Are MLAs partisan or non-partisan?
Some of you will recall Bob Simpson, former BC NDP MLA and former BC Liberal activist cum independent MLA, seen below celebrating the incredible lightness of being independent.
Mr. Simpson's most recent blog calls for MLAs to shrug off the chains of their respective Parties and "rise up" for a new democracy. I accept Mr. Simpson is unlikely to find himself comfortable in any collective effort. His record of failure to play well with others in either the BC Liberal or BC NDP sandboxes makes that clear.
I believe Mr. Simpon is wrong headed for NDP MLAs to consider for a number of reasons:
- While all elected officials carry a measure of ego necessary to run for public office in the first place, those who forget they got there because of the help of many do so at their peril;
- Party discipline is how we helpers are assured our efforts were worthwhile. When I help to elect someone, I want assurance they'll not vote to criminalize abortions, cut funding to social services or gay pride parades etc etc;
- Like it or not, represenatative democracy involves political parties - seems pretty consistent throughout the globe. If progressives stopped organizing in this way the right would clean up in elections.
Mr. Simpson's exhortation is also concerning because it reflects a tension within politics in British Columbia between party members and MLAs which is corrosive to internal party functioning and damaging to capacity to campaign effectively. As he points out, it is interesting to note that the victors in both the recent BC Liberal and BC NDP leadership campaigns did so without significant backing of members of either caucus. In both cases, a majority (albeit narrow) of party members chose the outsider. Time will tell which Party is able to reconcile with their MLAs and be in shape to win the next election.
But for here, perhaps a few questions to discuss. Is appropriate for MLAs to act independently of Party after we elect them? If so, when is it appropriate? When and how do Parties hold their MLAs accountable when they act inappropriately?
Well, the party is not the only body that got the MLA where he is. Not to discount their effort, or the number of people who voted for the party, but the member is there to represent the constituents who actually cast those votes. If the party had absolute ownership of the seat then there would be no reason to have MLAs at all. The whole show could be run out of the offices of the premier and the opposition.
I think it is a balancing act between party and constituents, but when push comes to shove, there are sometimes cases when a representative has to listen to the people who elected him or her. There are plenty of examples of members bucking parliamentary authority to illustrate that.
It also begs the question of whether party policy is monolithic, and in fact that is never the case in all things. There are always factions and differences, party discipline notwithstanding.
@6079_Smith_W - Okay, how do we know when it is appropriate for an MLA to take a position opposite the stated position of the Party? How do Parties hold their MLAs accountable when they act inappropriately?
It depends on the situation, Union Supporter. And the ultimate arbiter is not you, me, or the party, but rather the electorate in the next election. That might be why David Emerson bailed out, and Bill Casey did not.
@6079_Smith_W - I'd be interested in knowing if there is an answer beyond "It depends upon the situation". Is it possible to establish reasonable terms, for example when party policy conflicts with local interest? My question also goes a bit deeper than "the electorate in the next election". Should party members even work for an MLA who has acted against party policy? A bit of chicken before the egg, perhaps.
No, not in my opinion.
The party has the option to drop a candidate. The candidate has the option to walk, and the electorate are ultimately the ones who decide who is going to represent them. None of these are eternal oaths signed in blood, and it all depends on the circumstances at hand. Some might want to craft a better rule book, but ultimately those are the only rules I am aware of.