Sod the Public: We Need Representatives, Not Delegates

I don’t mean to pick on David Kerr, the SNP’s candidate in the Glasgow North-East by-election, because, frankly, every single one of the candidates would say something like this:

“My commitment to the people of Glasgow North East is that I will always put them first. My priorities are their priorities.”

Really? Personally, I’d prefer it if an MP (or even a prospective MP) put his or her judgement first. I want MPs who will “stand up” (and vote) for what they think right, not merely follow the party line or pander to the presumed self-interest of their constituents. I want parliamentarians prepared to tell their electorate to take a hike, not MPs that act as though they’re suffering from Stockholm Syndrome. So I want them, on occasion, to treat the Whips’ Office with just as much disdain as I hope they will treat their constituents’ prejudices and preferences. I’d rather have men and women of independent mind “elected” from Rotten Boroughs than have Parliament be entirely subject to the whims and biases of the electorate.