| Surgery (politics) |
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Information AboutSurgery (politics) |
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It is up to each MP to decide whether they have any surgeries at all or if so, how many and in what locations. MPs often use local party offices, church halls or rooms in Public House s as the venues, with a number of surgeries possibly being held at different locations around a Constituency . Surgeries are traditionally held on weekends when MPs have returned from sittings of parliament in Westminster . The number of such meetings can be impacted upon by whether an MP's seat is considered '' Safe '' (ie, in the normal course of events, their party's level of support is such that they cannot loose it in a general election), or '' Marginal '' (one that can easily be lost). The more marginal the seat, the greater the number of surgeries an MP may choose to have. In addition how Clientalist a political system impacts on the need for surgeries. The more clientalist a political system (ie, the more it is based on local representation for constituents as opposed to an MP's participation in national politics) the greater the number of surgeries may be required. The United Kingdom's First Past The Post electoral system is perceived to be less clientalist than various systems of Proportional Representation . It also allows for far greater numbers of ''safe seats'' than PR systems. Hence British MPs on average do far less surgeries than in other states. Sir Keith Joseph , Margaret Thatcher 's Secretary of State for Education, was reputed to be a particularly active holder of surgeries. He revealed to Gemma Hussey , the Irish Minister for Education, that he held surgeries once a month. Hussey, who operated in the far more clientalist PR.STV system, revealed in response that she had to do her equivalent, Clinics , for three days every week to hold on to her seat as a TD . |
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