By Gabe Trodd
Yesterday’s announcements on electoral reform are exciting, but as Rory Bremner made abundantly clear in this week’s episode of Bremner, Bird & Fortune (the Blame Game), Britain has created, unfortunately, what could only be described as a blame-ocracy. After the last few months of national headlines and apocalyptic public fury over expenses, alongside the quite sincere concerns raised by Tory MP Nadine Dorries (probably not an entirely reliable source, but quite funny and down-to-earth, in the scheme of things), about Westminster’s 'suicide watch' - who’d really want to be a Parliamentarian? In signing up to represent a constituency’s interests in Parliament, are people implicitly agreeing to working unworkable hours as human stress relief, as well as being the grateful recipient of casual harassment in Westminster, national newspapers and panel shows? On the other hand, politics should be fun - perhaps MPs need to lighten up a bit and give as good as they get. Whatever the case may be, Westminster and the media should take onboard some of the messages currently being sent out and seek a radical cultural reform, as much as it seeks constitutional reform.
Let’s be clear, most people involved in the workings of Parliament will thrive on the passion and chutzpah that comes with political debate and coverage – as a current affairs junky, a militant Arsenal fan and someone from a family that enjoys heated political discussions, I hugely enjoy the cut-and-thrust of political activism and banter, including the frequently quite surreal discussions that take place at LabourList.
But a common complaint amongst those at the heart of Westminster, in recent weeks, has been the bullying that’s alleged to take place behind the gates of Westminster Palace. A big aspect of Monday’s PLP meeting seems to have been the ravenous and desperate appetite for a more collegiate style of working from Downing Street and the disintegration of Westminster’s shady characters and political fixers.
As a young person (25 still qualifies as young, in my mind) interested in politics, I’ve always felt quite inspired by Oona King – there’s consistently been a curiosity and buzz around her and it’s a shame she continues to rule out a return to Westminster. But even a quick glance at her account of her time in Westminster - her struggle to find an authentic voice and place, or a balance between Parliament and home life - will make many people wince with sympathy. I suspect some aspects of Oona King’s diaries would be particularly off-putting for young women, who’d like a career in and around politics.
By the same token, Caroline Flint’s complaints should at least be considered. And when it comes to the media, Alan Sugar, in renewing his long standing commitment to advising the Government on enterprise, seems to have been transformed overnight from being a national treasure to a hate figure amongst the Eton Mafia and media. What is it, specifically, about Parliament and its servants that stirs up an accepted, automatic, inherent and mandatory bile amongst the British public and media? Is this a British phenomenon? Anyone who’s followed the career of David Beckham, effigies et al, knows that the UK doesn’t cope especially well with leaders/icons/public figures that swim against the tide.
Whilst the discussions about more direct democracy, the potential for reform of the Lords and the electoral system are a fantastic start, I’d say as much time and energy should be devoted by think tanks, commentators and opinion-formers, to a root-and-branch cultural shift. How effective can our Parliament be when: good people are put off from getting involved; the historic pomp and traditions serve as a roadblock to Parliament progressing as an accessible, technological, vibrant hub; and the 24/7 media’s blinkered focus on Westminster’s immediacy and sugary triviality obscures the real issues facing the British public?
Alistair Campbell, quite a relevant figure to these types of discussions, made some impressive, enlightening and thought-provoking points about Westminster’s relationship with the media on his blog recently. Furthermore, David Mitchell, quite hilariously and in only the way he can, has frequently pinpointed the population of ‘bile merchants’ amongst online communities and political circles.
But even when you look at Westminster’s heartbeat - what real relevance does PMQs, for example, have to the way politics, Parliament or constituencies operate? What does it contribute to our understanding of Westminster?
Plenty of people cite the blood sport and gladiatorial jousting at PMQs as their reason for being interested in politics. But if this immortalises the myth that to succeed in politics, you need to shout the loudest or deliver the most cutting put-down, then this is a misplaced interest, and quite detached from how politicians actually operate. If I wanted to see theatrical venom, then I’d watch a film or go to a professional MC rap battle – they’d do it much better. As Ed Miliband said about PMQs at the Hay Festival: "Good sport … It is watched by people in America on CNN but it's an incredibly off-putting version of what politics is about."
