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M.P's Holidays

Can someone please tell me why our Members of Parliament broke up some 12 days before Easter and at least 3 days before most Schools? The Country is in crisis with a possible fuel strike looming and yet these highly paid individuals only seem to be interested in taking as much out of the system as they can, whilst at the same time seeking to penalise hard working people.

Comments

  • You seem to assume they only do their work at Westminster. Not necessarily true.
  • That may be true, but it still dosen't justify them from being away from their main place of work almost two weeks before Easter.
  • Depends what they are doing. An MP could be in the chamber of the House of Commons every time it sits and make a lot of appearances on TV, but they wouldn't necessarily be doing anything useful.

    I don't think MPs are generally lazy, although they may be ineffective.
  • My comments were not directed against MP's but more towards a system which means that Parliament does not sit on any of the seven working days before Easter.
  • While we're picking on MP's can I just mention subsidised bars. Can anyone explain to me how that can be justified.
  • It is very tempting to question the need for MPs given that anything from 50% to 80% of legislation emanates from Brussels and is simply rubber-stamped.

    The party whip system renders the Legislature impotent against the Executive for the few bits of legislation they do theoretically have the power to affect.

    The only use they (sometimes) have nowadays is as an upmarket Citizens Advice Bureau, if you are lucky enough to find a decent constituency MP, in that they can sometimes cut a few corners and pull a few strings.
  • While we're picking on MP's can I just mention subsidised bars. Can anyone explain to me how that can be justified.
    But at least they never get drunk & start a fight .................. :-)
  • I think that the country would run much more efficiently if they stayed away permantly.

    Nobody can justify the cheap bars and restaurants - it is used to impress sponsers, those who can further their careers and to keep the party faithfull happy - and we pay for it. If by chance they actually spend any of their own money they claim it back on expenses.

    If they had to pay the same prices as the rest of us they might stop taxing the pint as much as they do and help protect our heritage (the pub).

    Open up the bars and restaurants to paying customers and the tourists will flock in.
  • While we're picking on MP's can I just mention subsidised bars. Can anyone explain to me how that can be justified.
    Perk of the job
    They like a drink
    The job has a lot of stress attached & they need to 'unwind'
    MP's are better than us
    Why not feather there own nests?
  • While we're picking on MP's can I just mention subsidised bars. Can anyone explain to me how that can be justified.
    Perk of the job
    They like a drink

    The job has a lot of stress attached & they need to 'unwind'
    MP's are better than us
    Why not feather there own nests?
    And what's the point of having money if you can't use it to buy a private dinner with the Prime Minister to try to persuade him or her to do what you want?


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  • My comments were not directed against MP's but more towards a system which means that Parliament does not sit on any of the seven working days before Easter.
    Is it really a problem? On how many days do you listen to Today in Parliament and think to yourself, "I'm so glad that the MPs were sitting today because they really made a positive difference".
  • It is very tempting to question the need for MPs given that anything from 50% to 80% of legislation emanates from Brussels and is simply rubber-stamped.

    The party whip system renders the Legislature impotent against the Executive for the few bits of legislation they do theoretically have the power to affect.

    The only use they (sometimes) have nowadays is as an upmarket Citizens Advice Bureau, if you are lucky enough to find a decent constituency MP, in that they can sometimes cut a few corners and pull a few strings.
    That 50%-80% figure has only even been quoted by UKIP or the BNP, along with the occasional Eurosceptic Conservative, not that I am accusing you of being any of those things Len. According to the politically independent Commons Library 9.1% of our legislation comes from Europe. When you factor into Directives from the EU, which we don't have to enact but often choose to the figure is closer to about 20%.

    That's not strictly the case given Private Members Bills and also taking into account in a coalition government the Conservative Whip isn't in complete control of insuring a majority vote in Parliament.

    As for MPs breaks well it all depends on the MP & their constituency. You'll find that in a seat where an MP has a small majority they will probably spend their holidays back in their constituency insuring they are making appearances in the community and ensuring they're doing all they can to give them the best possible chance should an election suddenly spring up. In a safe seat like mine (Old Bexley & Sidcup) you'll probably be lucky if you saw them at all. I've not seen James Brokenshire since 2010, not that I'm saying him or the Conservative party are the only ones that do this, lazy MPs is a cross-party problem.

    As for the actual decisions makers, our ministers and great leaders, well chance are you definitely won't being seeing them in your constituency over the holidays as most of them will stay in London continuing their duties within their departments and making occasional TV and press appearances.

    It's amazing what you pick up doing a politics degree isn't it. Shame it's all useless considering I wouldn't want to be one of them if you put a gun to my head.
  • edited March 2012
    It is very tempting to question the need for MPs given that anything from 50% to 80% of legislation emanates from Brussels and is simply rubber-stamped.

    The party whip system renders the Legislature impotent against the Executive for the few bits of legislation they do theoretically have the power to affect.

