Interview with MP
Author
Discussion

elster

Original Poster:

17,517 posts

240 months

Monday 16th May 2011
quotequote all
Planning to interview my MP.

I have some questions already, but just thought I would put it to the floor and see if anyone else wanted to ask anything.

MP is Julian Sturdy
York Outer
Conservative
Newly Elected
Votes with Party 100% of the time
Attendance 242/271

crankedup

25,764 posts

273 months

Monday 16th May 2011
quotequote all
May I ask, is the interview for public consumption in a range of media? Thanks.

elster

Original Poster:

17,517 posts

240 months

Monday 16th May 2011
quotequote all
crankedup said:
May I ask, is the interview for public consumption in a range of media? Thanks.
Not really, go on my website. Wiling to post to where ever anyone wants though.

thinfourth2

32,414 posts

234 months

Monday 16th May 2011
quotequote all
Seeing he agrees with the government 100% of the time could he justify his job when a stuffed toy could do exactly the same.

DieselGriff

5,160 posts

289 months

Monday 16th May 2011
quotequote all
Why does he think (assuming he continues his 100% voting record) bankrupting the UK for no good reason (new climate change bill) is a good idea?

Caulkhead

4,938 posts

187 months

Monday 16th May 2011
quotequote all
thinfourth2 said:
Seeing he agrees with the government 100% of the time could he justify his job when a stuffed toy could do exactly the same.
He stood and was elected as a tory candidate. Which party do you expect him to vote with? Which party do you think the people who elected him expect him to vote with? He's been in the job a year, during that time which policies do you think he should've voted against?

thinfourth2

32,414 posts

234 months

Monday 16th May 2011
quotequote all
Caulkhead said:
thinfourth2 said:
Seeing he agrees with the government 100% of the time could he justify his job when a stuffed toy could do exactly the same.
He stood and was elected as a tory candidate. Which party do you expect him to vote with? Which party do you think the people who elected him expect him to vote with? He's been in the job a year, during that time which policies do you think he should've voted against?
My point still stands with the whip system we might as well vote for stuffed toys

crankedup

25,764 posts

273 months

Monday 16th May 2011
quotequote all
thinfourth2 said:
My point still stands with the whip system we might as well vote for stuffed toys
Agreed, an M.P. is supposed to broadly represent his constituents views and represent an individual constituent with particular issues to which the M.P. sympathises. I found that when I wrote to my M.P. regarding the recent forest sell off plans his reply was exactly in line with the Government proposals. Thats not representation in light of the overwhelming lack of support the Government suffered regarding the issue.

crankedup

25,764 posts

273 months

Monday 16th May 2011
quotequote all
elster said:
Not really, go on my website. Wiling to post to where ever anyone wants though.
Thanks.

elster

Original Poster:

17,517 posts

240 months

Monday 16th May 2011
quotequote all
DieselGriff said:
Why does he think (assuming he continues his 100% voting record) bankrupting the UK for no good reason (new climate change bill) is a good idea?
I will mention the new Climate Change Bill.

Caulkhead

4,938 posts

187 months

Monday 16th May 2011
quotequote all
thinfourth2 said:
Caulkhead said:
thinfourth2 said:
Seeing he agrees with the government 100% of the time could he justify his job when a stuffed toy could do exactly the same.
He stood and was elected as a tory candidate. Which party do you expect him to vote with? Which party do you think the people who elected him expect him to vote with? He's been in the job a year, during that time which policies do you think he should've voted against?
My point still stands with the whip system we might as well vote for stuffed toys
It doesn't stand, it's nonsense. People vote a candidate in expecting him to largely follow the policies of the party he stands for. Mostly that's what MPs do, occassionally they don't when they or their local electorate feel sufficiently strongly about something. What you are advocating is no politcal parties, just independent MPs voting as they see fit on every matter. Every voter in the country currently has the option to stand or vote independent, but most choose not to do so because they understand the necessary evil of the party system and what would happen if we only had independents - absolutely nothing, ever!

