The Great Parliamentary Fix
Whipping, like stripping, is best done in private.
(SIR FREDDIE WARREN. former Private Secretary to the Government
Chief Whip)
The first time one of the Whips hits the river it will be a great day for democracy.
(Backbench mp)
Of all the issues that divide the front and back benches in the House of Commons, it's perhaps the activities of the ' usual channels ' - the Government and Opposition Chief Whips - that cause the most bitterness and resentment. For the Chief Whips not only control their own members with a mixture of discipline and patronage, they also manage the business of Parliament itself.
Are the ' usual channels a necessary fix?
Former Chief Whips The Rt Hon William Whitelaw. mp. the Home Secretary, and The Rt Hon John Silkin. mp. Opposition Industry spokesman; the Speaker of the House of Commons, The Rt Hon George Thomas , mp, Mid its Leader. The Rt Hon Norman St John Stevas. mp. civil servants and a cross-section of critical backbenchers give their views to Robert Carvel Producer
CAROLINE MILLINGTON