purpose. If we had a National Industrial Council charged, not with the
final decision, but with the most serious and systematic discussion of
such problems, they would be more wisely dealt with. And, what is quite
as important, such a body would offer precisely the kind of sphere
within which the representation of interests as such would be altogether
wholesome and useful; and, once it became the main arena of discussion,
it would satisfy the demand for interest-representation, which is
undermining the character of Parliament. In other words, the true
alternative to functional representation in Parliament is functional
devolution under the supreme authority of Parliament.

But still more important than the dissatisfaction aroused by the
composition of the House is the dissatisfaction which is due to the
belief that its functions are very inefficiently performed. It is
widely believed that, instead of controlling Government, Parliament is
in fact controlled by it. The truth is that the functions imposed upon
Parliament by increased legislative activity and the growth of the
sphere of Government are so vast and multifarious that no part of them
_can_ be adequately performed in the course of sessions of reasonable
length; and if the sessions are not of reasonable length--already they
are too long--we shall be deprived of the services of many types of men
without whom the House would cease to be genuinely representative of the
mind of the nation.

Consider how the three main functions of Parliament are
performed--legislation, finance, and the control of administration. The
discussion of legislation by the whole House has been made to seem
futile by the crack of the party whip, by obstruction, and by the
weapons designed to deal with obstruction--the closure, the guillotine,
the kangaroo. A real amendment has been brought about in this sphere by