http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/reality-check-with-polly-curtis/2011/sep/08/reality-check-britain-s-laziest-mp

I think we can assume it isnt the brigade of young female Labour MPs who have made it into parliament in the last couple of elections. Rather the cadre of timeserving, union card waving good-ol-boys.

This as good as we can find to represent us?

about par for the course.

Lib Dem experience:
knock knock (on my door)
hallo
I’m canvassing on behalf of the Lib Dems and I’d..
Can I just stop you there, I’m of the opinion that there are far too many politicians and I’d <interruption as below>
Pxxx off you fxxxing c*** (*he really did say that)
?

Tory
(via email)
Can I request a surgery appointment with my MP
We can do X at 9.30am but we need to know what it’s about
As I work is it possible to get an evening surgery ?

(*yep no reply….)

Um, aren’t a much greater proportion of Labour MPs in the north of England and Scotland, thus making it harder for them to do their constituency work and vote in Parliament?

Damn, thought this was going to be about allowing women to opt for caesarians. 😉

Tis a good point that Grum makes you cant travel 600 miles to your constituency and vote in London as well.
Who know who works the hardest as it is an archaic system where so much work is done in committees rather than on the floor of via the voting …sadly you just cant tell easily.
Just because your MP sees you locally it does not mean they will do f all about it.

Mine is a deputy speaker and so does not vote or speak or ask questions but he does do surgeries – good or bad MP?

I’m not convinced that sitting in the bar getting pissed on subsidised booze and occasionally getting told to go into the chamber and vote makes you a hard-working MP anyway.

Don’t they have some sort of agreement with each other where one MP who would have voted yes to a particular item agrees with another that would have voted no that neither of them should vote – saving time and effort?

Tis a good point that Grum makes you cant travel 600 miles to your constituency and vote in London as well

Even harder if you live in France for most of the year….

shouldnt they just set up a video conferencing thing no need to leave your constituency
and turn the houses of parliament into a big weatherspoons or something

I dont actually want my MP spending too much time in the constituency, pretending to be a social worker. We elect them to represent us to government, they ought to be in Westminster speaking truth to power.

And having a Northern constituency is not any excuse. The whole of Westminster heads to the airport/Kings Cross on Thursday afternoons, back Sunday evening. Flights to Scotland take 1hr 15 minutes.

they ought to be in Westminster speaking truth to power.

You think that’s what they do? Ever heard of party whips?