Boris is in command

Fetch me the bath opener whilst I mop the tin

 

I have to be honest that until Brexit, I thought your local MP was supposedly elected to represent their constituents. When actually they are not.

 

They are representatives , not delegates.

 

Looking at this thread just shows why we got Brexit and why we’ve ended up with another Toff. Folk haven’t got a clue about how our democracy works or even what an MP’s role is

 

So from my immediate family of a nurse, another nurse/midwife/health visitor, a miner, a carpenter, a printer, a joiner, a railwayman, a ceiling fitter, a plasterer, a chemist, a retiree and a trainee health worker, who represents us because I’ll be ****** if I know

 

I'd disagree with your interpretation of the decision to go to war. As I pointed out earlier in the thread, Parliament twice voted in favour of action, and decisively so. When Blair made that statement about the Iraqi capacity to attack he was wrong for sure. But my view is that he sincerely believed it was true. It's not as though Saddam didn't have previous, is it? The information - such as it was - was made available to MP's and their judgement was to vote for action. Blair did not go to war without Parliament's approval and indicated that he would resign if he lost the vote. Alan Johnson, who I admire greatly says that in the light of the information available at the time the decision was the correct one and one he'd take again today in the same circumstances. And it's not as though the war wouldn't have happened without our involvement either.

As regards Brown, it was Blair who was PM and Brown was Chancellor because of Blair's support of him. It was for Brown to toe the line in those circumstances. Nevertheless, Blair bowed to Brown's judgement on staying outside the euro, which would have been Blair's preference. So I think there was more collegiate working than is often admitted. It's noteworthy that when Brown led the GE campaign he lost. I doubt I'll persuade you that Blair is not the devil incarnate, and I don't think you'll persuade me that Corbyn is fit to lead the Labour Party. But no doubt we'll have an interesting conversation should Corbyn ever surprise me and win a general election!

 

They are representatives, who are elected to do what "in their considered opinion" is the best for:

1). The country
2). Their constituents

(The country *has* to be first, as a decision could be good for the country but bad for a particular area).

Personal and other considerations shouldn't come into it. However, when you have a situation where Boris earned twice as much for his "comedic hyperbole" in the Telegraph than what he will earn as PM, then perhaps conflicts of interest might come into it. Many of the other MPs are also paid considerable amounts - enough to rival Barnsley FC players - for a few hours work per month, you have to question where their loyalties lie.

While MPs are paid a lot, it has been suggested as a solution that they should be paid a lot more, but banned from receiving any outside money (instead of paying ~£70k per year, they should get ~£150k but nothing else except expenses).

 

Your mate will feel right at home - they’ve just appointed an actual Tory as their new leader.

 

How so?

 

You’ve seen her voting record from the days of coalition?!?

 

As a junior minister I would imagine she'd have been obligated to vote with the government on most issues. There was more collective responsibility in those days than in recent times. I think that the overriding objective of the Lib Dems was to gain the public vote on a PR system whilst in government. Whilst that was regrettably rejected by the public, it had to be the most important item on their agenda - ahead of things like student fees, which I think was a bit of a red herring.

 

The irony for the Lib Dems as an ardent party of remain is that one of the biggest underlying causes of the leave vote was the austerity which they faciliated

 

I've got to say.... this is really reaching. In coalition they voted on things they'd rather not go with, but they did so to get things through that otherwise they wouldn't have. The uplift in the freepay rate of tax for example.

I think anyone now can see what thigs do get pushed through when its the hardline tories with nobody to reign them in slightly.

The Lib Dems were naïve and got a kicking for it at the following GE. I'm not going to judge them on a voting record in coalition.

 

That might have been the objective but they didn't even secure a vote on that, they only got a heavy compromise position of a vote on AV yet still fell in to bed for it.

 

To be fair the Tories couldn't have forced anything through a hung parliament without the Lib Dems support

 

Aye but you have to start somewhere. Sticking rigidly to your dogma doesn't get you far, does it?

 

Mate, I know what happened. I understand the vote back then. But I and plenty of others were very much opposed to it. I even went to a big protest rally in Leeds about it. And a certain Jeremy Corbyn opposed it and spoke at the time about what WOULD happen were we to get involved. And it is very sad that he, myself and millions of others got it very right.



But you’re right. You, nor anyone on here or elsewhere will convince me I’m wrong to support a leader who fits my own way of thinking and ideals. I never expected Jeremy to get out from the backbenches. I never believed he’d become leader. I never thought it was possible he’d be PM.

It’s time for real change. For transformation.

I am still certain that it won’t come. There are too many powerful, rich folk who stand to lose it all were Jeremy to become PM. Hence the smears, the attacks, the lies, the media war against him.

But I’m not backing down from my beliefs regardless. The minute Labour go back towards the centre right, I’ll go somewhere else, like the Greens which I did previously.
I would rather drink battery acid than vote Lib Dem who change their political ideas every six months trying to appear electable.

 

Her voting record is appalling. It’s kicking the poorest whilst down. She also believes in a statue for Thatcher.

Tory.

 

Now that does worry me. Perhaps it could be in Grimethorpe? We'd soon find out it's scrap value!

 

You do have to start somewhere, and I argued tirelessly for AV as a stepping stone but people just saw it is a poor compromise. It certainly wasn't worth propping up austerity for