Parliament is first and foremost the greatest official platform in the country to advance a good cause and to condemn a bad one. Parliament on good days leads the national debate and figures strongly in the national news. On a bad day Parliament may still be in the news for the wrong reasons.
Each MP has to help Parliament stay fresh and topical, in touch with public opinion, but also capable of leading the national debate in a positive way. Each MP can make a difference, and many do. Each MP does the job somewhat differently. It is not a nine to five office or factory. It is a way of life, where an MP is on call every day of the week, where work comes in every day of the week, and where each day an MP has to judge how he or she might advance his constituents’ interests and the related national causes he or she stands for.
The national debate can be altered by an individual MP through articles, pamphlets. speeches and his work. It can be altered by groups of MPs using Parliamentary opportunities to advance their ideas.It can be changed by political parties, operating within the Commons and outside.