House of Comments - Episode 98 - Money is no Object

Episode 98 of the House of Comments podcast "Money is no Object" is out. I am is joined by Lib Dem PPC for Guildford Kelly-Marie Blundell and Former Labour PPC and councillor Paul Blanchard to discuss the latest political fallout from the floods, the recent petition urging the government to review drugs policy and we ask whether voter recall is now dead for this parliament. Spoiler alert - it is.

You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes here.

Other podcasting software e.g. for Android can be pointed here to subscribe.

You can download the mp3 for the latest episode directly from here.

Or you can listen to the embedded episode below here:

listen to ‘Episode 98 - Money is no Object’ on Audioboo

Any feedback welcomed in the comments below.


PS: A big thanks to Audioboo for hosting the podcast for us. We would also like to thank Kevin MacLeod from Incompetech.com for our theme music.

House of Comments - Episode 61 - Total Recall

Episode 61 of the House of Comments podcast "Total Recall" was recorded yesterday and is out today. This week in a slightly shorter episode than normal myself and Emma Burnell discuss the latest parliamentary scandal and ask whether we need a clampdown on lobbying and also the ability for MPs to be recalled as well as Labour's latest announcement on means testing pensioner benefits.

You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes here (note - this is a new feed so if you used to subscribe to the old feed a couple of years ago you'll need to do so again).

Other podcasting software e.g. for Android can be pointed here to subscribe.

You can download the mp3 for the latest episode directly from here.

Or you can listen to the embedded episode below here:

listen to ‘Episode 61 - Total Recall’ on Audioboo

If you are a political blogger and wish to be considered as a future guest please drop me an e-mail at markreckons@live.co.uk.

Any feedback welcomed in the comments below.


PS: A big thanks to Audioboo for hosting the podcast for us and especially to Audioboo's James O'Malley who has helped us out getting relaunched. James is also editor of The Pod Delusion podcast which is about "interesting things" and is well worth a listen too! We would also like to thank Kevin MacLeod from Incompetech.com for our theme music.

Dizzy's electoral recall idea

Dizzy has today posted a suggestion which, in the light of all the expenses shenanigans going on at the moment is perhaps timely. He suggests that it should be possible in certain circumstances for an MP to be called to stand for re-election in his/her consitituency using an electoral recall mechanism.

I know that this sort of thing is done in the US. Indeed, as I recall it is the mechanism that was used to get Arnold Schwarzenegger in as Governor of California.

The point of this sort of facility is to make sure that you cannot have a situation whereby somebody is elected as an MP, within say 6 months does something that would make lots of the people who elected them disgusted and can then sit back safe in the knowledge that they cannot be touched for another 3 or 4 years until parliament is next dissolved. The current system is anti-democratic.

As Dizzy also points out there would be risks with a system like this that an MP could be called upon to constantly re-fight for his/her seat by vexatious opponents, but it is surely not beyond the wit of man to come up with a system that allows recall in warranted circumstances.

If anybody knows of a good reason not to have something like this, perhaps they could comment. I cannot think of one at the moment.