Surgery (politics)
Encyclopedia
A political surgery or clinic is a term used to describe a series of one-to-one meetings. A Member of Parliament
(MP) may have with his or her constituents, at which a constituent may raise issues of local concern. The issues may relate to local issues (street crime, litter, a request for intervention by the MP on behalf of the constituent with local or national government) or it could deal with national policy matters.
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 influenced by whether an MP's seat is considered safe
(i.e., in the normal course of events, their party's level of support is such that they cannot lose 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 clientelist
a political system is impacts on the need for surgeries. The more clientelist a political system (i.e., 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 clientelist 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 fewer surgeries than in other states. Sir Keith Joseph
, Margaret Thatcher
's Secretary of State for Education, was considered to be a particularly active holder of surgeries. He boasted to Gemma Hussey
, the Irish
Minister for Education, that he held surgeries once a month. Hussey, who operated in the far more clientelist Single Transferable Vote proportional system, dryly responded that she had to do clinics three days every week to hold on to her seat as a Teachta Dála
.
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP) may have with his or her constituents, at which a constituent may raise issues of local concern. The issues may relate to local issues (street crime, litter, a request for intervention by the MP on behalf of the constituent with local or national government) or it could deal with national policy matters.
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
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
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
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
.
The number of such meetings can be influenced by whether an MP's seat is considered safe
Safe seat
A safe seat is a seat in a legislative body which is regarded as fully secured, either by a certain political party, the incumbent representative personally or a combination of both...
(i.e., in the normal course of events, their party's level of support is such that they cannot lose it in a general election), or marginal
Marginal seat
A marginal seat, or swing seat, is a constituency held with a particularly small majority in a legislative election, generally conducted under a single-winner voting system. In Canada they may be known as target ridings. The opposite is a safe seat....
(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 clientelist
Clientelism
Clientelism is a term used to describe a political system at the heart of which is an assyemtric relationship between groups of political actors described as patrons and clients...
a political system is impacts on the need for surgeries. The more clientelist a political system (i.e., 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 clientelist than various systems of proportional representation
Proportional representation
Proportional representation is a concept in voting systems used to elect an assembly or council. PR means that the number of seats won by a party or group of candidates is proportionate to the number of votes received. For example, under a PR voting system if 30% of voters support a particular...
. It also allows for far greater numbers of safe seats than PR systems. Hence British MPs on average do far fewer surgeries than in other states. Sir Keith Joseph
Keith Joseph
Keith St John Joseph, Baron Joseph, Bt, CH, PC , was a British barrister and politician. A member of the Conservative Party, he served in the Cabinet under three Prime Ministers , and is widely regarded to have been the "power behind the throne" in the creation of what came to be known as...
, Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990...
's Secretary of State for Education, was considered to be a particularly active holder of surgeries. He boasted to Gemma Hussey
Gemma Hussey
Gemma Hussey is a former Irish Fine Gael politician.Gemma Moran was born in Dublin in 1938 and educated at Loreto College, Foxrock and University College Dublin. Hussey had a successful career running a language school in the late 1960s and 70s...
, the Irish
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
Minister for Education, that he held surgeries once a month. Hussey, who operated in the far more clientelist Single Transferable Vote proportional system, dryly responded that she had to do clinics three days every week to hold on to her seat as a Teachta Dála
Teachta Dála
A Teachta Dála , usually abbreviated as TD in English, is a member of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas . It is the equivalent of terms such as "Member of Parliament" or "deputy" used in other states. The official translation of the term is "Deputy to the Dáil", though a more literal...
.