Viewing 39 posts - 1 through 39 (of 39 total)
  • MPs
  • molgrips
    Free Member

    Should there not be a rule that says you have to have lived in a constituency for a reasonable time to stand for election?

    What would the effects of such a rule be?

    Coyote
    Free Member

    I can see the logic however I believe our MP Dave Watts is a local lad and he’s a ****.

    Junkyard
    Free Member

    the talent pool would be even worse and we would get worse MP’s?

    Seriously may affect career politicians but , as they all tow the party line generally, i am not sure how much difference it would actually make

    mine has lived here all his life and is crap for example- not very active in terms of speaking [ think two qustions and one was a brown nose to the PM – lab days not looked since election] but did always vote and never against his party

    Not sure what we gained tbh

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    gusamc
    Free Member

    would prefer that they had done a real job for a min of 20 years, well actually would rather we had a small management committee

    kimbers
    Full Member

    id rather this guy was in chaege

    piemonster
    Full Member

    I’d rather see a mechanism introduced by which the electorate can vote to have there MP publicly humiliated.

    Stocks maybe, or perhaps just a good arse kicking. Something medieval would be ideal

    cRaNkEnStEin
    Free Member

    Charlie Brooker to the thread please…

    molgrips
    Free Member

    If I were an MP I’d write a smartphone app that interested constituents could install. I’d send out messages about upcoming votes and people could just press ‘yes’ or ‘no’. You’d have to add your political affiliation when you sign up.

    druidh
    Free Member

    Given the level of your decisiveness, that would probably be a good idea.

    Junkyard
    Free Member

    😀
    pwned

    piemonster
    Full Member

    😆

    molgrips
    Free Member

    Oh that old gotcha. If you listen and learn, you’re weak and you vacillate. Can’t win, can you?

    piemonster
    Full Member

    no

    molgrips
    Free Member

    Maybe I’d be a good MP after all, I’m great at being wrong 🙂

    Junkyard
    Free Member

    Your pretty good at not listening too 😉

    molgrips
    Free Member

    I’m very good at listening. You’re just not that good at having good points 🙂

    Junkyard
    Free Member

    so we would both be ideal

    molgrips
    Free Member

    We’d both be in the same party though I suspect, so not so much arguing 🙂

    Junkyard
    Free Member

    Ok but you are Gideon and I am Dave

    poly
    Free Member

    If I were an MP I’d write a smartphone app that interested constituents could install. I’d send out messages about upcoming votes and people could just press ‘yes’ or ‘no’. You’d have to add your political affiliation when you sign up.

    Would you vote with the “app score” in the following circumstances:

    (1) The party (or your own if an independent) manifesto made a clear commitment FOR a particular policy and those who bothered to install the App say NO.
    (2) Your own personal view is strongly opposed to the view of those who responded to the App.
    (3) You feel the App may have a selection bias towards (i) younger people (as its a smartphone); (ii) wealthier people (as smartphones cost money); (iii) those actively interested in politics (because others would not install – but doesn’t mean this specific issue is not relevant to them).
    (4) You feel the detail of the issue is extremely complex and most constituents are unlikely to have examined the subtleties
    (5) There is an issue which nationally you agree with, but which there is strong local opposition to (perhaps NIMBY)

    Do you believe all MPs should seriously do the same?

    somafunk
    Full Member

    I think we should choose our politicians picked by lottery from the general population every 3 years and you have no choice as to whether or not you sit in parliament – you get paid a set amount and it is like jury duty but you do get 6 months of training by the person leaving your seat so you are not a total imbecile by the time you have to take responsibility, you can/should/will be held accountable for every decision you make thus making party political voting or the power of the whips a thing of the past and after your three years in parliament are up, you get a 6 month holiday to recover from the stress and time to ingrate yourself back into society.

    Every single MP i have met i have wanted to slap them, they are **** useless

    molgrips
    Free Member

    Well.. voting via the scores returned by the app would be problematic of course. It could only be used as a barometer of opinion.

    But it does raise an interesting question about the job of an MP, doesn’t it? You’re not supposed to be a proxy to allow your constituents to vote on everything, but you ARE supposed to be a proxy, because you’re elected to vote based on the majority affiliations of the voters in your constituency.

    I think that technology will (or should) make the current political party system obsolete.

    maccruiskeen
    Full Member

    as they all tow the party line generally,

    <pedant> its Toe the Line – as in stand behind the line, like a darts player </pedant>

    🙂

    It is disappointing though that MP’s serve their party before their constituents. They may campaign for election along party lines but once elected they’re responsible to all their constituents, not just the ones who voted for them.

    cupra
    Free Member

    A friend of mine prioritises whether the candidate lives in the constituency over the party when voting. He also thinks any one that wants be an MP should be banned from doing so – not sure how that would work in practice!

    bigblackshed
    Full Member

    MPs are in the minority of people doing the job they want to do. Most people do what they are generally good at or have the skills for. MPs generally don’t have either. Something about those seeking power should be the last ones to have it, or some such carp……

    piedidiformaggio
    Free Member

    I suggest that there should be a law that says:

    “The desire to be an MP should automatically exclude you from ever being one”

    Think it was Billy Connolly came up with that and I can’t dissagree with him

    Torminalis
    Free Member

    I reckon they should abolish the house of commons.

    All voting and debating can be done via a teleconferencing system. Would be totally transparent, eliminate the need for second homes in the capital, would ensure that all MPs spend more time in their constituencies and would remove a little of the glamour of the capital that makes them all seem so remote.

