I've just been looking at the rather lame LibDem Bromley by election website. The LibDems main point of attack on Bob 'Winning here' Neill seems to be that if elected he will have four jobs - MP, GLA Member, Health Authority Member and Barrister. They've put out one of their nasty little newspapers pointing this out.
The four jobs thing is a bit rich when you consider...
On the GLA:
Baroness [Sally] Hamwee – London AM, life peer, solicitor, and President of Town and Country Planning Association – 4 jobs
Lord [Graham] Tope – London AM, life peer, councillor in Sutton – 3 jobs
Geoff Pope – London AM, management consultant – 2 jobs
Mike Tuffrey – London AM, management consultant – 2 jobs
In the House of Commons:
Sir Menzies Campbell still lists ‘occasional practice as Queen’s Counsel’ in his register of interests Lynne Featherstone – stood down as a London AM a month after getting elected to Parliament, but remained a local councillor until the elections last May.
Mike Hancock – also a councillor in Portsmouth
Nick Harvey – frontbench spokesman on defence, and a communications strategies consultant to Harrison Cowley, a PR agency
John Hemming – director of JHC plc. (his own software company), chairman of MMI (record company), sole trader of sole trader of MarketNet, partner in OMX Securities LLP, councillor in Birmingham – 5 jobs
Mark Hunter – councillor in Cheadle
Paul Keetch - chairman of Raynard Reseach Limited, a company owned by him providing advice ‘on general and parliamentary matters’
Susan Kramer – remunerated directorship of Infrastructure Capital Partners Ltd. (financial consulting on infrastructure projects), and Speciality Scanners plc. (options held in lieu of fees)
Norman Lamb - consultant to Steeles LLP (solicitors)
John Leech - councillor, Manchester City Council
Paul Rowen – director of Corinya Ltd (property investment in Uganda), Councillor on Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council, consultancy work with ‘IDEA’ for other councils
John Thurso – chairman of 4 companies, Director of three wholly owned subsidiaries of Ulbster Holdings Ltd., Director of Millennium and Copthorne Hotels plc., Lecturer at Cranfield University
Roger Williams – Partner in R. H. Williams (farming partnership)
I do hope our by-election team won't be backward in pointing this out. I shall be paying another visit to Bromley myself to lend a hand tomorrow, I hope.
10 comments:
More Hypocrisy from LibDems... as a headline is like "Tractor Stuck In Mud" or "Lightbulb Still On".
Excellent research work and very succinctly put. I hope Bromley are on the ball with this.
Doubtless "Inamicus" will be strolling through here to complain about it fairly shortly...but I'm sure he'd love to have more than just a Councillor's job himself...
Iain
The issue of Peers sitting as AMs is something we've harping on about for some years now and only recently one of our forum posters asked the question:
"Are 1/12 of Londoners Peers?"
(http://mayorwatch.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=177)
With regards to Bob continuing as an AM, I asked about this just after his selection was announced and was advised that an Assembly by-election could cost "as much as several million pounds."
I'm not sure why anyone would think this was the best use of public money in London.
Hypocrisy, lies and half truths are the hallmark of a good Lib Dem campaign.
Never let the truth get in the way of a good story!
Now give us the list of other jobs for Conservatives on the LA and in the Commons.
Paul, Do it yourself you lazy bugger! But you are missing the point. I am not denying that Tory GLA members and MPs have outside interests - allI am pointing out is the hypoicrisy of this particualr campaigning tacts. But we've come to expect it.
Just visited your blog for the first time. One of the better LibDem blogs if I may say.
I think this is a very strong argument Iain.
I do hope the Tory by-election team take your advice and fill their leaflets with the latest news about Lord Thurso's employment history. That's bound to be worth a good few votes in Bromley I would have thought.
Keep up the good work.
Many thanks for the compliment Iain!
I am not aware that Lynn Featherstone, Ming Campbell etc are actually standing for election on June 29th at Bromley and Chiselhurst.
Has Ben Abbotts actually said he will continue as a political lobbyist if elected on June 29th - of course not! Ditto the local councillor job, but there is a strong argument for remaining a local councillor to keep in touch with local issues.
Have they never heard the expression: "Give the job to a busy man".
Two of our MEPs are peers -- Baronesses Nicholson and Ludford. Starting in the 2004 Parliament, MEPs were not supposed to have a dual mandate in national and supranational legislatives. Members of the House of Lords received a special dispensation for the 2004 Parliament because... it's not possible to resign a life peerage once you have accepted it.
I would add that John Hemming was also Deputy Leader of Birmingham City Council when he won Yardley - a job remunerated at a full-time rate.
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