to hope that the SNP and the Labour Party

[SoManyQuestions219]

form a parliamentary alliance and vote against any unpalatable oncoming Tory cuts / excesses in the months to come - especially since they are now unchecked in government.

I known the numbers don't quite stack up but 56 SNP MPs, overtly more socialist than their Labour counterparts and not afraid to voice their opinion is a good thing IMO.

As such I hope that Scottish MPs can continue to vote on English matters. I also hope that they see their responsibility as being not only towards their Scottish constituents but also towards everyone in the UK.

AIBU? Not sure of the mechanics of parliament but want to learn more so please discuss if you feel like it!

Between 1997 and 2010 the majority of Scottish seats were with the government. Other than that it's been decades since a Conservative government had any serious sway on the Scottish vote.
Big news the Scots are in opposition. Like normal.

Cameron's majority means a majority on Select committees too, and few MPs will rebel against their party line on Committees (where the members are allocated according to the percentage of MPs each party has - so Cameron will still have a majority on committees), or in Parliamentary votes.

On important matters, the Whip system will ensure that MPs vote as they are told - rebellion can and does happen, but not often - most MPs will not risk their parliamentary careers unless they feel incredibly strongly about something - and usually the party knows about these issues well ahead of time, during the formulation of new policy and the drafting of Bills, and will make minor adjustments to policy to appease their rebels, if there is a risk of the rebellion being big enough to defeat them in a vote.

Mostly, though, the MPs of all parties follow the instructions of their party Whips, in the lobbies (where parliamentary votes happen) and in committees. If you don't follow the Whips' instructions, you risk losing the party Whip - which is a big deal to an MP.

They will get more questions in the House, but they will not be able to force the Conservatives to do anything they don't want to do. Nor will Labour, who have nearly five times as many MPs. They have no weapon to use - no lever of power.

And since Labour + SNP = 288, and the Tories have 331 seats, they would need a massive rebellion plus the cooperation of a number of minor parties, and the chances of that happening are very small, I am afraid.

Don't see where the personal vendetta comes in?

I did not vote for the Tory party - one reason being that some of their cuts have punished the very vulnerable. I am worried about what other cuts are in the pipeline. I am sure I am not the only person with these thoughts.

The more people speaking up for the very vulnerable in parliament, the better. Who will be doing this is another question.

Thanks for your informative post STDG. MPs having mainly to toe the party line is a bit shocking.

They can speak up and vote against policies all they like but, unfortunately the people have spoken now.
The conservative party have an overall majority and can do as they wish.