Labour councillor takes £10k for attending two council meetings

[lang rabbie]

What is "LEAP", BTW?

"Local Education Action by Parents" - an allegedly independent group set up to campaign for more school places etc. but strangely enough in the 2006 elections they only put up candidates against Executive members of the former Lib Dem administration.

There were some genuinely committed people there, but LEAP were used as patsies by the Labour Party in a succesful bid to keep the Lib Dems fighting on their home ground rather than in marginal wards. A number of people previously involved with LEAP are now even more pissed off on the Labour administration's inability to deliver on its education promises.

 

[Jessiedog]

"Local Education Action by Parents" - an allegedly independent group set up to campaign for more school places etc. but strangely enough in the 2006 elections they only put up candidates against Executive members of the former Lib Dem administration.

There were some genuinely committed people there, but LEAP were used as patsies by the Labour Party in a succesful bid to keep the Lib Dems fighting on their home ground rather than in marginal wards. A number of people previously involved with LEAP are now even more pissed off on the Labour administration's inability to deliver on its education promises.

Ahhhh.

I see.


Thanks, rabbie.





Woof

 

[Mind]

I wonder whether the increase in the Tory vote demonstrates a slow gentrification of the area. If I receive my freedom of information request results, it will also be possible to figure out how many Tory MPs (and partners) live in the area and contribute towards the Tory vote.

Did you also do an FOI on how many Lib Dem and Labour MPs live in Princes Ward and could be distorting their respective votes?
Wealthy Lib Dem and wealthy Labour MPs count as gentrification too, no?

(and all MPs are wealthy as they earn in the top 1% to 3% of everyone in the country).

I never understand this tribalistic sentimentality and attachment to people of certain parties. All MPs and candidates should be judged on a case-by-case basis. What have they done in the past? What do their websites say? What do their leaflets say? Not on the colour of their bloody rosettes. If people had been doing this all along, we wouldn't have a parliament full of thieves and scroungers.

 

[Mind]

On the issue of a case-by-case examination my MP, Kate Hoey seems to be doing a very good job.

In the middle of the expenses scandal, she stood up and told the speaker in parliament to his face that he should concentrate on sorting the mess out instead of hunting down and trying to prosecute the person who leaked the details. She clearly understood the public mood. Instead of listening, he slapped her down and that is partly what triggered the calls for his resignation.
I was very proud. Well done Kate.

Interestingly, I have just gone through theyworkforyou.com to see how all Lambeth MPs have voted on the issues I feel very strongly about.
1) A Transparent Parliament - Kate Hoey (for), Keith Hill (against), Tessa Jowell (against),
2) ID Cards - Kate Hoey (against), Keith Hill (for), Tessa Jowell (for)
3) Top Up Fees - Kate Hoey (against),Keith Hill (for), Tessa Jowell (for)
4) Labour's Anti Terrorism Laws - Kate Hoey (against), Keith Hill (for), Tessa Jowell (for)
5) Iraq War - Kate Hoey (against), Keith Hill (for), Tessa Jowell (for)

Hoey seems to always be on the right side of the argument as far as people in Lambeth are concerned and she's got my vote!

Tessa Jowell has been the MP for 17 years and thinks she's too good to live close to the plebs in her constituency.

and as for Keith Hill... Tony Blair's lackey. What more is there to say?

 

[se5]

But Hill and Jowell have been members of the government for many of the last few years and so had no option but to support government policy (unless they felt so strongly about the issues that they were prepared to reisgn). Hoey as a backbencher is not so constrained (and does not fear the party whips like many MPs do) and so can vote according to her conscience

 

[ericjarvis]

Except that the reason Kate Hoey is a backbencher is that she resigned from her ministerial position on a point of principle. She able to follow her conscience because she already put principle ahead of ambition.

 

[Mind]

Thank you for making that point, Eric.

We elect these people to be our representatives, not so they can realise their personal ambition to be minister for paper clips or as in Keith Hill's case, Tony Blair's bag carrier.
However, most cannot get their snouts out of the trough for long enough to actually remember why they are there.

There is no compulsion to be part of the government.
As we have seen over the last few days, the option of resigning is used when they feel strongly enough about something.
Clearly neither Hill, nor Jowell has felt strongly about any of these issues to resign over them.

 

[threewheeled]

@Mind

Yes, I made a general FOI request. It wasn't just about the Tories. I quite agree with you that the wealthy lib dems/lab in area might be distorting the balance too. However, the Tories came naturally to mind since they've currently all got massive signs outside their doors, proclaiming that an MP is resident!

