Pyramid Politics.

I offer the words of edmund burke from november 1774...

..... Certainly, Gentlemen, it ought to be the happiness and glory of a Representative, to live in the strictest union, the closest correspondence, and the most unreserved communication with his constituents. Their wishes ought to have great weight with him; their opinion high respect; their business unremitted attention. It is his duty to sacrifice his repose, his pleasures, his satisfactions, to theirs; and, above all, ever, and in all cases, to prefer their interest to his own. But, his unbiassed opinion, his mature judgement, his enlightened conscience, he ought not to sacrifice to you; to any man, or to any sett of men living. These he does not derive from your pleasure; no, nor from the Law and the Constitution. They are a trust from Providence, for the abuse of which he is deeply answerable. Your Representative owes you, not his industry only, but his judgement; and he betrays, instead of serving you, if he sacrifices it to your opinion.

http://www.econlib.org/library/LFBooks/Burke/brkSWv4c1.html

I offer the words of edmund burke from november 1774...

 

..... Certainly, Gentlemen, it ought to be the happiness and glory of a Representative, to live in the strictest union, the closest correspondence, and the most unreserved communication with his constituents. Their wishes ought to have great weight with him; their opinion high respect; their business unremitted attention. It is his duty to sacrifice his repose, his pleasures, his satisfactions, to theirs; and, above all, ever, and in all cases, to prefer their interest to his own. But, his unbiassed opinion, his mature judgement, his enlightened conscience, he ought not to sacrifice to you; to any man, or to any sett of men living. These he does not derive from your pleasure; no, nor from the Law and the Constitution. They are a trust from Providence, for the abuse of which he is deeply answerable. Your Representative owes you, not his industry only, but his judgement; and he betrays, instead of serving you, if he sacrifices it to your opinion.

 

http://www.econlib.org/library/LFBooks/Burke/brkSWv4c1.html

So why do we have political parties? Why do MPs not rely on their own ' unbiassed opinion, mature judgement, [and] enlightened conscience'?

Why do they (in most cases) simply vote the way they are told to, or vote against the political opposition?

So why do we have political parties? Why do MPs not rely on their own ' unbiassed opinion, mature judgement, [and] enlightened conscience'?

Political parties were originally designed to give voice to a group of people's interests. The notion of collectivising individual interests into one faction of strength would help to ensure that those preferences and beliefs are not discarded in the democratic process.

Why do they (in most cases) simply vote the way they are told to, or vote against the political opposition?

in general, the collectivisation of interests mean that you have to sacrifice some of your desires for the greater achievement of the parties aims. that said, all the mainstream parties have been pretty broad and until recently accepted and sometimes celebrated the odd oddball.

what's happened over the last 30-40 years is the rise of the career politician who has come straight from university into the party machine and out at the other end as an MP. it's very hard for them to rebel against the party. If we drew our MP's from real people who have some real experience of life then maybe things would be different.