Russell Coker (russell@coker.com.au):
I watched Yes Minister when it was first on air. I haven't watched House of Cards, I'll watch the British original (thanks Rick).
Yr. very welcome. The best part is Ian Richardson's performance. His Uruquart has had enough of being taken for granted, used as a reliable enforcer but never allowed his just reward by (Tory) party leaders, and he decides to get revenge by systematically conniving his way to the top seat no matter how many lives must be destroyed, getting there. Uruquart frequently breaks the fourth wall and confides to us, the unseen audience as he does this. Also, the black humour of how the Tories, now in power, blithely ignore societal problems they find inconvenient, is done wittily. But, at the time of its release, the first run of episodes benefited from insanely lucky timing (through dumb luck): Episode one aired the very day that The Iron Lady, Ms. Thatcher, was suddenly ousted, ending the UK's longest Prime Ministership, from within her own party -- and, hours later, the character Uruquart is opening his first scene with an ironic comment on the 10 Downing Street upheaval that put his faction into power: 'Nothing lasts forever.' With arched eyebrow. The plotline seemed almost ripped from headlines. It'd reported that all activity around Whitehall stopped when BBC1 aired each new episode.
Having a PM elected by parliament instead of an elected president makes a significant difference to politics. Mark Latham showed himself to be mentally incapable of properly fulfilling the duties of a PM shortly after losing the election. One can only speculate as to how long he might have lasted if Labor had won, but the fact that Labor only needed a no-confidence vote to remove him (as opposed to impeachment which among other things requires admitting culpability at a party level) would have made it much different than the issues with Trump.
Perhaps you can clarify that reference to 'at a party level', as I'm not sure what you mean. Strictly speaking, the process of impeachment (indictment) of government officials in and by the House of Representatives, followed if indictments ensue by trial where all 100 Senators form a jury, is done entirely without reference to political parties, as the latter have no official recognition anywhere in the US Federal framework.. More figuratively speaking, it is of course awkward and unpalatable for leaders of a party in the House to indict fellow party members, particularly the heads of the Executive Branch (Pres. and VP). You might have meant that. The current severely (historically) gerrymandered House is artificially dominated by the GOP, which in turn continue to (apparently) fear Trumplandia voters punishing any failure to cover for The Toddler's transgressions, and so are in effect held hostage to his takeover. It is inconceivable for said lot to charge either The Toddler or his scary mediaeval-minded henchman, Vice-President Mike Pence. However, strong winds of change may blow in from the November mid-term elections. There are multiple signs the House GOP expect a massive Democratic Party wave to throw the out of power and decisively overturn their control despite the gerrymandering advantage. What a House with a strong Democratic majority would do is a wholly different question.