What Are The Disadvantages Of Having Members Of Parliament

The concept of having Members of Parliament representing the people and the people’s wishes no longer remains true. More often than not, Members of Parliament are forced to follow party wishes or else deal with the disapproval of the party. When making a decision or deciding how to vote, a Member of Parliament must consider three components: the first, and most important, are the wants and concerns of the constituents; second, whether a decision made or vote cast goes against any morals or the conscience of the member; and finally, considering the party and weighing the consequences of following party wishes. There is no simple way for a Member of Parliament to make a decision. There will be many times that the Members are in uncomfortable …show more content…
More often than not, Members of Parliament and the party disagree on certain issues. What must be stressed is that the relationship between Members of Parliament and the party is not a battle, instead it is Members of Parliament knowing what they stand for, knowing what issues they can relent on and what issues they cannot. Increasingly, however, the public is noticing the control a party has on their Members of Parliament; so much so that the Members are not able to make decisions of their own free will without fear of repercussion. Andrew Coyne from National Post describes Members of Parliament under party leadership as “a mob: mindless, frightened, without purpose or direction except what the leader decides, and unquestioning in its acceptance of whatever the leader decrees.” (Loat and MacMillan, 201) Having the public notice such behavior increases the lack of trust that the people will have for the government. According to the Parliament of Canada, “the practice of party discipline serves two purposes: it ensures that the government and oppositions sides in Parliament are clearly demarcated; and it provides a degree of ideological certainty upon which the voter can rely.”(Parliament of Canada, “Party Discipline and Free Votes”) This is a wonderful concept, however, with the control that party leaders have on their Members, it is not realistic. Members of Parliament must consider the wants of the constituents first and compare those wants to the party wishes. As a result, the Member must make a judgment call, deciding when the priority lies with the constituents and when it lies with the party. There will be times that the Member will not side with the constituents, in such situations the Member must make a judgment that the party wishes are of a greater importance, benefit or priority in this specific situation.