You know someone’s time is coming to a close when…
They stop speaking in debates in Parliament.
Take, for example, Kingston upon Hull East MP John Prescott. In the past year, he has spoken in 9 debates, the last one being July, and he has admitted that, at the next election, he will be standing down as an MP.
Then look at my own MP, Paul Clark. In the past year, he has spoken in just one debate (in March). He knows that he is on his way out and has grown apathetic towards his own constituents and their wishes.
The difference being, Clark has been wheeled out purely to vote along party lines – 77% of votes with just one “rebellion” since the last election, and that was only on the composition of the House of Lords. Even Prescott had the courtesy to abstain from over half the votes and rebel four times!
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5 Comments
Alan,
It’s been a while since i last read your site, so i’m catching up on your posts. Having read the above, i went to the Gillingham Conservative Assn site, and found that the last entry in the local news section regarding your party’s PPC here in Gillingham & Rainham was in November 2007 – about a run for charity, and before that Rememberence Sunday! To compound that, the most recent campaign contituents are invited to involve themselves in is over the EU Reform Treaty!
What is it they say about stones and glass houses? Perhaps Mr Chishti’s other job is taking its toll on his efforts to represent local people?
Regards,
Scott
Scott,
Thank you for your comments.
Obviously I cannot speak for Rehman Chishti in response to your comments. However, I do know that Rehman Chishti has been busy balancing his numerous jobs, and has not shown any signs of faltering.
I know, for example, that since his selection as our Parliamentary Candidate, Mr Chishti has campaigned almost every weekend, focusing on key issues that are important to the people of Gillingham and Rainham.
At the same time, he is continuing his job as Medway Council Cabinet Portfolio Holder for Community Safety and Enforcement.
It seems, though, that you have missed the point of this post. Mr Clark is supposed to be our champion in Parliament, and as far as I am aware, has just the one job – with a team to help him.
Despite this, he has spoken in very few debates (as you are aware this number has increased since the post was written) and, like most MPs, appears to be mere lobby fodder, voting along government lines instead of actually looking at an issue and considering its effect on the Consituents who narrowly voted him in in 2005.
I think you’ve sussed this out quite well, Alan.
Yes, Reh has a fair number of balls to keep in the air at present, and has also been on-call with the media concerning the Benazir Bhutto killing and its aftermath. He is certainly a very active campaigner!
By contrast, as you say, MPs have their own staff, and many (most?) others are far more active in both their constituencies and in Parliament as their staff deal with so much of the routine matters that impact an MP.
Clark knows he is on the way out, as Marshall-Andrews has known for (getting on for) three years now, which is why he isn’t re-standing.
His successor’s hubris is something upon which I have written in my latest ‘blog post HERE.
Personally, I am looking forward to the next General Election, especially now that so much has now come out in public about Labour MPs’ funding and related issues…
Thank you both for your response.
I understand the point being made by the article. What i question is the merits of the Conservative PPC to represent constituents effectively, given that the last act of any note recorded on his local website is to run a marathon, not to champion local causes or stand shoulder to shoulder with constituents on any important issues. These kind of articles which appear with surprising frequency in the local press unfortunately suggest that Rehman chishti is more concerned about raising his profile than raising residents’ quality of life.
I find it odd that you consider the majority of MPs more active in their constituencies in comparison with Mr Clark. You only have to go down the high street in Gillingham or Rainham at the weekends to see the Labour team and Mr Clark talking to people about issues concerning them. In addition being so close to Gillingham allows Mr Clark to travel regularly back from Westminster during the day and most evenings to attend events and meetings on issues of importance to local people. MPs from constituencies in distant parts of the country have no such opportunity do do this.
As Parliamentary Aide to Ed Balls, Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, Mr Clark also has an unprecedented opportunity to feed into high level discussions about policies affecting families in Gilingham and Rainham and to advocate measures to support them.
On the contrary, Scott. In running those marathons, Reh has raised money for important organisations which benefite the local community.
And I find it odd that, as often as I go down the High Street, I have only ever seen Mr Clark there once – and that was when a General Election seemed likely and I was stood opposited campaigning also.