right
Conservative
Posts: 18,382
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Post by right on Jul 6, 2024 13:40:28 GMT
They're great for unlocking stuff and as the office deals with so many varied areas they are quite good if someone doesn't know where else to go. If you are in a real pickle in an unfamiliar bureaucracy, and you're not that good with life generally, you still know or will know someone who knows that you can write to your MP. In a rather bureaucratic and rule laden system that's not at a human scale going to your MP is a cheat code. It's valuable to know it's there particularly to those who aren't much good at navigating life. It also gives MPs a feel for the effect that the government's regulations and actions are having on their constituents, and even to those who rightly feel that the most important job is to hold the government to account it's an incredibly useful source of information. We don't want oversized county councillors as MPs, but we still need good casework operations with involved MPs. sorry I mean the MP themselves, I think MPs offices should deal with casework ofc and I agree the MP gets things moving when no one else can But I also think that casework is a good barometer of the acute issues facing their constituents, which feeds into their primary constitutional purpose of holding the government to account
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J.G.Harston
Lib Dem
Leave-voting Brexit-supporting Liberal Democrat
Posts: 14,446
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Post by J.G.Harston on Jul 6, 2024 13:51:01 GMT
They're great for unlocking stuff and as the office deals with so many varied areas they are quite good if someone doesn't know where else to go. If you are in a real pickle in an unfamiliar bureaucracy, and you're not that good with life generally, you still know or will know someone who knows that you can write to your MP. In a rather bureaucratic and rule laden system that's not at a human scale going to your MP is a cheat code. It's valuable to know it's there particularly to those who aren't much good at navigating life. It also gives MPs a feel for the effect that the government's regulations and actions are having on their constituents, and even to those who rightly feel that the most important job is to hold the government to account it's an incredibly useful source of information. We don't want oversized county councillors as MPs, but we still need good casework operations with involved MPs. sorry I mean the MP themselves, I think MPs offices should deal with casework ofc and I agree the MP gets things moving when no one else can And where it's a council matter, they should be forwarding the contituent on to a relelvent councillor, not - as put above - acting themselves as oversized councillors.
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Post by stb12 on Jul 6, 2024 14:08:50 GMT
I'd think Farage will use the MP platform to talk mostly about national issues but that may align with a lot of Clacton voters?
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Ports
Non-Aligned
Posts: 599
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Clacton
Jul 6, 2024 14:20:17 GMT
via mobile
Post by Ports on Jul 6, 2024 14:20:17 GMT
I'd think Farage will use the MP platform to talk mostly about national issues but that may align with a lot of Clacton voters? In his victory speech Farage noted he would promise to learn the nuances of constituent services, and would also do whatever he could to bring in outside investment and tourism back to Clacton.
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Post by matureleft on Jul 6, 2024 15:00:53 GMT
If you’ve been an assiduous local councillor first, used to and enjoying casework, you are more likely to both be actively involved in it and push performance standards. If you’ve been a SpAD, policy wonk or the like then you are likely to want to delegate it heavily. Farage is neither but I’d imagine he might be wise enough to recruit decent staff and he should have some volunteers. If he isn’t careful I’d be surprised if he doesn’t collect some negative stories on this. And local stories will be picked up by opponents. it's not a good idea to have MPs involved with casework. They don't have the time to start with. There are also systems in place to deal with casework that they won't be familiar with because they're busy with everything else 1. Systems were primitive in the Blair/Brown period. Great if they are better now. 2. It depends. I took the view that if someone took the trouble to write to the MP (other than through the common card/email campaign template) it was the duty of the MP to understand what had been raised. There are a number of reasons for that. First, many were complaining about a government body or service. How was one to grasp its faults if you didn’t listen to user/recipient experience? Secondly, leaving matters entirely to staff/systems misses the critical accountability. The MP is accountable and ignorance of performance is no defence. And poor casework does count against you. Thirdly, there was seldom a day went by that I didn’t learn something new from points raised. Finally, and depressingly, some particularly poor services set up MP helplines. It made quite a difference if the MP themselves rang sometimes… 3. With a majority this large (your experience is with a PLP less than half this size) the problem will be to keep backbench MPs occupied in Westminster and many are likely to be despatched on “constituency weeks”. There are lots of useful ways to employ those in a seat that might have been won with 30% of the vote or less and I’d be shocked if the MP simply got stuck into casework, but they are probably new, as will be their staff, and it would be wise to spend plenty of time getting systems and practice right together.
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Post by matureleft on Jul 6, 2024 15:29:27 GMT
sorry I mean the MP themselves, I think MPs offices should deal with casework ofc and I agree the MP gets things moving when no one else can And where it's a council matter, they should be forwarding the contituent on to a relelvent councillor, not - as put above - acting themselves as oversized councillors.
Well yes, but with care. 1. There is no point at all in referring someone to a useless councillor. Everyone loses by that. 2. Referring a matter to an opposition councillor may work in some local political cultures and not others...
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Post by eastmidlandsright on Jul 6, 2024 19:20:36 GMT
I'd think Farage will use the MP platform to talk mostly about national issues but that may align with a lot of Clacton voters? In his victory speech Farage noted he would promise to learn the nuances of constituent services, He won't, and few who voted for him will care.
