Over at The Guardian’s Comment Is Free website, Simon Hughes – Lib Dem MP for North Southwark and Bermondsey since 1983 – writes about his experiences as a constituency member of Parliament, and how a good and effective democracy is under-pinned by approachable MPs who deliver top-quality personal responses.
(Peter Black recently blogged a letter in the Guardian from someone whose train journey was disrupted by Simon’s assiduous work ethic).
Here’s an excerpt:
It is a seven-day, 80-hour a week job being a constituency MP. Every day by phone, letter, email or simply being stopped in the street, people ask for help. Everything from finance to helping bury a relative to business support for the latest love potion. The largest group need help with housing – repairs, a move or just getting a home at all. (Two-thirds of local properties are council). …
Democracy is good and effective when people know who their MP is, feel they can approach them, know what they might be able to do, and are guaranteed a top-quality personal response as far as possible all year round. Elections are the hardest work. But the reward is all the greater when you know how much work in the community can change for good the lives of thousands of people.
You can read Simon’s article in full here.
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i have voted lib dem since you started, after what as happend i will never do it again