Access your MP

Went down to the next village along on Friday evening where outgoing MP was stumping for re-election. Asked a couple of questions, got some interesting answers and was generally impressed with his knowledge and connection with the issues. So much so, in fact, that I have decided I will vote for him after all.

All the palaver about the TV debates has helped to further obscure the fundamental point of our electoral system, which is that the voters are not voting for a Prime Minister or even a government, but for a man or woman who will listen to their concerns and protect their interests, even if that means going against the wishes of their own government. The people of Wyre Forest understood this when their local MP, a Labour party apparatchik, broke promises made to the electorate in order to further his party's interests and those of his own career. That's why they voted in an independent who has kept his promise to defend the hospital the Labourite undertook to keep open and then tried to close. The vitreolic attack launched by the Labourite against his former voters indicates that he also failed to understand the purpose of democracy, but then, he's not alone in his party on that score.

Most of the electorate, however, are under the impression that they are voting for Brown, Cameron or Clegg. So long as they make this basic and fairly easily amended error, they will continue to be piss-poorly represented by party workers parachuted in from London, who do not know or care what concerns their constituents have and will do or say whatever they need to to keep the office and the salary and the benefits flowing.

Brown, Cameron and Clegg do not need your vote to stay in the job, so they don't actually care what you think. Unless of course, you are one of the less-than 0.5% of the electorate actually represented by them in Parliament. Check out the candidates in YOUR constituency, choose the one you think will best represent your vision of the country, and once elected, make sure you keep them busy!