    The only use they (sometimes) have nowadays is as an upmarket Citizens Advice Bureau, if you are lucky enough to find a decent constituency MP, in that they can sometimes cut a few corners and pull a few strings.
    That 50%-80% figure has only even been quoted by UKIP or the BNP, along with the occasional Eurosceptic Conservative, not that I am accusing you of being any of those things Len. According to the politically independent Commons Library 9.1% of our legislation comes from Europe. When you factor into Directives from the EU, which we don't have to enact but often choose to the figure is closer to about 20%.

    That's not strictly the case given Private Members Bills and also taking into account in a coalition government the Conservative Whip isn't in complete control of insuring a majority vote in Parliament.

    As for MPs breaks well it all depends on the MP & their constituency. You'll find that in a seat where an MP has a small majority they will probably spend their holidays back in their constituency insuring they are making appearances in the community and ensuring they're doing all they can to give them the best possible chance should an election suddenly spring up. In a safe seat like mine (Old Bexley & Sidcup) you'll probably be lucky if you saw them at all. I've not seen James Brokenshire since 2010, not that I'm saying him or the Conservative party are the only ones that do this, lazy MPs is a cross-party problem.

    As for the actual decisions makers, our ministers and great leaders, well chance are you definitely won't being seeing them in your constituency over the holidays as most of them will stay in London continuing their duties within their departments and making occasional TV and press appearances.

    It's amazing what you pick up doing a politics degree isn't it. Shame it's all useless considering I wouldn't want to be one of them if you put a gun to my head.
    Not just UKIP or the BNP.

    The Local Government Association admits to 50% and the Welsh equivalent 70%.

    http://new.lga.gov.uk/lga/core/page.do?pageId=14519

    http://www.wlga.gov.uk/english/wlga-europe/

    Open Europe also quotes 72% of the cost of regulation is EU derived. Quite relevant I'd have thought when Joe Public is being asked to practise austerity. They also estimate that about 50% of UK legislation comes from the EU

    http://openeuropeblog.blogspot.co.uk/2009/04/how-many-of-our-laws-are-made-in.html

    Politicians will play with figures for sure but I hope I've demonstrated that Brussels has far more influence over our lives, and thus arguably the need for non-influential MPs, than the 3 main parties will admit, even down to Cameron's latest pasty cock-up.

    The reality of that is his impotence over the EU tax VAT and reluctance to bring that impotence out into the open.

    http://eureferendum.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/hold-front-page.html


    Good luck with your degree Jolly Robin.
  • There's certainly some mileage in the old adage of "Lies,Damn lies and Statistics" based on the discrepancy of those various stats.
  • Out of interest Len, why do you say "latest pasty cock-up"?
  • It's too simplistic to equate the effectiveness of MPs with the number of days when Parliament is in session. If they just sat in the Commons all the time they would be criticised for hiding in a bunker.
    We have to hope that they are out and about informing themselves about useful stuff, including the business of any committees they serve on.
    Anyway if the Commons is in session it's just passing more laws and we probably have too many of those already
    If you want to know what an honest MP thinks about all this, read the 3 volumes of Chris Mullins's diaries.


  • What a pointless thread. People on this forum need to get a life.
  • What a pointless thread. People on this forum need to get a life.
    Says the man taking the time to comment on a "pointless thread"!
  • It's 2 hours til kick off. A check on Charlton Life is pretty standard for me at this time. Yet I come on and find this.
  • Open Europe also quotes 72% of the cost of regulation is EU derived. Quite relevant I'd have thought when Joe Public is being asked to practise austerity. They also estimate that about 50% of UK legislation comes from the EU

    Just to add to this - EU regulations have to be enacted by Parliament after they have gone through the EU legislation process, but before that all prospective EU legislation is first sent to the parliaments of Member States for their comment/approval before the EU votes on it. So at that point we get some influence over legislation before it ever becomes law. In any case as we have MEPs in the European parliament and representatives in the Council and Commission and therefore we as Member States in the EU have a considerable amount of influence on legislation as its being enacted.
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  • edited March 2012
    see below-duplicated
  • edited March 2012
    Out of interest Len, why do you say "latest pasty cock-up"?

    It's called posting at 1 in the morning after a few drinks!

    I know the post time says 12:30 but I subsequently added to it.

    One's grammar is not what it should be. latest cock-up re pasties would have been better.
  • Ha ha - I wasn't digging your grammar Len, honest! Was just wondering why you think it's a cock-up?
  • Ha ha - I wasn't digging your grammar Len, honest! Was just wondering why you think it's a cock-up?
    It was his equivalent of Blair's "Jackie Milburn moment."

    The shop in Leeds where Man of The People Dave supposedly ate his pasty shut in 2007!
  • Oh right, gotcha.

    You would've thought that one of his cronies would've checked out the website to see if there was one there first before telling him to say it. Unless of course he really did buy it in 2007. I bet that time flies when you're PM!
  • I think the breaks are quite sensible. An MP is supposed to represent their constituency, but many don't get to spend more than two days a week in their consitiuency office. Stopping HoC business means they get to spend more time with the people who voted for them (very few wil be 'on holiday' and certainly not for the entire time). It's to give them time to do their other work and also ensure that legilsation moves through parliament efficiently to meet set deadlines.
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Roland Out Forever!