The trouble with that, of course, is that law-making is the central function of MPs.
It is a central function of a democracy to protect the rights of the oppressed and the disenfranchised.
Normally, a central function of adenosine is to inhibit the release of various chemicals into the brain, lowering energy levels and promoting sleep, among other regulatory bodily functions.
They address a central function of the Ivy League: the communication of a certain idea of American heritage, to which the campuses of Yale and Princeton, with their Gothic spires and soaring archways, are monuments.
The investigation of crimes was not a central function of the early preventive police departments in England and the United States.
He added that "allowing comment upon the fact that a defendant's presence in the courtroom provides him a unique opportunity to tailor his testimony" might sometimes be "essential to the central function of the trial, which is to discover the truth".
He was responsible for popularising the word itself, and for identifying the entrepreneur's central function: of moving resources, however painfully, to areas where they can be used more productively.
Appropriations bills, once the central function of the legislative branch, have been ditched in favor of short-term spending measures that do little more than keep the lights on.
"A central function of the chamber," it told the Supreme Court in a recent brief, "is to represent the interests of its members in important matters before the courts".
It's true that his critiques of those who wield power and influence can be withering - that's the central function of an effective critic or just a human being with a conscience - but one would be hard-pressed to find someone as prominent as he who is as steadfastly polite and considerate and eager to listen when it comes to interacting with those who are powerless and voiceless.
This is the central function of the state.
