Ian Dunt

And weirdly, you have the time outside of government.

Once you're in government, you're just being buffeted by events.

It's just remorseless firefighting of events.

Once you're in government, you need the space in opposition.

It really matters that opposition parties think deeply about what they want to do, because once they're in government, it's much harder to find that thinking room.

Do you get that sort of nonsense in the UK?

Yeah, of course.

And then if you do it enough or as a result of having done it, you'll be made parliamentary private secretary.

And this is an extraordinary position because it's a position that means nothing, involves nothing.

You're not paid for it.

But it technically works.

puts you as part of the government operation.

You're essentially like a kind of secretarial function for ministers, including junior ministers.

You're not formally a minister.

You're just a sort of prefect of MPs.

And that allows the government to take basically half, usually about half of the parliamentary party to add like dozens and dozens more MPs and say, you're not allowed to vote against the whip.

Because you're technically part of the government.

We're not paying you.

You have no functions.

But you're technically part of the government.