    CaptJon
    Free Member

    molgrips – Member
    If I were an MP I’d write a smartphone app that interested constituents could install. I’d send out messages about upcoming votes and people could just press ‘yes’ or ‘no’. You’d have to add your political affiliation when you sign up.

    It is called twitter.

    binners
    Full Member

    Couldn’t we replace them with some committee’s

    [video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOOTKA0aGI0[/video]

    And hand over the logistics, lock stock and barrel to Tesco?

    thisisnotaspoon
    Free Member

    would prefer that they had done a real job for a min of 20 years,

    Yes, but do we really want the country run by people either:

    a) so rich that a pay cut to £36,000 isn’t an issue
    b) at the other end of the scale and by their mid 40’s sees that as a lot of money (the ones who respond to those “a career in IT could earn you xxxxx” or “become a driving instructor and earn £XXXX” adverts).

    What you need is the people in the middle, the managers, company owners etc, who’ll want a lot more money. That’s how it works in Ammerica, with big wages you still get career politicians working in the parties, but they don’t become “MP’s” untill they’re much older.

    Torminalis
    Free Member

    What about ensuring that when people become MPs they continue to be paid by their previous employer at the same rate they were earning. They can then invoice the parliamentary expenses bods who can cover the cost. That would mean that there was no financial incentive or disincentive to become an MP and they could be means tested to ensure there is no scamming going on.

    I also think they should have to wear clown outfits. All of these oxbridge twunts in their tailored suits and shiny shoes yield no respect from the majority but if we were to make them look embarrassingly ridiculous, we would always know that they were in it for the public good and not for the glamour.

    I for one would have an awful lot more respect for an MP that donned his red nose and his massive shoes and went out to do good for the public rather than swanking about looking like they do lunch for a living.

    EDIT: Same goes for the police, dress ’em as clowns. The kids will love it and I cannot imagine anything more scary than a dawn raid by heavily armed clowns.

    footflaps
    Full Member

    It is disappointing though that MP’s serve their party before their constituents.

    I suspect if they just voted as they felt you’d never get any legislation passed, or you end up like the states where each Senator agrees a deal with congress on how much of a kick back their state gets to agree to a bill – some states make a fortune by prostituting themselves completely and have very low state taxes as a result.

    Papa_Lazarou
    Free Member

    The last MP (labour) for Bury North was one of the worst in the expenses scandal.

    He was replaced by the worst type of Tory spiv. The very 1st thing he did was try and overturn the smoking in pubs ban.

    Both live in the area. Both ****s.

    Junkyard
    Free Member

    What you need is the people in the middle, the managers, company owners etc, who’ll want a lot more money.

    Why do we need them?

    I thought the person meant to have ordinary folk from all walks of live as they should be refelctive of the community rathe rthnan folk who are rich deciding what is best for the 90 % who are not rich that they claim to serve – would Gidaon miss the demise of the state support system in his millionairre privaetly educated titled life? What actual expoerience do you think he has of say public transport, using buses, school meals , NHS waiting lists etc or the other mundane things we all experience that he decides on?

    Surely more like carers, cleaners, construction workers, factory workers etc we have enough wealthy degree educated upper middle class MPs as it is

    teamhurtmore
    Free Member

    JY – that’s a wide shopping list then. So we need:

    Junkyard – Big Hitter
    YES we do need more folk with a grounding in PPE in politics.

    and…

    Junkyard – Big Hitter
    Surely more like carers, cleaners, construction workers, factory workers etc we have enough wealthy degree educated upper middle class MPs as it is

    Which is quite a big ask really!

    I think we need different types of MP * – those who are capable of fulfilling the important ministries of the state (Exchequer, Foreign Affairs, Home Secretary etc) and those who are effective implementors. The bulk of MPs should stay out of trying to tell us what we should/need to do and remember that they are chosen to represent others and to execute responsibilities. That may be a carer or a cleaner, it may not be. But the background profession is not THAT important if and when MPs remember that they are first and foremost civil (not self-) servants with a pre-determined mandate to execute.

    * and far fewer, and fewer support (sic) staff/apparatus!!

    Junkyard
    Free Member

    JY – that’s a wide shopping list then. So we need:

    Junkyard – Big Hitter
    YES we do need more folk with a grounding in PPE in politics.

    you are well aware that was a sarcastic response to a comment you made and has been taken out of context. Hell you did not mean it never mind me. Why would you do this ? odd 😕

    http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/child-benefit-2/page/6

    I dont disagree with the rest but a wider representation of the people rather than a massive skewing to a rich elite [ increasingly on all sides rather than just a Tory preserve].

    konabunny
    Free Member

    Should there not be a rule that says you have to have lived in a constituency for a reasonable time to stand for election?
    What would the effects of such a rule be?

    No, there shouldn’t. If you don’t like that the candidate didn’t live somewhere, don’t vote for them.

    The effects of such a rule would include that every other voter would be forced to share your prejudice against blow-ins.

    Kevevs
    Free Member

    Mp’s should house butterflies and look after lame dogs. They should walk along slightly windy beaches with a a semi tousled semi greying quiff and a labrador. They should be a bit wrinkled, but only in the wrinklebrow. They should love qualitly local portraiture by local artists (VERY GOOD LIKENESS). THEY…AHHHH **** EM..

Viewing 39 posts - 1 through 39 (of 39 total)

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