IT'S AN MP's LIFE

I despise the lot of them! ......just remember though we're in it together.

 

I have a little chuckle to myself every time I think of my last run in with an MP.

I emailed our local MP to ask him to vote against the proposed sell off of state owned woodland. I was surprised about a week later to receive a very official looking letter in response, aiming to address my concerns (and to tell me to shut up) but clearly just a mail merged stock response. What he hadn't bargained on was that I wasn't just just going to let it go. I replied starting with something like "thank you for your mail merged stock response that one of your junior staff probably wrote, but rather than allaying my concerns your letter raises more concerns as follows..". I picked his response to bits, sentence by sentence. He replied to me personally, clearly this time not a stock response, and I picked that apart too. It went on for several rounds, each time him digging himself in deeper and deeper, clearly not used to having to answer awkward, well thought out questions from people who don't necessarily play by "the rules". I could almost sense him squirming. I technically didn't win, because he still voted in favour of the sell off, but thankfully the vote didn't go his way, but when news emerge a few months later of a second, more subtle attempt, I pre-emptively contacted him again to let him know that the people have noticed and are paying attention.

 

I wouldn't want to be an MP....

 

I'm so grateful for my local MP...NOT....but on this one occasion i take it all back.......
Just round the corner from me is a tidgey bit of the countryside left(a couple of fields),the Deer and other wildlife roam freely ,a tiny bit of heaven in what has otherwise turned into a concrete jungle....turns out planning was put in for 300 plus houses to be built...thank the lord the 'local MP's house backs onto it.....turns out planning wasn't approved

 

I was being sarcastic! Cameron and Osborne said frequently "we're all in this together" when discussing the banking fiasco and the effect on the economy. We were told to "tighten our belts" and that there would have to be cuts. The fact that MP's have awarded themselves an 11% pay rise illustrates quite clearly to me that we're far from "in it together." More lies!

 

As I understand it, any pay rise is awarded by a commission....

 

When my piece of land still belonged to my dad, land classified as agricultural, he built a small animal shelter on it, out of view from anywhere public, yet it was somehow spotted and a complaint was made to the local planning authority.

My dad applied for planning permission but was denied, so he appealed, and lost.

At the time I worked for a very rich man, who had no such troubles despite having had numerous encounters with the planning authority. I asked him how you go about getting planning permission and explained my dad's predicament. My boss answered my question with a simple question of his own. "How much money has your dad got?". He went on to explain in not so cryptic language that you have to meet with the top person in the planning dept, and ask them how large a cash donation you have to make to a charity of their choice, but you you don't give the cash direct to the charity, you give this cash donation to the planning officer for him/her to give to the charity of their choice.

Years later, after I'd bought the land, I decided it would be great to live there. Not in a regular brick building, but something combining modern 'eco' traits with the natural character of the surroundings. By this time I was working for a very different very wealthy man and I asked him how feasible he thought it was and how I'd get permission. He asked a different set of questions starting with "who do you know?", then moving on to a discussion about cash gifts for them to pass on to a good cause of their choosing.

I guess your MP wasn't offered enough, or liked his house too much to move.

 

Yes by IPSA.....and it's debateable how independent this quango actually is!

 

As a rule you don't (put fertiliser) on your own door step...so my 'lovely' MP had for once in her life done the right thing...maybe she has got a heart and not a swinging brick

 

I spent 10 years working for quango. They do as they're told.

 

In fairness, every now and then you get one that actually does have a heart.

Ours used to be Mo Mowlam. When she was just the local MP she would regularly hold surgeries to meet and listen to people (at least once a week), and even when she won that role with Northern Ireland, she still made time for her constituents. She made us proud by blatantly not doing as she was told by higher ranking officials on several occasions, because she didn't believe that what she was being told to say or do was right.

If only more of them were like that.

 

Totally agree Clue...it's just ours spoils herself by listening but not listening...sadly it's got to the point round here where people are giving up the fight because all these plans barring this particular case are cut and dried

 

The chairman of IPSA was put into place by a panel of MP's including John Bercow and Harriet Harman. He was known to be in favour of MP's being able to employ family members and he thinks it's fine for MP's to make a profit on second homes paid for by the tax payer.....of course he's entitled to his opinion! He's a great friend of politicians seeing as he's chaired committees and enquiries. It looks like MP's gave the job to one of the boys....like I say IPSA's independence is debateable and yep, they'll do as they're told like give MP's an 11% pay rise!