Parliament needs to move forward with a firm grip on the fact that British people feel disempowered and hostile towards a perceived unjust, distant and authoritarian Parliament. I’d like to see: Parliament embrace a carnival-esque atmosphere, as a vibrant, down-to-earth hub of activity, campaigns, stalls, exhibitions and protests, with free-flowing information and plentiful chances to watch and learn about Westminster’s workings; the job being a MP being clinically professionalised as a job rather than a lifestyle, through job descriptions, training, sensible salaries, standard working hours and routine human resource procedures; for an accountable, transparent media, with an independent, heavyweight regulator and Press Complaints Commission to sacrifice some of the short-termism of sound bites, for insightful coverage of some of the great speeches and policies that are currently being drowned out; and for Labour to run with Will Straw’s notion of a ‘glasnost’, where MPs, with a sense of humour and firm moral authority, also vote on the basis of principle and clear political ideology, rather than the pressures imposed by Government Whips and promotion.
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It was a place where the King's/Queens most powerful debated what was in thier own best interests.
The Carnival atmosphere idea is going to be difficult to maintain as the role of a Parliament is that opposing groups meet, discuss issues as opposed to falling out completely and killing each other. Hence the work done to opposing groups in Northern Ireland to engage in debate rather than with weapons.
The only real way to make Parliament more "representative" of the people is for the politicians to engage with the public more and to actually begin to debate with them on serious issues. I do not think Joe Bloggs living in Hunstantion, or Miss Smith living in Aberdeen is going to be bothered by a Carnival atmoshere Parliament. The reason people are so utterly disgusted by politicians is quite simple. The politicians are insincere, patronising, evasive, arrogant, greedy,ignorant and have a delusional superior attitude. Gabe they were too stupid to save themselves from the expense issue and too stubbornly arrogant (despite the consequential damage to democracy and thier own parties) when I showed them a way to mitigate the issue.
I met one backbencher who acted with bravado because he had visited Iraq (I am ex-forces) and my mates are in Afgan today, the way he behaved was as if had been fighting there himself, he had the audacity to assume nobody in the room had served in the forces and only ended up making himself look terribly foolish when I told him to politely watch what he was saying.
It's a special kind of stupidity and lack of understanding as to the consequences of what they do. But the worst crime of the politicians is where they tell people to do one thing, while they themselves take the easier option. The standards of our MP's are very low and it is a crying shame for me that they cannot live up to the very low expectations the very fair British people have of them.
When the politicians begin to repect the intellects and instincts of the public, then maybe, the people will feel less disgusted with them...but I am not holding my breath. Apologies for inverted commas, I was using them to coin my own phrase and was not quoting anybody.
Their thieving? Their arrogance? The fact that they exempt themselves from the crushing laws and taxes they inflict on us? Their dishonesty? Their laziness? Their corruption?
Who knows?
You really didn’t need 1000 words.
"Self serving hypocritical ineptitude" would have done nicely.
"who’d really want to be a Parliamentarian? In signing up to represent a constituency’s interests in Parliament, are people implicitly agreeing to working unworkable hours as human stress relief, as well as being the grateful recipient of casual harassment in Westminster, national newspapers and panel shows? On the other hand, politics should be fun "
Nobody is press-ganged into becoming an M.P. They are often people who enjoy throwing their weight about, pretending to be an "expert" on everything (and as a minister one day you can be the "expert" on Culture Media and Sport, the next day on health). they are authoriatarian, enjoy making laws that they expect everyone to follow, except themselves, if they feel that they don't want to.
Why do they want to be MPs?. Well, in most jobs when you get too old and senile you have to resign, they can go on as long as they like, and filling their boots into the bargain.
For example in a weekend newspaper article 79 years young gerald kaufmann blamed his attempting to buy an £8000+ TV set with our money as a symptom of "a form of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder". If he is saying that his OCD is now intruding into his ability he should do the decent thing and resign.
Shahid malik who stood down last month as justice minister and was "cleared" of ministerial wrongdoing on Tuesday has been revealed in the last two days as having a bizarre arrangement where we were paying for him to run an office from a room in his house because his constituency office "was not big enough for the workload and my staff" even though it suited his predecessor Anne taylor perfectly.
Self serving dishonesty and you know that the worst that can happen to you is to have to stop being a minister: McNulty waited till virtually the last minute last friday before resigning. Anyone with any sense of self respect and decency would have resigned immediately their scams were found out. Such was McNulty's avarice that he wanted to make sure he got every penny he could.