Caulkhead

4,938 posts

187 months

Monday 16th May 2011
quotequote all
elster said:
DieselGriff said:
Why does he think (assuming he continues his 100% voting record) bankrupting the UK for no good reason (new climate change bill) is a good idea?
I will mention the new Climate Change Bill.
Ask him if he thinks the Conservatives will get back to proper Conservative policies come the general election when the lib-dems are dumped.

elster

Original Poster:

17,517 posts

240 months

Monday 16th May 2011
quotequote all
Caulkhead said:
Ask him if he thinks the Conservatives will get back to proper Conservative policies come the general election when the lib-dems are dumped.
I will ask as well.

crankedup

25,764 posts

273 months

Monday 16th May 2011
quotequote all
Caulkhead said:
It doesn't stand, it's nonsense. People vote a candidate in expecting him to largely follow the policies of the party he stands for. Mostly that's what MPs do, occassionally they don't when they or their local electorate feel sufficiently strongly about something. What you are advocating is no politcal parties, just independent MPs voting as they see fit on every matter. Every voter in the country currently has the option to stand or vote independent, but most choose not to do so because they understand the necessary evil of the party system and what would happen if we only had independents - absolutely nothing, ever!
Problem with this is that the Coalition apparently have had to alter the election manifesto to such a degree that very few electors are being represented at all. Even worse that no political party won a majority. Perhaps this is why we have so much disdain for politicians, they represent a dozen or so front bencher's.

thinfourth2

32,414 posts

234 months

Monday 16th May 2011
quotequote all
Caulkhead said:
It doesn't stand, it's nonsense. People vote a candidate in expecting him to largely follow the policies of the party he stands for. Mostly that's what MPs do, occassionally they don't when they or their local electorate feel sufficiently strongly about something. What you are advocating is no politcal parties, just independent MPs voting as they see fit on every matter. Every voter in the country currently has the option to stand or vote independent, but most choose not to do so because they understand the necessary evil of the party system and what would happen if we only had independents - absolutely nothing, ever!
So right back to my question

Justify why he should be doing his job instead of a stuffed toy.


Parrot of Doom

23,075 posts

264 months

Monday 16th May 2011
quotequote all
elster said:
I will ask as well.
He will dodge it, I imagine most politicians will now presume they're being covertly recorded in such interviews.

Caulkhead

4,938 posts

187 months

Monday 16th May 2011
quotequote all
thinfourth2 said:
Caulkhead said:
It doesn't stand, it's nonsense. People vote a candidate in expecting him to largely follow the policies of the party he stands for. Mostly that's what MPs do, occassionally they don't when they or their local electorate feel sufficiently strongly about something. What you are advocating is no politcal parties, just independent MPs voting as they see fit on every matter. Every voter in the country currently has the option to stand or vote independent, but most choose not to do so because they understand the necessary evil of the party system and what would happen if we only had independents - absolutely nothing, ever!
So right back to my question

Justify why he should be doing his job instead of a stuffed toy.
Because voting in parliament is a relatively small part of an MP's workload and stuffed toys tend to perform badly in constituency surgeries, lobbying, select committees, ministerial posts, representing local industry abroad, writing white papers, public speaking, charity work and annoying people like you who think they have a better alternative to party politics.

Tsippy

15,078 posts

199 months

Monday 16th May 2011
quotequote all
Caulkhead said:
Because voting in parliament is a relatively small part of an MP's workload and stuffed toys tend to perform badly in constituency surgeries, lobbying, select committees, ministerial posts, representing local industry abroad, writing white papers, public speaking, charity work and annoying people like you who think they have a better alternative to party politics.
I bet that if a stuffed toy was put forward with a red or blue tie, it'd still win in some areas!

Victor McDade

4,395 posts

212 months

Monday 16th May 2011
quotequote all
Parrot of Doom said:
elster said:
I will ask as well.
He will dodge it, I imagine most politicians will now presume they're being covertly recorded in such interviews.
David Blunkett said the very same thing on Question Time last week. After what happened to Cable it's very hard to have a frank and open discussion with a member of the public.

Halb

53,012 posts

213 months

Monday 16th May 2011
quotequote all
elster said:
Planning to interview my MP.

I have some questions already, but just thought I would put it to the floor and see if anyone else wanted to ask anything.

MP is Julian Sturdy
York Outer
Conservative
Newly Elected
Votes with Party 100% of the time
Attendance 242/271
I remember when I spoke to my MP, I told her I had a few questions that my friends had asked, she didn't like that. She was a so called 'Blair babe' though and was pretty clueless. Sadly she lives in a Labour Stronghold that only AV could get winkle her out ofbiggrin