The New Irish Constitution: An Exposition and Some Arguments
History
The New Irish Constitution: An Exposition and Some Arguments
Home rule -- Ireland; Ireland -- Politics and government
Moreover, there is a further evil effect arising from the inevitable
indifference of constituents to much of the legislation which does not
apply to the country in which they live. In view of the divergence of
interests and diversity of classes represented in every Parliament, there
is probably no legislature in which there is not a tendency to
“log-rolling,” by which I mean arrangements among Members to support
measures about which they do not care in return for help with measures in
which they are particularly concerned. This temptation will be greater
when the Parliament is not only overworked, as is the case here, but the
struggle is intensified by the rivalry between English, Scottish, and
Irish claims upon its attention. In the resultant situation, indeed,
arrangements of a “log-rolling” character are likely to be made even upon
the wider issues, and the fact should not be overlooked that they are
rendered more easy because so many laws are passed separately for England,
Scotland, and Ireland. In theory, of course, as Professor Dicey claims, it
is the duty of a Member, whencesoever returned, to consult for the
interests of the whole nation, and not to safeguard the interests of
particular localities or countries; but in practice he cannot do it. The
subjects for legislation are so complicated that he cannot make himself
acquainted with them as they affect each of the three countries, and the
pressure upon Parliament is so tremendous that he is almost bound to try
to get for his own country a fair share of such time as is available. It
is, therefore, wiser to bow to the inevitable, and enable the English,
Scottish, or Irish Member, as the case may be, to look after his own
concerns in his own Parliament, untroubled by the presence of others who
do not understand his business and will not be called to account by their
constituents for what they may do, while leaving the control of all common
affairs, as at present, to the Parliament of the United Kingdom.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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