Neil Coupe
I have been listening to a series of podcasts in which the presenter interviews Members of Parliament who are stepping down at the election.
It is usually a fascinating listen. Generally, MPs come across as intelligent and articulate people with a wish to make life better for others. When they speak candidly about their motivations and often foiled ambitions the result is often engrossing.
There is often a tinge of melancholy about people leaving a vocation to which they had devoted so much of their lives, especially if they are doing so at a mid-career age.
In the back of one’s mind it is easy to recall the old cliché that all political lives end in failure, even if all the interviewees are often able to point to their own successes. It is easy to be cynical and conclude that people are stepping down as their seats are in jeopardy and are focused on dusting down their interview suits and brushing up their CVs.
However, my underlying sentiment is that something is seriously wrong.
Virtually all the episodes I listened to refer to online abuse and threats, as though this is totally acceptable. I do wonder whether those people who enjoy joining a huge social media pile-on onto an MP, realise the harm they do.
Why cannot we as a Society accept that people have different views on things, and we can disagree in a cordial and constructive manner.
I remember one hysterical pile-on because apparently the Prime Minister and Shadow Chancellor met at an event and hugged. So what? They have similar jobs, operate in the same field, have different opinions, but in all likelihood have a decent relationship. Life is not social media.
One MP had stepped down because his partner did not want him to have to wear a bullet-proof vest to go to work. This was one of those ‘Sorry, what did you say?’ moments.
We are the United Kingdom, consider ourselves to be the cradle of democracy, and some of our elected members of parliament need to wear a bullet-proof vest. To go to work.
The MP in question had previously been approached and threatened by an individual who went on to murder another MP. These threats are real, and it seems totally unbelievable that we have found ourselves in this position.
On a lighter note, one of the MPs interviewed was lamenting the culture that he pithily described as: ‘Something Must Be Done. By Someone Else.’
He gave examples of constituents who had written to him because their children had been disciplined at school and they wanted him to speak to the Headmaster on their behalf.
Even more absurdly, he had been asked to ensure someone’s son’s selection in the Under 13 School Football Team. I know that a place in the team can be a very highly charged issue, but I am not convinced it should be in an MP’s inbox.
Wokingham will be welcoming our first new MP for 37 years.
Sir John Redwood has certainly worked hard and raised the profile of the town. People I have spoken to who have asked for his assistance in serious matters have invariably been hugely impressed and grateful for his help.
I would like to thank him for his hard work and wish him well for the future.
The leaders of the three main parties in this election seem like reasonable people.
Their opinions may differ, but we are not in a position where they can casually be dismissed as dangerous, dishonest or delusional. Hopefully, this may herald a hard-fought, but serious and reasonable election campaign. We shall see.
