By Isle of Wight Observer
Why do we let people who’ve never driven trucks or buses make laws about them? Our representatives rarely have real-world experience. Is there a plumber in parliament, a chippie, an electrician or a former care-home worker?
Few Tory MPs in particular seem to have what most of us think of as a normal background. Many went from public school to university, where they studied law or politics before working gratis for the party they love. Others worked in the city, making obscene amounts of money and no longer need a job at all – being an MP is their lucrative hobby. Only a small number have experience in small business, health, education, construction etc. Does that not strike you as strange?
Our Bob fits the Tory mould of having a privileged background. According to his website “the family’s wealth was whittled away during the 20th Century”, but he was educated at a £25,000-a-year prep school before going to Harrow, at around £50,000 a year – so they weren’t exactly on their uppers. I went to Eton College and Oxford, but only because my Dad delivered bread to the kitchens in both places!
Bob makes much of his family’s political history – he is the sixth to become an MP and tried to get elected in Nottinghamshire before coming to the Island. Does he believe he was born to the job?
Have you ever heard anyone interview Bob properly, because I’d love to! When picking someone to represent us, surely, you need the wisest, most experienced person, but Bob treats questions about his private life as off limits.
With an election on the way, we must think carefully about who’ll get our precious vote. Labour usually has a few real people, including Angela Rayner, who I like a lot. If Labour win, she could become a Minister of the Crown. She has lived experience of being hard up, so why not put her in charge at the DWP. Labour’s Alan Johnson was a postman for years, so why was he in charge of the Home Office – police, prisons and immigration? Would he have asked the right questions about his former employer to stop the Horizon scandal?
Previous expertise and specialist knowledge are usually ignored in government, and that seems illogical. I have an HGV licence; I started and ran a successful transport company; my family still operates a fleet of lorries. If I were an MP, imagine how frustrated I’d be to see all my logistics expertise ignored.
Anyone desperate enough to be a candidate for the major parties must first put themselves through a selection process. Local members only get to choose from those ‘approved’ by HQ. Presumably the candidate must pledge absolute loyalty to the party, regardless of how it’s doing or how they feel about individual policies – such as Rwanda! If elected, none of them ever admits to imposter syndrome, even when they’re evidently out of their depth, and many MPs don’t even turn up a lot of the time.
Come the election, those hoping to secure our vote will parrot the party line on every issue. Worse, they’ll insist that only their lot has the solutions to Britain’s problems! When the time comes, the artful campaigner will knock on as many doors as possible. Should you engage with them, they’ll say: “Hello, I’m David Holmes and I’m standing for election. Do I have your support?” The householder will usually ignore this and instead rant about the state of the health service, ferries, roads, planning, immigration, council or whatever. The skilful politician listens to this fury, nodding with just the right amount of fake sincerity. When you’re done venting, before hurrying away, they’ll promise to make whatever you’ve just grizzled about their “top priority” – provided you’re daft enough to vote for them!