As regards phantom mortgages and other frauds, any of the rest of us would have our collars felt - all that will happen with MPs is that they will have to stand down - but not till next election so we will have to pay them off with large sums of money.
Finally politics is many things but one thing it should NOT be is "fun". I see little fun in voting to send our young service personnel to war, as Blair was so fond of doing so often. I see no fun in future in having old Etonians pretending to understand the poor.
As for Dorries: if she is so concerned about suicide, I suggest she joins the Samaritans, and stops pontificating on her fallen colleagues. Sucj is the lack of shameamongst them, I don't think any one of them would have topped themselves, unless they thought they were going to spend a longish time in prison - and if they thought that was likely, then we would know that they KNEW they had done wrong.
Speaking of which, will Shahid Malik's return to government be the shortest ministerial apppointment ever?
You think that the PMs call for a debate on whether the electoral system should be changed is exciting?
You need a girl friend.
what real relevance does PMQs have?? It tests the metal of our leader, it keeps back room finishers out of no 10.... Well it used to.
What's wrong with Kafka? Better than your effort of Dick and Dora Go to Parliament.
Not sure what you're getting at with Baby P - don't think it's too relevant to my article - sorry. Same goes for the election that never was - why specifically are you angry about that?
Whether the Prime Minister, or anyone else is able to come up with crushing put downs at the despatch box means nothing to me, really.
Blair warned Cameron of the big clunking fist.
And that's the clunking fist that dealt with Baby P so sympathetically?
Or the election-that-never-was?
Gabe you are stretching the credibility of reality here. Brown is a buffoon at the Despatch Box.
Ballot Boxes are interfered with
Voting registers go missing
The Police can kill innocent people and get away with it
You can be put in prison for 42 days on pure suspicion
You can be put in prison indefinitely without charge on the word of a politician
The State can torture people
The Police now torture suspects
Your children are monitored at School by Political Officers
They are fingerprinted at school
Their behaviour is logged on a State database for their entire lives
Your innocent fingerprints, iris scans and biometrics are held by the State
You do not have the right to remain silent
You are watched on 4 million CCTV cameras
You may not photograph the Police
The media is controlled by the State
You do not have the right to protest peacefully
Curfews exist for entire communities
Your travel movements are logged and monitored
Who you vote for is logged and monitored
Your shopping habits are studied and logged by the State
Your emails and telephone conversations are recorded by the State
Your passport can be withdrawn at the whim of the State
Government agencies can use lie detector tests on you.
266 Government agencies can now legally force entry into your home.
Between you and me, East Germany didn't do half of that to its citizens. Start by undoing all of that then come and talk to us about "democracy".
'It's like I've said the very thing they have been furiously expecting me to say their whole life. Like they're a teenager and I'm their maddening sibling who, with just a syllable out of place, can release a torrent of rage because they SO knew I was going to say that because that's EXACTLY the sort of CRAP that I ALWAYS SAY. To them, I typify a horrendously unfair world that's all wrong, but will never change because it's run by the likes of me and Gordon Brown and JK Rowling and Bono and Lulu, sitting at the top table guzzling money pie in hypocrisy sauce and laughing in their apoplectic faces.'
Are we doing nicknames? If so - thanks for your comment, honey.
With ever less to do, MPs are kicking around dabbling with special interests and tempted in their idleness towards corruption. Parliament has become a talking shop in which you'll hear an entire debate on a serious and important issue leading not to a concrete decision. Instead, the MPs are debating what input the Minister should make to the European Commission. The Commission will then presumably listen to the advice of the many members states' equivalents, and then draw up the legislation for the European Parliament to rubber stamp, in the ludicrous farce that passes for representation in that sham of a parliament. Laws are spewed thusly from Brussels and Strasbourg, with either no scrutiny from Parliament or very little.
Meanwhile out in the streets real life goes on and countless niggling issues disrupt, offend and upset the "electorate" who get to vote on the latest bunch of misfits ready to strut about in Westminster for an overpaid living for five years. But for decades now the cynicism has been growing that "it doesn't make any difference who you vote for". How right they are. We elect MPs who quite flagrantly -- by Treaty -- have surrendered the power to determine policy. And yet the pretense continues that we live in a democracy because MPs are selfish enough to value preferment, privilege and pay over substantive concrete control over real-world issues.
