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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think that mp’s defecting to another party shouldn’t be allowed?

206 replies

AlternativePerspective · 19/01/2022 13:44

So Christian Wakeford has defected to labour over the whole Boris fiasco.

Fair enough, he wants no part in it and wants out. However, when people vote for an mp they vote for a party, not an individual. Therefore an elected mp defecting to the opposition is essentially giving a seat to that opposition without the vote of his constituents, who hadn’t wanted that party in place Because they didn’t vote for them.

So if he wants out, he should resign from his constituency so that his constituents can decide whether or not they want labour in power or not.

I mean, if you lived in a Labour constituency and your mp became a Tory I presume people might have something to say about that (I would,) so surely it should just be a blanket policy?

OP posts:
HirplesWithHaggis · 19/01/2022 13:46

You don't vote for a party though, you elect the candidate. So many people don't seem to understand this.

FelicityPike · 19/01/2022 13:46

It should trigger a by-election.
Of course people are free to switch parties, but as you said, that’s not what their constituency voted for.

GertrudePerkinsPaperyThing · 19/01/2022 13:48

You do vote for the candidate though. That is the essence of the system. We could change the system but we never do.

SuperLoudPoppingAction · 19/01/2022 13:48

I voted yabu because you do vote for a candidate under the current system.
Electoral reform might be an idea - the elections for MSPs in Scotland do enable you to vote for a regional candidate as well as a local one, so you would have more than one representative in your local area.

Original poster
AlternativePerspective · 19/01/2022 13:49

You’re wrong. When you vote you vote for the party who is represented by the candidate.

You don’t tick “mike smith” in the box, you tick the name of the party you’re voting for.

OP posts:
Iggly · 19/01/2022 13:50

@HirplesWithHaggis

You don't vote for a party though, you elect the candidate. So many people don't seem to understand this.
You’re confusing that with us not electing a prime minister.

We do elect the party in the constituency.

Itsalmostanaccessory · 19/01/2022 13:50

But you dont vote for the party. You vote for the individual. That's how our elections work. You choose an individual. They are a party member usually, but they wont always line up with the party politics. You're voting for them with their specific views/promises, not just a blanket conservative policy or labour policy.

So, because we vote for individuals, they can swap around and you've still got the person you voted for.

Unescorted · 19/01/2022 13:50

You elect the person. If you want an elect the party type of selection start campaigning for proportional representation or another type of electoral reform.

Cornettoninja · 19/01/2022 13:51

I agree it should trigger a by-election but I wouldn’t agree that a sitting MP is unable to defect.

My local MP is a Tory (very safe seat) and although I have never voted for him he objectively does a good job and I agree with a lot of his parliament voting history; he does have a tendency to go against the Tory line. If local candidates from other parties were abhorrent to me I would cast my vote for him. I’d welcome his defection.

CorrBlimeyGG · 19/01/2022 13:51

You don’t tick “mike smith” in the box, you tick the name of the party you’re voting for.

The paper lists the name of the candidate, with the party name in smaller letters underneath. You do vote for the candidate.

girlmom21 · 19/01/2022 13:51

What happens to the current Labour candidate for the constituency?

I agree it should trigger a by-election.

CorrBlimeyGG · 19/01/2022 13:52

And at the top of the paper, it states "vote for only one candidate", not party.

Octomore · 19/01/2022 13:52

@AlternativePerspective

You’re wrong. When you vote you vote for the party who is represented by the candidate.

You don’t tick “mike smith” in the box, you tick the name of the party you’re voting for.

Are you quite sure about that?

Because you're wrong.

DGRossetti · 19/01/2022 13:53

How about when a Prime Minister is replaced ? Should that trigger a general election ?

CorrBlimeyGG · 19/01/2022 13:53

What happens to the current Labour candidate for the constituency?

There isn't a local Labour candidate. They're not selected until close to the next election.

Sartre · 19/01/2022 13:53

You’re supposed to vote for the candidate rather than party so if he’s a decent MP it shouldn’t matter which party he represents.

Itsalmostanaccessory · 19/01/2022 13:54

@AlternativePerspective

You’re wrong. When you vote you vote for the party who is represented by the candidate.

You don’t tick “mike smith” in the box, you tick the name of the party you’re voting for.

No, you're wrong. The name is first. The party is additional info.

We dont elect the party. We elect the individual.

That's why, if the individual dies or leaves the job, it triggers a by-election. The party cannot just replace them with another party member because the party isnt elected. It is the individual.

WhatdoImean · 19/01/2022 13:54

The heart of a Parliamentary Democracy is that you elect an individual who will act in the best interests of their constituents - as they perceive that to be. This can mean that they shift party allegiance, as and when they think that a different allegiance would serve their constituents better.

Effectively, the current system is working as designed. Now... whether I think that is a GOOD design is a different question!!! I have a whole view on what electoral reform should be!!

MitheredAndFrazzled · 19/01/2022 13:54

@CorrBlimeyGG

You don’t tick “mike smith” in the box, you tick the name of the party you’re voting for.

The paper lists the name of the candidate, with the party name in smaller letters underneath. You do vote for the candidate.

Imagine the issues you'd have in a constituency with more than one independent candidate will if you had no names!
musicalfrog · 19/01/2022 13:55

You're so wrong OP!

I usually vote for a particular party but since I moved constituency I won't because my candidate here is such a wrong un! I don't believe everyone in a given party is cut from the same cloth. Humans just don't work like that.

Itsalmostanaccessory · 19/01/2022 13:56

@DGRossetti

How about when a Prime Minister is replaced ? Should that trigger a general election ?
The public dont elect the prime minister. The party with the majority do.
Justcallmebebes · 19/01/2022 13:56

You don’t tick “mike smith” in the box, you tick the name of the party you’re voting for.

You do though. A ballot paper will offer the options:
Mike Smith - Labour
John Jones - Conservative etc

You are voting for your local candidates not the party as a whole. I am in this predicament because I am not a fan of the Tories and don't want to vote for Boris, but my MP is a Tory and a very good MP

Nanny0gg · 19/01/2022 13:57

@HirplesWithHaggis

You don't vote for a party though, you elect the candidate. So many people don't seem to understand this.
True, But the party's policies are usually part of that.
Hont1986 · 19/01/2022 13:57

You do elect the individual. The party they are a member of is prominently featured, but you elect the individual.

To think that mp’s defecting to another party shouldn’t be allowed?
Papyrus · 19/01/2022 13:57

Of course you vote for the candidate. That's why independent candidates can stand without the backing of a party.

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