Chief Whip

The Chief Whip is a political office in some legislatures assigned to an elected member whose task is to administer the whipping system that ensures that members of the party attend and vote as the party leadership desires.

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In British politics, when his or her party is in government the Chief Whip in the House of Commons is usually appointed as Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury so the incumbent (representing the whips in general) has a seat and a voice in Cabinet. The Government Chief Whip has an official residence at 9 Downing Street, formerly 12 Downing Street.

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As shown in BBC television series' Yes, Minister and House of Cards, the Chief Whip can wield a large amount of power over those in his or her party, up to and including Cabinet Ministers, being seen to speak at all times with the voice of the Prime Minister. Margaret Thatcher was famed for using her Chief Whip as a 'cabinet enforcer'.

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In the House of Commons as of 2004, Hilary Armstrong is the Government Chief Whip and David Maclean is the Opposition Chief Whip.

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There are also Chief Whips in:

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• Australia
• Canada
• Ireland

Legislature: A legislature is a governmental deliberative assembly with the power to adopt laws. Legislatures are known by many names, including: parliament, congress, diet and national assembly....

Party: A party is a social gathering intended primarily for celebration and recreation. While having some things in common with religious and seasonal festivals, the term "party" usually denotes a smaller gathering for a personal, rather than cultural, occasion even when the occasion is simply that of en...

British: The word British has several different uses. See the article on Britain for more details on the development and use of the word Britain....

Chief Whip related Images and Photos (experimental)

Chief	Whip It	Chief Joseph	Chief Seattle
Whip Wilson	Whip-Poor-Will	Sacred Chief	Indian Chief
Chief Wiggum Bobblehead	Chief Joseph - Nez Perce	Chief Rivers of World	Daft Chief Master Punk