THE ELECTION OF PARLIAMENT 185

with first-hand knowledge of controlling large businesses or
estates; in the Labour Party many with experience of a wage-
earner's life; in all parties, lawyers, journalists, doctors and
people from academic life. In some debates this becomes very
plain and Members are inclined to think of their own professional
and industrial interests to the neglect of other workers. Here,
indeed, lies the chief defect of the functional plan—that it would
aggravate the sectional spirit When the miners are electing their
representatives, one candidate might say, "I recognise the
problems and needs of our industry; but on this or that point
we should not press our case; there are other workers to be
considered." The electors would be inclined to reply "That is
true; but they elect their representatives to look after their
interests; we must choose someone who will press for our
interests all the time; for if we do not, no one else will." Human
beings are not unconquerably selfish; but the effect of a
functional system of election would be to encourage selfishness.
Functional, or "Corporative" Assemblies are frequently advocated
by Fascists, who answer this objection by saying that the
Government would see that each group in the Assembly
remembered the over-riding interests of the State. But if the
Government controls the Assembly, the Assembly does not
control the Government; it is not a Sovereign body but can
only advise the Government, which must either be elected
from geographical constituencies or not at all. Put in this way,
the functional system is merely a device to shift power out of
the hands of the people. Experience bears this out; the Corpora-
tions of Italy in no sense enable the people to control the
Government; they are pieces of machinery through which an
. unelected Government controls the people.

PROGRESS OF AN ELECTION.

It does not appear, therefore, that any decisive case has been

r made against the present system of constituencies. But before

the results can be called satisfactory the progress of an election