Former Conservative party leader Michael Howard has given advice to Commonwealth politicians about the role of the opposition parties.
Howard was a guest speaker at a parliamentary meeting of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) last week.
He advised parliamentarians from around the Commonwealth on best practice while in opposition.
The seminar also heard from Liberal Democrat peer Lord Jones of Cheltenham.
The talk formed part of the CPA UK Branch's International Parliamentary Governance Seminar.
Over the two-week event delegates from more that 30 countries will also visit Edinburgh, Glasgow and Brussels.
Before fielding questions from the Commonwealth parliamentarians,
Howard delivered a succinct speech detailing what he believed to be the main functions of opposition.
He began by stressing that above all else, the primary role of the opposition is "to get into government".
The former Tory leader recalled that he invited John Howard, then Australian prime minister, to address the shadow cabinet.
Howard asked the assembled shadow ministers: "How many of you here are satisfied with your current jobs?"
When several raised their hands, the Australian said the contented shadow ministers should have been happy with nothing less than government positions.
Michael Howard told the Commonwealth MPs that the "crucial dual responsibility" of an opposition to prepare for government and also to "make the government unpopular".
He advised them to guard against "opposition for opposition's sake", warning that an opposition who criticise and oppose all government policy indiscriminately would lose credibility in the eyes of the electorate.
He argued that if, as an opposition member, one agreed with government policy and believed it to be in the national interest, then one should support it.
Howard said in such instances it is important to be mindful of one's constituents, who may not take kindly to such action and may need your motivations explained to them.
He did not give any specific examples of when he had followed such a course during his two years as leader of the opposition.
Howard then took questions from parliamentarians.
Their contributions demonstrated the different challenges faced by politicians in the various nations, with some scenarios – for example, government with total control over all media and detention of opposition members – that would be unfamiliar to British parliamentarians.
Lib Dem peer and former MP Lord Jones of Cheltenham then made a brief address.
Speaking about his experience as a member of a smaller opposition party, he suggested that in order to overcome the greater challenges that smaller opposition groups have in getting themselves noticed, they must capitalise and exploit the issues on which they have specific experience or advantages.
Relating this to his own party, he gave the examples of former leader Lord Ashdown's military experience enhancing their defence credentials, and the party's current Treasury spokesman Vince Cable's financial background boosting the Lib Dems' credibility on economic matters.
In response to a question about the relationship between political parties and the press in the UK, Lord Jones derided The Sun as "a comic," comparing it unfavourably with the Beano.
