Alex Marland.,Whipped: Party Discipline in Canada. UBC Press. 459 Pages.,.$39.95..Alex Marland is one of the most astute observers of Canadian politics. His scholarship on contemporary political messaging and the functioning (or often dysfunction) of political parties has made him a trusted analytical voice across partisan lines. His 2016 book, Brand Command: Canadian Politics and Democracy in an Age of Message Control, was an eye-opening account of the degree to which contemporary political parties and governments (namely, the Harper government) focus on presenting uniform, scripted communications to the public. The Harper government’s concerns about staying on brand were nothing new. Marland, a professor of Political Science at Memorial University, traces this preoccupation with branding back to the days of Pierre Trudeau – decades before the practice even had a name. What was new about the Harper government’s efforts to stay on brand were the degree of control that the prime minister’s inner circle tried to exert over every utterance of his caucus..In Whipped, Marland extends the story he told in Brand Command to the nooks and crannies of Parliament Hill, examining the ways in which party leaders have sought to exert greater control over their caucuses in recent decades. Marland tells this story as an insider, building his narrative and analysis around dozens of on the record (and a few off the record) interviews with some of Canada’s most noteworthy politicos. Interviewees include the likes of Jean Charest, Paul Martin, Carolyn Bennett, Bob Rae, Kim Campbell, Brian Mulroney, Stockwell Day, Gilles Duceppe, Michael Ignatieff, and Peter MacKay. .Through his comprehensive research and sharp analysis, Marland makes a persuasive case that a “Gordian Knot of party discipline” pervades every federal and provincial parliamentary caucus. Undoubtedly, the Westminster system of parliamentary governance has always had a strong tendency towards party discipline due to its centralization of power in executive officers. But the increasing rigidity of authority within the caucuses has limited the political autonomy of backbenchers. Discipline is expected not only in parliamentary voting. MPs are now expected to stay on message in all of their public expressions, especially on social media. The effect of this has been increasing polarization in parliament as well as the broader political culture. .Increasing party discipline has also served to impoverish political debate in Canada by sapping some of the variety and intellectual diversity out of the national discourse. In 2020, a Liberal MP from the Maritimes, for example, and a Liberal MP from British Columbia will seem much more like carbon copies of one another than they would have a generation earlier. Historically, differences of their respective constituent’s interests and their respective personal consciences would have manifested themselves more clearly in their work as legislators. .Why has this “Gordian Knot” enveloped the party caucuses? Marland posits a number of interrelated reasons in this clearly and concisely written book. He attributes it partly to the vetting of candidates by the national parties, which tends to homogenize the pool of potential MPs. The interconnectedness of the 24-hour news cycle, social media, and the World Wide Web all make it difficult for MPs to speak frankly or go against the party grain without it blowing up into a major story. Marland describes how MPs have become, in essence, social media brand ambassadors for the current hegemons within their parties. The hyper-responsiveness of party leaders to public opinion polling has also figured prominently in the push for caucus discipline, as communication strategists help party leaders strive continuously to win the news cycle. .One of the book’s most instructive chapters focuses on parliamentary party caucus meetings, which were viewed, historically, as the proper place for backbenchers to express their differences of opinion with the leadership. Even these events have become echo chambers of party discipline. Marland describes it as a “spiral of silence.” Several interviewees suggested that the growing presence of non-MP party apparatchiks at such meetings compromise their historic sanctity of debate. Moreover, fear that news of party bickering will find its way to media outlets leads to a kind of self-censorship by MPs at such meetings. Most parliamentarians, it seems, would rather stay on message than get grief from party leaders for ruffling feathers at a caucus meeting..Taken together, the insights in Alex Marland’s Whipped offer a fairly bleak picture of the quality of political debate both at the federal and provincial level. Nevertheless, this book is a must read for parliament watchers. It makes evident the significant institutional challenges that new MPs face as they try to represent their constituents in Ottawa..Clayton Trutor is a Book Critic for the Western Standard. He holds a PhD in US History from Boston College and teaches at Norwich University in Northfield, Vermont.
