Joe Hutch
Mate of the bloke
I am currently re-reading this Trollope novel, and it is an excellent read. It covers the central problem facing any newly-elected MP: to what extent should he/she support his/her party, and to what extent should he/she follow his/her conscience?
Finn: 'If I go into Parliament, I shall go there as a sound Liberal - not to support a party, but to do the best I can for the country'.
Erle [...] hated the very name of independence in Parliament, and when he was told of any man, that the man intended to look for measures and not to men, he regarded that man as being both unstable as water and as dishonest as the wind . [...] According to his theory of Parliamentary government, the House of Commons should be divided by a marked line, and every member should be required to stand on one side of it or another. [...] A member's vote - except for some small crotchety open question thrown out for the amusement of crotchety members - was due to the leader of the member's party.
Finn: 'If I go into Parliament, I shall go there as a sound Liberal - not to support a party, but to do the best I can for the country'.
Erle [...] hated the very name of independence in Parliament, and when he was told of any man, that the man intended to look for measures and not to men, he regarded that man as being both unstable as water and as dishonest as the wind . [...] According to his theory of Parliamentary government, the House of Commons should be divided by a marked line, and every member should be required to stand on one side of it or another. [...] A member's vote - except for some small crotchety open question thrown out for the amusement of crotchety members - was due to the leader of the member's party.