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iain
Lib Dem
Posts: 11,264
Member is Online
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Post by iain on Jul 6, 2024 20:28:15 GMT
In his victory speech Farage noted he would promise to learn the nuances of constituent services, He won't, and few who voted for him will care. I tend to agree, but it’s not a given - see, for instance, George Galloway’s record when it comes to being re-elected.
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Post by stb12 on Jul 8, 2024 9:13:19 GMT
I’ve deleted a post and ones quoting it, to be clear to everyone throwing around Nazi comparisons is rarely if ever appropriate and best avoided
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Post by doktorb🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️ on Jul 18, 2024 9:03:04 GMT
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Post by markgoodair on Jul 18, 2024 9:05:09 GMT
Once a grifter always a grifter.
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Post by heslingtonian on Jul 20, 2024 20:46:20 GMT
What do people think would have happened if Farage had decided to stand elsewhere and say Richard Tice had stood here?
Also do people think Farage would have won any seats for Reform that they did not win?
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john07
Labour & Co-operative
Posts: 15,587
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Post by john07 on Jul 21, 2024 13:02:52 GMT
What do people think would have happened if Farage had decided to stand elsewhere and say Richard Tice had stood here? Also do people think Farage would have won any seats for Reform that they did not win? Possibly as Farage attracts press coverage like a magnet. Having said that he hasn’t a great record for winning anything prior to this year.
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Post by eastmidlandsright on Jul 21, 2024 13:15:29 GMT
What do people think would have happened if Farage had decided to stand elsewhere and say Richard Tice had stood here? Also do people think Farage would have won any seats for Reform that they did not win? I suspect that Farage would have won Castle Point but not by much.
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ricmk
Lib Dem
Posts: 2,556
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Post by ricmk on Jul 21, 2024 13:27:02 GMT
Of course now Farage is an MP, he'll have to declare how his junket to Milwaukee was funded (I've seen rumours that GB News paid but now it'll all have to be formally declared.) I wonder how much he's realised that his affairs and backers will now be declared and subject to scrutiny.
And no shortage of opponents who will call for investigations if he "forgets" to make timely declarations.
Interesting to see how he'll manage that transition. Of course his line will be "the elites are all out to get me" but he'll actually have consequences for not playing by the rules now.
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carlton43
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Post by carlton43 on Jul 21, 2024 13:48:55 GMT
Of course now Farage is an MP, he'll have to declare how his junket to Milwaukee was funded (I've seen rumours that GB News paid but now it'll all have to be formally declared.) I wonder how much he's realised that his affairs and backers will now be declared and subject to scrutiny. And no shortage of opponents who will call for investigations if he "forgets" to make timely declarations. Interesting to see how he'll manage that transition. Of course his line will be "the elites are all out to get me" but he'll actually have consequences for not playing by the rules now. Nerks like you would obviously hone in on mindless garbage like this of course. All such stupid petty rules should be revoked as soon as we get a rightist government back in 2029.
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Post by East Anglian Lefty on Jul 22, 2024 9:42:14 GMT
What do people think would have happened if Farage had decided to stand elsewhere and say Richard Tice had stood here? Also do people think Farage would have won any seats for Reform that they did not win? If Reform were going to win 5 seats, Clacton would have been one of them, regardless of candidate. Though if Farage hadn't stood at all, then there's every chance they'd have won none.
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Post by doktorb🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️ on Jul 22, 2024 21:32:29 GMT
Of course now Farage is an MP, he'll have to declare how his junket to Milwaukee was funded (I've seen rumours that GB News paid but now it'll all have to be formally declared.) I wonder how much he's realised that his affairs and backers will now be declared and subject to scrutiny. And no shortage of opponents who will call for investigations if he "forgets" to make timely declarations. Interesting to see how he'll manage that transition. Of course his line will be "the elites are all out to get me" but he'll actually have consequences for not playing by the rules now. He fudged the figures to nobble the Brexit referendum, he'll find a creative way to hide who's really funding his America trips. I think those of us on the right side of democracy should put pressure on the Recall Act being amended to include Farage somehow. He'll trip up.
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Clacton
Jul 22, 2024 21:38:27 GMT
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Jack likes this
Post by observer on Jul 22, 2024 21:38:27 GMT
Of course now Farage is an MP, he'll have to declare how his junket to Milwaukee was funded (I've seen rumours that GB News paid but now it'll all have to be formally declared.) I wonder how much he's realised that his affairs and backers will now be declared and subject to scrutiny. And no shortage of opponents who will call for investigations if he "forgets" to make timely declarations. Interesting to see how he'll manage that transition. Of course his line will be "the elites are all out to get me" but he'll actually have consequences for not playing by the rules now. He fudged the figures to nobble the Brexit referendum, he'll find a creative way to hide who's really funding his America trips. I think those of us on the right side of democracy should put pressure on the Recall Act being amended to include Farage somehow. He'll trip up. The right side of democracy? Are we talking about the same Remainers here? 😂😂
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Jack
Reform Party
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Member is Online
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Post by Jack on Jul 22, 2024 22:37:46 GMT
He fudged the figures to nobble the Brexit referendum, he'll find a creative way to hide who's really funding his America trips. I think those of us on the right side of democracy should put pressure on the Recall Act being amended to include Farage somehow. He'll trip up. The right side of democracy? Are we talking about the same Remainers here? 😂😂 Didn't the Russians tell you to vote Leave? I got a call from Putin about it and I was like "yeah, no trouble".
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