When it emerges that the powerless MPs furnished with grand titles of state and all the trappings, but few of the realities of power, are in fact some of the most venal spineless pointless human beings in society, it only confirms what most cynical electorate suspected for years. They're good at personality politics and lining their own pockets but are impotent when it comes to addressing the concerns of voters.
Since MPs can't even be trusted to keep for themselves the power that is loaned to them for the duration of a Parliament, without breaking the Constitutional code that one Parliament can never tie the hands of a subsequent one, then it is hardly surprising we end up with politics itself becoming tarnished.
..Not so long ago, MPs were elected representatives, paid little by the taxpayer but free to work outside the Commons. MPs drew on their expertise of business or the shop floor. The chamber was a forum in which the clash of different interests was resolved for the public good.
However, the representation of interests came to be seen as outmoded at best and corrupt at worst. Restrictions on MPs outside earnings were imposed. Relatively swiftly, they became largely dependent on the taxpayer – and therefore, increasingly, professional politicians rather than elected representatives: a “political class†different to and therefore separate from those who elected them. Consequently, MPs got smaller. The media got bigger. Powers leaked away to Europe, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, and the quangos.
A few weeks ago, this journey reached its logical destination. In an act of class revenge, Gordon Brown pushed through Parliament a measure compelling the remaining MPs who work outside the Commons to declare how often they do so.
The result will be a further injection of state power and patronage – the medicine that’s sickening the patient. The spirit of the age is against citizen MPs, and few working business people, lawyers, doctors or (dare I say) journalists will long be able to fend off local rivals who pledge to be in the Commons for every hour of the working day. Parliamentary elections threaten to become dutch auctions of self-abasement.
In the short term, a few older MPs with knowledge of the outside world will hang on. But some of their younger colleagues will quietly leave, telling friends that the loss of earnings is the last straw that broke the camel’s back – on top of vanished privacy and declining status. And, in the medium term, much future talent will avoid the Commons altogether.
Most of the rest will get in quick, scramble to the top, and get out quicker. The Commons’ institutional memory will weaken. With a number of exceptions, MPs will become cowed and toiling drudges. Fringe eccentrics and exhibitionists will provide the necessary colour, coming and going like celebrity TV contestants – briefly exalted and just as swiftly toppled.
Forceful Ministers and effective Select Committee Chairmen are likely to be scarce in such a shallow pool. And the reputation of the Commons will continue its downward spiral. Such is the Pandora’s Box that the national media elites have helped to open – one which, needless to say, they won’t be able to close. In making this case, I’ve little personal interest, since my earnings outside Parliament are minimal.
Over the long term, I suspect that fashion will change, and that the Commons will renew itself, as it’s often done before. But the long term is perhaps ten years away....
This is part of the reason that a much loved local MP is leaving Parliament. He didn't fiddle his expenses or find himself caught up in some shady practices. He'd simply had enough.
That to me sums up everything wrong with today's Parliament and also its aspirant politicians.
Parliament is not a means to an end. It is a college of experience and diverse talents combined with sage wisdom garnered by real world experience.
You need to do some growing up bunny.
Oh God- you lot just don't get it, do you? That's the kind of pathetic, condescending rhetoric I used to hear from henna'd middle-class hippies at Leeds Uni back in the 80s. You can forget all that hoop-la, literal or metaphorical.
I'd like to see a Parliament that properly scrutinises the machinations of the executive and regains its status as a beacon for democracy.
"British people feel disempowered and hostile towards a perceived unjust, distant and authoritarian Parliament"
Authoritarian (and incompetent and dishonest) GOVERNMENT I think you mean....combined with a spineless impotent PARLIAMENT.
That is the underlying source of the anger.
And please, never, ever quote Alastair Campbell...he's sone so much to raise the reputation of politics, hasn't he?
Andrew Lansley makes a statement that the Tories will make 10% reductions in real-terms on government spending except the NHS, International Development and schools.
Brown gets up, conveniently forgetting his own budget and slates Tory policy, when Labour are cutting 7% in real terms including the NHS.
That's one good example of what gets people's backs up.
Is this a joke? The Bread and Circuses reference is an insult, not a project plan.
I'd like to 646 Lamp posts put to good use.