In Part 1, Chapter 7, what does the author seem to be using Gulliver's adventures to say about systems of government, especially the government of England?

By saying that the Lilliputian emperor is planning to be merciful to Gulliver by poking his eyes out and starving him, rather than killing him immediately, Swift is expressing contempt for the ways in which cruelty can be hidden behind a curtain of mercy by government officials in general. Also, Swift is expressing that people can be charged with crimes that they did not commit, simply because political leaders feel threatened.