I wonder how many MPs actively still believe in the party they stand for?

[MapleLeafMe]

This is not in any way a party political post, or one about any single party.

But I got to wondering last night about lifelong politicians bound by party whips, who instead of maybe agreeing with the majority and tolerating the whip for the odd disagreement, find themselves far removed.

I imagine the number will be high.

As a firebrand youth you might be exceptionally left wing, then mellow with age, or turn more right wing. Conversely, right wing idealism of youth might change as one matures.

Not many actually cross the floor, but surely many are disillusioned?

I imagine that once you’ve nailed your colours to the mast and have a high salary it is very hard to walk away from, or publicly acknowledge.

Perhaps it’s like a priest or church goer who gradually realised their views on God have changed, or evaporated. How do you finally admit that to yourself, or do you just keep on keeping on?

I would imagine there is a lot of belief in the party among opposition MP's of every flavour. Tories are just in it for the ££££ as has been proved time and again.

As I said, this wasn’t meant to be party political.

Well, the Tories are going to come up, because they're the largest party, and they absorbed a lot of new employees at the last election whose jobs are predicted to be wiped out.

It's quite a flawed system for working with natural human impulses. No one likes to have their financial circumstances threatened. Asking people to be moral then presenting them with lots of incentives not to be moral is a recipe for - well, for the government we have now.