How to be a Government Whip

One of the most misunderstood and oft-caricatured jobs in British politics, whips are the unseen, unsung heroes of the parliamentary system, without whom governments would doubtless crumble and legislative business would almost certainly grind to a halt. Whips are shrouded in mystery, however, often portrayed in the media and by colleagues as a brutish, bullying bunch of thugs with a reputation for using blackmail and torture to achieve party discipline and get legislation through the House.