Why can an MPs job be classed as difficult?

Answer 1

Nowadays, an MPs job can be very difficult for a number of reasons including pressure from not only the members of their constituency's but also their parliamentary party's influence and the idea of national interest. Many MPs fear deselection therefore choose to side with their party whip in order to remain well liked and perhaps be considered for promotions. However, this is a no win situation, for if they remain loyal to their party, there is a huge chance that they will be unsuccessful at the next elections, whereas, if they do stand by their constituents, then the party whip will make them independent and again they are not likely to win the election, as it is often the case that people vote for the party and not the person. It is therefore inevitable that regardless of their decisions, their jobs and public status are always under threat. In the case of the smoking ban, which was introduced in Scotland during March of 2006, this would have caused quite a lot of issues for any MP who perhaps came from a constituency where cigarettes were a key industry or main provider of jobs, for example where many people work in a cigarette factory. The fear of losing their jobs would mean many locals would pressure the MP to avoid voting for the ban. Another of the major influences on an MP include pressure groups, in this situation the two main ones in this case would be, ASH (Action on Smoking and Health) as they would try to persuade the MP that the ban is in the best interests of the public whereas another would be a Trade Union which would fight to safeguard the jobs of the people. Therefore, overall it is up to the MP to decide which decision would be best for the national interest. They would have to consider that, away from their constituency; the ban in general, would benefit everyone's health. However, in many cases, the MPs personal opinion and conscience can affect their decisions; they could personally dislike smoking and believe that it should be banned in public places. Another example of this would be the laws against abortion as an MPs religion can play a big part with regards to the vote they make. In conclusion, it has hopefully been made clear that the conflicting demands mentioned above make the role of an MP in a democracy an impossible one, but this differs as it depends on their skills as an individual and their effectiveness as an MP is down to their individual qualities and if they use them successfully.