Alex Marland.,Whipped: Party Discipline in Canada. UBC Press. 459 Pages.,.$39.95..Alex Marland is one of the most astute observers of Canadian politics. His scholarship on contemporary political messaging and the functioning (or often dysfunction) of political parties has made him a trusted analytical voice across partisan lines. His 2016 book, Brand Command: Canadian Politics and Democracy in an Age of Message Control, was an eye-opening account of the degree to which contemporary political parties and governments (namely, the Harper government) focus on presenting uniform, scripted communications to the public. The Harper government’s concerns about staying on brand were nothing new. Marland, a professor of Political Science at Memorial University, traces this preoccupation with branding back to the days of Pierre Trudeau – decades before the practice even had a name. What was new about the Harper government’s efforts to stay on brand were the degree of control that the prime minister’s inner circle tried to exert over every utterance of his caucus..In Whipped, Marland extends the story he told in Brand Command to the nooks and crannies of Parliament Hill, examining the ways in which party leaders have sought to exert greater control over their caucuses in recent decades. Marland tells this story as an insider, building his narrative and analysis around dozens of on the record (and a few off the record) interviews with some of Canada’s most noteworthy politicos. Interviewees include the likes of Jean Charest, Paul Martin, Carolyn Bennett, Bob Rae, Kim Campbell, Brian Mulroney, Stockwell Day, Gilles Duceppe, Michael Ignatieff, and Peter MacKay. .Through his comprehensive research and sharp analysis, Marland makes a persuasive case that a “Gordian Knot of party discipline” pervades every federal and provincial parliamentary caucus. Undoubtedly, the Westminster system of parliamentary governance has always had a strong tendency towards party discipline due to its centralization of power in executive officers. But the increasing rigidity of authority within the caucuses has limited the political autonomy of backbenchers. Discipline is expected not only in parliamentary voting. MPs are now expected to stay on message in all of their public expressions, especially on social media. The effect of this has been increasing polarization in parliament as well as the broader political culture. .Increasing party discipline has also served to impoverish political debate in Canada by sapping some of the variety and intellectual diversity out of the national discourse. In 2020, a Liberal MP from the Maritimes, for example, and a Liberal MP from British Columbia will seem much more like carbon copies of one another than they would have a generation earlier. Historically, differences of their respective constituent’s interests and their respective personal consciences would have manifested themselves more clearly in their work as legislators. .Why has this “Gordian Knot” enveloped the party caucuses? Marland posits a number of interrelated reasons in this clearly and concisely written book. He attributes it partly to the vetting of candidates by the national parties, which tends to homogenize the pool of potential MPs. The interconnectedness of the 24-hour news cycle, social media, and the World Wide Web all make it difficult for MPs to speak frankly or go against the party grain without it blowing up into a major story. Marland describes how MPs have become, in essence, social media brand ambassadors for the current hegemons within their parties. The hyper-responsiveness of party leaders to public opinion polling has also figured prominently in the push for caucus discipline, as communication strategists help party leaders strive continuously to win the news cycle. .One of the book’s most instructive chapters focuses on parliamentary party caucus meetings, which were viewed, historically, as the proper place for backbenchers to express their differences of opinion with the leadership. Even these events have become echo chambers of party discipline. Marland describes it as a “spiral of silence.” Several interviewees suggested that the growing presence of non-MP party apparatchiks at such meetings compromise their historic sanctity of debate. Moreover, fear that news of party bickering will find its way to media outlets leads to a kind of self-censorship by MPs at such meetings. Most parliamentarians, it seems, would rather stay on message than get grief from party leaders for ruffling feathers at a caucus meeting..Taken together, the insights in Alex Marland’s Whipped offer a fairly bleak picture of the quality of political debate both at the federal and provincial level. Nevertheless, this book is a must read for parliament watchers. It makes evident the significant institutional challenges that new MPs face as they try to represent their constituents in Ottawa..Clayton Trutor is a Book Critic for the Western Standard. He holds a PhD in US History from Boston College and teaches at Norwich University in Northfield, Vermont.
