Sir George's talk focussed on the history and role of the Whips in Government. Traditionally the role of the Whip has been viewed as that of coercing reluctant MPs to do the Government's bidding whereas the reality is more to do with the efficient day-to-day running of the business of the Houses of Parliament. The chief whip has a number of Junior whips reporting to him and between them they each support a number of MPs, referred to as 'flocks'. Sir George's view is that these days Whips perform more of an 'HR' function for MPs using their experience in supporting them in their role as MPs.
