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Parliament has finally woken up – because voters are keeping their MPs in line

Today’s MPs are no longer scared of the whips. Instead, they are scared of their constituents. That’s a good thing

7 September 2013

9:00 AM

7 September 2013

9:00 AM

They should have seen it coming. A government defeat on an issue of war may be unprecedented, but defeat on the Syria vote did not come out of the blue. You can certainly blame poor party management, failure to prepare the ground, underestimating the poisonous legacy of Iraq — but such failings are common enough.

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