tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3881762807913180318.post6413758486638696174..comments2024-01-23T16:53:02.428+00:00Comments on Mark Thompson: Should politicians have a sell-by date?Mark Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00744387583593537268noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3881762807913180318.post-83648062419796932742012-01-27T10:08:08.153+00:002012-01-27T10:08:08.153+00:00Perhaps an alternative is to limit the hours they ...Perhaps an alternative is to limit the hours they do so they can have a life. You'd have to enforce it, since politicians being a competitive bunch would otherwise just ignore any limit.<br /><br />Also many politicians do work outside of being an MP, which again, means they have less of a normal life (and we're paying them for part-time work effectively).Pete Bagnallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05469354861000480506noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3881762807913180318.post-70580968265351853542012-01-09T10:52:09.228+00:002012-01-09T10:52:09.228+00:00Caron makes a good point in relation to the US Pre...Caron makes a good point in relation to the US Presidency.<br /><br />In my living memory there have only been two good presidents (Reagan and Clinton) and one reasonable (Bush senior). The rest have been either totally ineffective (Ford,Carter, Obama), a blight on world politics (George W Bush) or plain criminal (Nixon).<br /><br />I suspect if Clinton had been able to keep his dick in his pant (or at least keep it out of the press a la Kennedy and Johnson) he would have probably been the best of the lot.Lady Virginia Droit de Seigneurnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3881762807913180318.post-69834537851280708042012-01-08T13:15:18.759+00:002012-01-08T13:15:18.759+00:00Related question - how many times in the last two ...Related question - how many times in the last two years has Harriet Harman been to the theatre, an art gallery, gone to a concert, or gone to a football match? For that matter, when was the last time she read a non-fiction book? I don't ask that maliciously - it could be that she is regular culture vulture - but if you're so emerged in party politics that you don't have time for these sort of pleasures, never mind how long you've been in office, you're going to sound like a drone.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3881762807913180318.post-10744440889847838922012-01-08T12:54:42.003+00:002012-01-08T12:54:42.003+00:00The then Labour leader John Smith made a related p...The then Labour leader John Smith made a related point back in the 1990s when he said it was only his kids that kept him in touch with what was happening with things like computer games.<br /><br />It is a tricky one, and made all the worse by the fact that over time certain verbal habits of how to respond to snap questions gets more and more ingrained in most people.Mark Packhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17596137350950820090noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3881762807913180318.post-86054276128556282052012-01-08T11:50:20.497+00:002012-01-08T11:50:20.497+00:00I decided a wee while ago that STV for Westminster...I decided a wee while ago that STV for Westminster was the way to save the Union and Scotland from independence. There is literally no end to the good it would bring.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04988201531739344840noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3881762807913180318.post-42308137003372381342012-01-08T11:04:31.631+00:002012-01-08T11:04:31.631+00:00I think its the start age thats the crucial one. I...I think its the start age thats the crucial one. I think no-one should be able to be an MP under the age of 40. Local councillor perhaps 30. Somehow we need to break this 'professional politician' career path that has developed - university (perhaps student politics), straight to policy think tank, Spad to some politician, safe seat, MP for life. Perhaps a bit of union politics/charity campaigning/local government thrown in for good measure.<br /><br />We need to force people to have real lives - careers, jobs, businesses, families etc entirely outside the political bubble before they can start telling the rest of us how we should live our lives and how things should be organised. Then they can be in politics until retirement.Jimnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3881762807913180318.post-32527988650563285892012-01-08T10:57:37.542+00:002012-01-08T10:57:37.542+00:00Fair point well made Caron.
I was just floating i...Fair point well made Caron.<br /><br />I was just floating it somewhat mischievously really. I'm sure there are loads of arguments against it.<br /><br />As I was just arguing on Twitter, STV would go a long way to solving this as long serving "bed blocking" MPs who people are tired of in safe seats (of any party) could be usurped by fresher faces from their own party without needing to get them deselected.<br /><br />But I'm always banging on about STV on here. It's a pity it's the answer to so many questions! :)Mark Thompsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00744387583593537268noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3881762807913180318.post-40085174703582625252012-01-08T10:53:54.115+00:002012-01-08T10:53:54.115+00:00It's a bit arbitrary, isn't it? Surely the...It's a bit arbitrary, isn't it? Surely the answer is a fair and proportional electoral system which gives voters maximum choice on candidates, rather than an arbitrary time limit by which people must stand down.<br /><br />I don't like taking power away from voters in this way.<br /><br />And would we not have been better off with 4 more years of Clinton rather than George W?<br /><br />Don Foster has been in Parliament for a long time and has been our Culture Spokesman for ages, yet he always has something relevant to say.<br /><br />I wouldn't like to think that we just arbitrarily get rid of someone at their peak, when they have more to give and whose skills and talents might be exactly what the country needs at that time.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04988201531739344840noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3881762807913180318.post-37570057127078732662012-01-08T10:42:23.814+00:002012-01-08T10:42:23.814+00:00If you believe there should be a shelf life for MP...If you believe there should be a shelf life for MP's, what about councillors? There are some councillors in Wales who have been in that role since the Queen came to the throne.Harry Hayfieldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07507866938834105572noreply@blogger.com