With the selection of Rishi Sunak as Prime Minister, things appear to have pacified, especially in the Conservative party. Still, many Tory MPs are likely to lose their seats at the next election to Labour and Lib Dem candidates, leading to another election with a huge influx of fresh faces. The 2019 cohort has garnered much attention for it’s disobedience to the whips, though it is difficult to be sure if this is a product of political happenings during their memberships or if it is impossible to whip effectively when most haven’t even met one another. More new MPs after 2024 will constitute a greater unruly pack of people to whip into line; no mean feat in an age of transparency, where old whipping techniques would cause quite the stink.

Like all things, a little disobedience is to be desired from our representatives, though it mustn’t get out of hand. Studying the figures, it first seems a little worrying that there are only 30 people in the House of Commons who predate the election of Tony Blair, i.e. with more than a quarter of a century of experience. It turns out that 2001 and 2005 were bountiful years for those who have stuck around and are big names in politics today. Experience is to be valued; it takes a long time to work out how to operate the machinery in such a job and it is perhaps only those elected in 2010 or earlier that truly understand their job. A knowledge of history, especially what has been tried (and what has failed) before, is truly known best by those who were there. It is most fascinating and enlightening to read the memoirs and articles of former politicians; indeed, that is the only reason for buying them.

It seems sensible that the best combination is of those with real experience (former ministers, which of course is a defence of the House of Lords) and those who can advocate for all sorts of different campaigns. These are the MPs we remember, like Leo Abse, Enoch Powell, Ann Widdecombe, Dennis Skinner, the ones who never achieved high office but were more open to speaking freely than the typical MP.

This is where politics can be a little disappointing for the passionate member of the public. Many have never met their MP, most haven’t spoken to them for more than 5 minutes. Barely any know what topics they are most passionate about or the campaigns they are involved in. It is clear from most vox pop segments in the news that the electorate really do care about the decisions made for them, yet somehow, when an election nears they don’t seem want to spend much time on the doorstep finding out about their candidates’ views. The more proactive will conduct a quick Google search to find out what they can about the candidates, give up when they find the results to be limited and vote for the party that they are more inclined towards anyway.

It takes a lot of time, money and effort to become an MP or councillor. It is right to repay these people by getting involved in the political process, hearing what they have to say and scrutinising them closely, checking if this person on the doorstep is really who can be trusted with such a job. What doesn’t take much effort, nor money, nor time is to be a member of a party, or even to turn up to meetings with local councillors. They may not debate great philosophical arguments, for it is difficult when discussing parking charges or bus routes, but small policies like these can change the culture and feel of a village, town, or city. Paying a small annual subscription to a party gives you a chance to attend a few meetings a year and participate in selecting candidates. That is a great power to have. Do not bemoan useless or lazy politicians if you only take the bare minimum of your democratic opportunities.

With the likelihood being that within 2 years time the country will be heading to the polls, now is as good a time as any to find out who is putting their name forward and to try and get your preference selected as the party candidate. If you typically vote for the same party but don’t like the policies of certain wings, ensure your thoughts are known and nominate the right person for you. The beauty of the parties in the UK is that they cater for all sorts of views and there are plenty of crazy ones among them. Plus, there is still plenty to moan about even as a member, you’ll just be more informed and justified!