In response to a post by Baroness d’Souza, Bedd Gelert makes the valid point that it is difficult to know who members are. Hence, there is a problem in seeking to communicate with them.
As he mentions, there is now http://www.theyworkforyou.com which provides information on the activity of individual parliamentarians. It is a valuable site, which offers information on recent speeches and some indication of stances taken on particular issues; it also links to the public whip, providing information on how members have voted. You can sign up for e-mail alerts for whenever a particular MP or peer speaks. It is not comprehensive in coverage, though: it doesn’t cover committee work or debates in Grand Committee in the Lords. It is nonetheless a great resource.
How can individuals match large organisations, which have the resources to monitor parliament and find out what MPs and peers are speaking on what subject? One way, in addition to utilising the theyworkforyou site, is to look at the website (http://www.lordswhips.org.uk) maintained by the Government Whips’ Office in the Lords. This hosts the list that peers sign in order to speak in debates. You can check which debates are coming up and which peers have signed up to speak in them. I have provided a link in the previous post so that you can see who is speaking in the Second Reading debate on the EU (Amendment) Bill, but the link will also show who is speaking in other debates. Once you know who is speaking, you can find out more about them via the Parliament website as well as the theyworkforyou site.
The annual publication, Dod’s Parliamentary Companion – much thumbed in the Palace of Westminster – also provides biographical data on MPs and peers but also, most usefully, lists their political interests. The Companion is not cheap but should be accessible via main public libraries.
This blog is also designed as a way of encouraging interaction, but it may well be that we should be giving thought to how else we can ensure that people who are interested know who we are and what our interests are.
Gosh, this is rather amazing ! I certainly wouldn’t have known about this without this blog.
“The annual publication, Dod’s Parliamentary Companion – much thumbed in the Palace of Westminster – also provides biographical data on MPs and peers but also, most usefully, lists their political interests.”
Hmm.. Interesting, but really, come on – it is not as useful as knowing what your hobbies and hinterland are, any unusual skills or musical talents or any other interesting, ahem, extra-curricular activities.
Still, it is a start – and I certainly wouldn’t have imagined that the Lords were in a ‘facebook’ type environment where we can see what they are doing, in which debate, and when.
I am almost tempted to lobby for getting rid of the other place altogether, extending Mr Johnson’s mayoral remit to cover the whole of England, and we could let rid of a whole expensive layer of MPs in one fell swoop. Do I have any supporters ??
The House is remarkably varied in terms of the membership. Some of this is apparent from observation (gender, ethnicity, wheelchair-bound), but other aspects are not. We have members with remarkable knowledge, experience and also – the point you touch on – non-political interests. It is a very egalitarian institution, yet remarkably varied in terms of background: there are peers who have been manual workers, while others have run industries. Given the variety, I have no doubt there are some who are Facebook users, while others will have no idea what it is.
I should mention that Dod’s Parliamentary Companion does list peers’ recreations, though the detail may not give much away. One peer, for example, lists his recreation as ‘flying’. In fact, he builds and flies his own single-seater planes! Another, I see, lists one of his recreations as ‘art history of fifteenth century northern Europe’. Another lists his as ‘Rough gardening, jazz, Tassie Medallions, theatre’. Baroness Taylor lists her recreation as Bolton Wanderers football club. Baroness Cumberledge lists one of hers as ‘Other people’s gardens’. I agree that looking at such interests can be far more interesting, and revealing, than simply looking at what offices the person has held and the committees they sit on.
I am not sure mine, though, would add much. I have pointed out in print before that there is nothing wrong with being a sad person. I am a very sad person! I have been fascinated with politics since I was about 10 – I was writing to politicians by the time I was 11 – and everything since has been politics related: I teach politics, I practice politics, I immerse myself in politics. For politics read primarily parliamentary politics. For me, the Palace of Westminster is the equivalent of what Wembley must be to football fans! Not that I know anything about football…
Now that is the kind of the comment that makes for a very successful political blog: a mixture of politics and personal touches and observations from everyday life.
And I should know. I’ve just written a 12,000 word dissertation on the subject. You ought to read it some time.
I know you have – and I will. Make sure you submit it on time!
Thank you for listing those resources.
You’re quietly accumulating a fan base, Lord Norton. When can we expect to see you hosting ‘Have I Got News For You’?
As for football, all you need to know is England have been World Cup finalists in three out of six tournaments, winning in 2003. 😉
Thanks to Francisco and ladytizzy for their comments. Not sure about ‘Have I Got News For You’. As for the football, that’s probably more information that I need!