I entirely agree with your sentiment about voting for particular people. It's the one thing I like about FPP voting, despite still thinking that STV would be more representative. And I also agree with you about Kate Hoey (all party sentiment aside, she has an excellent voting record).

 

[newsensation]

The Conservative boards that were up in a variety of roads in princes ward were removed over the weekend. And they did not proclaim MP residence.

 

[happyshopper]

Thank you for making that point, Eric.

We elect these people to be our representatives, not so they can realise their personal ambition to be minister for paper clips or as in Keith Hill's case, Tony Blair's bag carrier.
However, most cannot get their snouts out of the trough for long enough to actually remember why they are there.

There is no compulsion to be part of the government.
As we have seen over the last few days, the option of resigning is used when they feel strongly enough about something.
Clearly neither Hill, nor Jowell has felt strongly about any of these issues to resign over them.

Leaving on one side the vulgar abuse in this post, what I'm not clear about is who are supposed to become government ministers under this approach to the role of MPs.

 

[se5]

If you asked most MPs / aspiring MPs why they are in politics they will say its because they want to make the world a better place according to their vision/ the party vision to which they subscribe.

The most effective way of doing this is by becoming a Minister of the government where (perhaps naively) they think they will be able to influence the laws and policies of the country - most MPs therefore want to become Ministers as there is only so much you can do as a backbencher.

 

[threewheeled]

@newsensation

OK, I was being slightly tongue in cheek about all of the signs proclaiming MP residence. I've no doubt that some of them did though.

 

[Mind]

@Mind

Yes, I made a general FOI request. It wasn't just about the Tories. I quite agree with you that the wealthy lib dems/lab in area might be distorting the balance too. However, the Tories came naturally to mind since they've currently all got massive signs outside their doors, proclaiming that an MP is resident!

I don't actually think any MPs would be distorting any balance. I was taking the piss -did you miss the suspicious purple emoticon??
In fact I'm willing to bet that every single MP living in that part of Lambeth will be registered to vote in their own consituency and so will not be on the Lambeth election register. I can't imagine that Sir Bufton Tufton MP will be so bothered about a 0.2% swing in favour of Lab/Lib/Con at the Prince's ward by-election that he'd be willing to make his second home his primary residence and piss off his own constituents!

But good luck with your FOI and do let us know the result. (It is after all taxpayer's money that it will cost to dig out this info, so it would be good to share!)

Leaving on one side the vulgar abuse in this post, what I'm not clear about is who are supposed to become government ministers under this approach to the role of MPs.

Considering some of the more colourful language I've seen on urban,
If calling someone "minister for paperclips" is abusive and vulgar, then you're either bonkers or a close friend of Keith Hill or Tessa Jowell.
Either way I'm pretty sure you can be safely ignored.

 

[ericjarvis]

In fact I'm willing to bet that every single MP living in that part of Lambeth will be registered to vote in their own consituency and so will not be on the Lambeth election register. I can't imagine that Sir Bufton Tufton MP will be so bothered about a 0.2% swing in favour of Lab/Lib/Con at the Prince's ward by-election that he'd be willing to make his second home his primary residence and piss off his own constituents!

You would be completely wrong. Having been election organiser in that particular ward as well as having been a council candidate there and constituency agent for Vauxhall, I can tell you authoritatively that if you take a look at the register of electors for Princes Ward you will find the names of quite a number of MPs. It used to be a running joke seeing who could knock on the door of the most MPs during an election campaign. Though not quite as funny as canvassing Jim Callaghan and letting him see you mark him down as "doubtful".

 

[happyshopper]

“Minister for paperclips” isn’t vulgar or abusive, but nor is it “colourful”; it’s just rather weak. However, “snouts out of the trough” is vulgar and abusive, as well as being a feeble cliché that has now been tainted by its adoption by the BNP. And the fact that other people do something has never been a valid excuse.

As for me being a close friend of Keith Hill or Tessa Jowell, I’ve never knowingly been in the same room as the former and I’ve spoken to the latter once, about 20 years ago. But what if I was their friend; why should that disqualify me from expressing my views or asking for explanation of facile comments made by other posters?

And it has to be assumed that Mind wants to ignore me because she/he has no coherent answer to my question as to who should be appointed as Government ministers, if it’s not supposed to be MPs. Does he/she want them all to be members of the House of Lords, or other unelected appointees?

 

[threewheeled]

Sadly, FOI request failed because MPs addresses are not subject to FOI. See my request here: http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/names_and_parties_of_mps_who_hav?post_redirect=1

However, an anonymous person did kindly post a huge list of MPs with residences in Kennington on my blog here, so the FOI request was just to see if any more info. could be obtained.