Whip (politics)
In
politics, a
whip is a member of a
political party in a
legislature whose task is to ensure that members of the party attend and vote as the party leadership desires. The term originated in the
Parliament of the United Kingdom and derives from the "whipper-in" at a
fox hunt. Whip is also used to mean the voting instructions issued to members by the Whip.
[Pandiyan, M. Veera (May 14, 2006). How the term 'Whip' came to be used in Parliament. The Star (Malaysia).]See
Chief WhipSee
Chief Government Whip, CanadaSee
Chief Whip (Malaysia).
Both houses of Congress, the
House of Representatives and
Senate, have majority and minority whips. They in turn have subordinate 'regional' whips. While members of Congress often vote along party lines, the influence of the whip is weaker than in the UK system. For one thing, much money is raised by individual candidates, and congressmen are never ejected from a party. That said, stepping too far outside the party's platform can limit political ambitions or ability to obtain favorable legislation.
In the
Senate, the Majority Whip is the second highest-ranking individual in the majority party (the party with the greater number of legislators in a legislative body), outranked only by the
Majority Leader. However, in the
House the Majority Whip is outranked by both the
Majority Leader and the
Speaker.
In both houses the Minority Whip is the second highest-ranking individual in the minority party (the party with the lesser number of legislators in a legislative body), outranked only by the
Minority Leader.
The current
Senate Majority Whip is Senator
Mitch McConnell of
Kentucky, who reports to the current Senate
Majority Leader, Senator
Bill Frist of
Tennessee. Senator McConnell is most likely to run for majority leader with Frist's retirement. Senator
Lamar Alexander of
Tennessee has already started to seek the whip position for the Republican majority in the Senate.
The current
Senate Minority Whip is Senator
Richard Durbin of
Illinois, who reports to the current Senate
Minority Leader, Senator
Harry Reid of
Nevada.
The current
House Majority Whip in the House is Representative
Roy Blunt of
Missouri, who reports to the current House
Majority Leader, Representative
John Boehner of
Ohio.
The current
House Minority Whip in the House is Representative
Steny Hoyer of
Maryland, who reports to the current House
Minority Leader, Representative
Nancy Pelosi of
California.
In the
Parliament of Australia and in the Parliaments of the six states and two self-governing territories, all the political parties have whips to ensure party discipline and carry out a variety of other functions on behalf of the party leadership. The most important function of the whips' office is to ensure that all Members and Senators are present to take part in votes in the Chamber. Unlike in the United Kingdom Parliament, government whips do not hold official office, but they are recognised for parliamentary purposes and enjoy certain privileges in the Chamber. The
Speaker addresses them as "Chief Government Whip" and "Chief Opposition Whip."
In the
House of Representatives, the Chief Government Whip is
Kerry Bartlett and the Chief Opposition Whip is
Roger Price. The Government Whips are appointed by the Prime Minister in his capacity as Leader of the
Liberal Party (that is, they are party appointments not government appointments). The Opposition Whips are elected by the
Australian Labor Party Caucus. Each Chief Whip is assisted by two Deputy Whips. On the government side one of the Deputy Whips is always the
National Party whip.
In the
Senate the Government Whip is Senator
Jeannie Ferris and the Opposition Whip is Senator
George Campbell.
Similar arrangements exist in the state and territory Parliaments.
