36
New Blackmore Vale, 13th May 2022
blackmorevale.net
MPs’ round-up
MPs are under the microscope 24/7 I’m writing before polling day but have been out knocking doors so have a keen sense of where we’re heading, at least in the south. My guess is it’s not great for my party which will have to do some long hard thinking in the days and weeks ahead. Meanwhile, sleaze has been in the news again. I try to avoid being judgemental, particularly when I’m not in full possession of the facts. I’d just make one observation, though. It makes no sense to suggest MPs are any more or less venal than any other group. Why would they be? Indeed, since they’re pre-screened for criminality, misdemeanours and otherwise colourful pasts, you might expect them to be less likely than average to
Conservative MP for South West Wiltshire Dr Andrew Murrison indulge in questionable behaviour. So what’s going on? Talk of parliament being institutionally racist, misogynistic, corrupt etc is, in my view, a gross oversimplification. It isn’t my experience as a
fairly seasoned and, I hope, objective observer of workplaces and the people who work in them. In reality, like every other place of work, parliament has undergone an attitudinal and behavioural transformation over the two decades I’ve been an MP, reflecting the society from which it is drawn. It is a very different place to the one I entered in 2001 – I’m pleased to say. No, the big difference is that MPs are not so much in the spotlight as under the microscope. And it’s relentless, 24/7. I’m struggling to think of any other walk of life where every utterance, every move is potentially not only career-ending but reputationally terminal. A stand-out feature of the
UK media is the particularly salacious delight it takes in amplifying politicians’ faults and foibles. The danger is that parliament is seen for what it isn’t and people shift from the healthy scepticism that characterises a vibrant democracy to outright cynicism. It means that able individuals are put off politics as a form of public service and others quit early – as is happening now, an exodus I expect to accelerate towards the General Election. That said, it remains a genuine pleasure and great privilege to serve our neck of the woods. I’m certainly planning to continue – as long as voters are prepared to put up with me!
primary. It is an incredibly satisfying thing to do. Just pause and consider the role of education. Shaping our future generations, inspiring confidence, building platforms from which to launch the whole of a pupil’s life. Working alongside our dedicated teachers to make a real difference. Helping to sculpt the ethos and values of a school. Equipping our young people with the skills and learning to meet the challenges of tomorrow. It is hoped to foster the energies of social mobility, bridging the productivity and skills gap. Many of our local schools would like to add to their governing bodies. You don’t have to be a parent or education expert. You just
have to be someone who likes rolling their sleeves up, getting involved and working as part of a team. A team which asks themselves only one basic question – how can we make this school even better for the children who come here? The workload is not onerous but the personal rewards are incalculable. If you are a business woman or man with a keen eye for financial planning, budgeting and resource allocation, your skills are needed. If you’re interested, why not contact your local school, either primary or secondary. If you would like me to make the introduction to your nearest school, please email me with your address to simon. hoare.mp@parliament.uk
Could you be a school governor? If one subscribes to the theory that every cloud has a silver lining, then we must accept that Covid did, too. The silver lining was the tangible increase in the number of people who undertook some form of voluntary work to help their communities. Many people tried volunteering for the first time. They liked it and they are keen to identify another outlet for their energies. The increase of working from home for many, for part of the week at least, also means lots of people have a bit more time on their hands as the need for work travel is reduced. With that in mind, over coming articles I am going to point out some volunteering opportunities.
Conservative MP for North Dorset Simon Hoare Up first is becoming a school governor. It is a job I have done in two schools, including a time as chairman of a governing body. It is a role my wife Kate fulfils as the safeguarding governor at our youngest daughter’s
