Brown allows 'free vote'

[4GS]

So that MP's can vote with their "conscience"

Very nice of him, however, am I missing the point? shouldn't MP's consult the people who put them in the House of Commons, their constituents?

here is a link

[Lucy Thomas]

Typical of this sham of a government that they will allow a free vote on something that affects a very small number of people yet doesn't allow one on the Lisbon Treaty which fundamentally changes the way Britain is governed.

[dundurn]

There are times when the job of a party MP is to toe the party line. If you stand on a manifesto, that's what you are voted in to push through. However, even on manifesto items, after all the legal eagles have had their way with a bill and it's been through the committees and back and forth to the Lords there are some topics where the individual MP is forced to address questions like "is this right or wrong?". This "acid test" is what we criticised Hitler's minions for not applying. The job of our MPs is not "just to follow orders". I have no problems with their holding a public meeting to discuss a topic, or leafletting their constituencies to elicit other people's views. But even after all that has been done, I still respect the right of the individual to say "not on my watch".

It's a bit like being on a jury - sometimes you have to be the awkward sod who says "Not Guilty" when everyone else just wants to get back to work.

[jake-the-peg]

Did Margaret Thatcher offer a referendum on the Single European treaty? No

John Major on Maastrict? No

Theses were far more fundamental changes - The Tories set the precident.

Get over it

[Lucy Thomas]

Jake. If you had read the question properly, you would see that this is NOT about referenda but about free votes.

And by the way. the expression 'get over it' is the last bastion of those who have nothing to offer to a reasoned debate.

[bazwillrun]

Brown is not allowing a free vote , its only on 3 ethical issues which form part of the bill, he has made it quite clear that this bill is going through, and also will not allow them to vote against amendments either.

[rojash]

"shouldn't MP's consult the people who put them in the House of Commons, their constituents? "

No that's not how it works. You vote for someone according to how closely there stated ideas and beliefs correspond to your own, then you leave them to get on with it. If every MP consulted every constituent about every item on the agenda, then there would be no point in having MPs. We would all (40 odd million of us) turn up at parliament every day, scream at each other mindlessly (as people do on here), and never get anything decided.

[NiceCupOfTea]

^ Or do what they do in Switzerland, for example, and have referendums.

[anotheoldgit]

Taking that politicians sometime have to vote on issues that go against their strong personal or religious beliefs, should they not take this into account before becoming a MP in the first place?

[bazwillrun]

anotheroldgit

surely you dont think a prospective MP will allow moral beliefs to stop him/her getting on the gravy train and getting their nose in the cash trough !

[NiceCupOfTea]

MPs should be well known enough to their constituents that any votes like this wouldn't come as a shock. I'm not laughing too hysterically honest.