The Public Whip: Tracking UK Parliamentary Voting History
In the complex world of governance, transparency is the cornerstone of accountability. The Public Whip serves as a vital parliamentary informatics project designed to analyze and publish the voting records of Members of Parliament (MPs) within the Parliament of the United Kingdom. By transforming raw legislative data into accessible information, the project allows citizens to see exactly how their representatives vote on critical issues.
The Origins of the Project
The project was born out of a specific political moment: the Parliamentary Approval for the invasion of Iraq on March 18, 2003. Following this event, developers Francis Irving and Julian Todd recognized a significant gap in public access to information. They observed that data regarding which MPs had defied their party whip—the instructions issued by party leadership to vote in a specific way—became effectively inaccessible for reference shortly after the votes occurred.
To solve this, Irving and Todd developed The Public Whip as a tool to permanently record and track these voting patterns, ensuring that the defiance or adherence of MPs to their party lines remained a matter of public record.
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Evolution and Technical Collaboration
Over time, the project evolved from a niche tool into a broader collaborative effort. On August 1, 2011, the original creators, Irving and Todd, handed control of the site over to a new management team to ensure its continued operation.
Technically, The Public Whip is loosely affiliated with TheyWorkForYou, a project managed by mySociety. The two platforms share a significant portion of the same parliamentary parsing code-base—the specialized software used to read and interpret the complex formatting of official parliamentary documents.
Global Expansion
The success of the UK model inspired similar initiatives abroad. In 2014, the OpenAustralia Foundation launched a fork of the project—a version of the software adapted for a different purpose—specifically for the Australian federal parliament. This derivative project is known as They Vote For You.
Key Facts
- Purpose: Analyzes and publishes the voting history of UK MPs.
- Founders: Created by Francis Irving and Julian Todd.
- Catalyst: The March 18, 2003, vote on the invasion of Iraq.
- Technical Link: Shares parsing code with mySociety's TheyWorkForYou.
- International Reach: Forked by OpenAustralia Foundation as "They Vote For You" in 2014.
Project Summary
| Feature | The Public Whip | They Vote For You |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Jurisdiction | United Kingdom | Australia |
| Core Function | MP Voting Analysis | MP Voting Analysis |
| Launch/Fork Year | Post-2003 | 2014 |
| Managing Entity | Independent Team (since 2011) | OpenAustralia Foundation |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is The Public Whip?
It is a parliamentary informatics project that tracks, analyzes, and publishes the voting records of Members of Parliament in the UK.
Why was The Public Whip created?
It was developed by Francis Irving and Julian Todd after the 2003 Iraq War vote to ensure that records of MPs defying their party whip remained accessible to the public.
How does it relate to TheyWorkForYou?
The Public Whip is loosely affiliated with TheyWorkForYou and utilizes much of the same parliamentary parsing code-base to process data.
Is there a version of this project for other countries?
Yes, the OpenAustralia Foundation created a fork of the project called They Vote For You to track the Australian federal parliament.
Who currently manages the project?
While started by Irving and Todd, control of the site was transferred to a new team on August 1, 2011.