Guest 640- Registered: 21 Apr 2007
- Posts: 7,819
The supremely irritating woman with a dead eye for publicity and a penchant for putting herself about is leaving politics. Moving to New York sayeth the BBC and the BBC are always right! many had seen her as a future high flyer, if indeed she wasnt high flying already. As I remember she was a new MP at the last election but I may not be accurate on that one. No doubt BarryW can put us right. She stood as Louise Bagshawe, somebody was brave enough to marry her since.
She sat on various committees and always had more than her tuppenceworth to put in.
She sat on the committee looking into the hacking scandal for example and did cross-examine the Murdochs. As she herself had been given 'the treatment' by the mass media she wasnt coming at it from a neutral perspective!!
She openly confessed to drug taking recently on the BBCs Question Time which caused a pause in proceedings I can tell you, until the massed raised eyebrows re-aligned themselves to normal position. The drug taking was from years previously..so she said anyway.
Now..all this will result in a by-election. Could this see Boris Johnson step forward. On the 'next 2 years' thread guys are wildly speculating that he could be PM soon. I dont see it myself as I said on there. But here is the key for Boris...if he wanted it.
But as he has just recently been elected Mayor the timing is a tad off.
Never a dull moment. This bit of news has momentarily even transcended the Olympics and that takes some doing.
Guest 655- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,247
Blimey - you are quick of the mark with this, beat me to it.
I like Louise and far from irritating she has been a good MP though I have not always agreed with her. She is resigning because she has found it much more difficult to balance her parliamentary duties with her children and, quite rightly, has decided to place her children first.
The timing will result in a by-election in when the police commissioner elections take place. Boris issue is a red-herring though and it is most unlikely he will go for her marginal seat. I expect mischief makers to suggest otherwise.
Guest 655- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,247
The exchange of letters between and the PM have just been published on ConHome and they are below:
Dear Prime Minister
As you know, I have been struggling for some time to find the best outcome for my family life, and have decided, in order to keep us together, to move to New York. With the greatest regret, I am thus resigning as a Member of Parliament.
It is only through your personal intervention, delivered quietly and without fanfare, that I have been able to manage my duties for this long. Your allowing me to work in Corby and East Northamptonshire each Thursday and Friday has enabled me to do weekly surgeries while Parliament has been in session, and to visit many more people and places around our local area, whilst still spending time with my children. Unfortunately, it has not proved to be enough. I am very sorry that despite my best efforts, I have been unable to make the balancing act work for our family. You have been unfailingly generous and supportive.
It has been an honour to serve the people of Corby and East Northamptonshire. Whether it has been supporting Corby's new free school, or fighting for the truth on the Cube overspend and land development deals, or striving to protect the East Northamptonshire countryside, in my work as the local MP I have always been struck, as I said in my maiden speech, by the pride people have in our area. Corby can be summed up in the single word "pride".
It has been an honour too to serve as a member of Parliament under your leadership. The single most important job your government has is to fix the appalling deficit left by Labour. I am proud that the Coalition has reduced this figure by a quarter in two years, that interest rates remain low, and that every major international economic body has endorsed the Chancellor's necessary action.
I have had the privilege of serving on the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee under the formidable Chairmanship of John Whittingdale. It is a joy to see the Olympics so well delivered, something both LOCOG and Jeremy Hunt should be immensely proud of, along with all the thousands of volunteers and Games Makers who are brilliantly showcasing London to the world. The Committee also took the lead on phone hacking, and despite our well-known differences on that matter, it has been an honour to work alongside all my fellow members, past and present, from all parties. I believe that our inquiry set a new standard for the importance and relevance of a Select Committee system.
For your many personal kindnesses to me, I am eternally grateful.
Yours ever,
Louise Mensch MP
--------
David Cameron's reply
Dear Louise
Thank you very much for your letter. I know that this has been a particularly difficult period for you and your family and that this will not have been an easy decision for you to make.
With that in mind, it is with enormous regret that I accept your resignation as the Member of Parliament for Corby and East Northamptonshire, a seat that had been Labour for thirteen years before you. I do so only because I wish to support you in acting in the best interests of your family, which must come first.
You have been a truly inspiring Member of Parliament, championing your constituency of Corby with flair and energy over the past two and half years, while also serving with great distinction on the House of Commons Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee.
In that role you have held the Government to account and given proper scrutiny to so many important issues, including the preparation of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games; phone hacking; arts and heritage funding; and football governance.
And you have helped bring politics alive to those outside the Westminster Village, through your effective appearances on the television and your use of social media.
It goes without saying that I had wished to see you serve for longer and at a more senior level. But you have made a tremendous contribution in the short period you have served in the House of Commons, and have much to be very proud of.
I wish you all the best for the future, and very much hope you will stay in touch.
Rt. Hon David Cameron MP
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
the situation with her children is exactly the same as when she entered the commons in 2010, the only change in her circumstances is that she married a bloke who lives in the states.
agree with barry over the boris thing, he was given a rock solid seat when he first entered the political arena so it would be a step down for him.
Guest 640- Registered: 21 Apr 2007
- Posts: 7,819
Totally fascinating to see those letters there BarryW well done for putting those up. Clearly she was someone who caught wide attention..even caught the attention of Mr Cameron by the looks of it there. But I suppose...Who could not notice her? No matter what TV program you turned on she turned up. The late Newsnights in the dead of winter, some with Paul mcMullan for example, and up she pops...she continued to pop up irritatingly everywhere..
"Oh no will someone rid me of this priest" yelled I at the screen on occasion..subsituting priest for something else.
Knowing her letter would be published she managed to stick the tired boot into Labours deficit...a marketing ploy getting rather tired now. Im not sure if her warm endorsement of the chancellor is terribly accurate..even her own side are not sure about the boy George any more. There are grumblings and rumblings in the blue undergrowth.
Guest 655- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,247
The deficit is a fact and was entirely a product of Labour's policies, however tired Labour supporters may be of having people reminded of their culpability.
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
the public are heartily sick of hearing about what the cobbled together people inherited, they want to know why the deficit is still getting wider.
the blues love to blame the reds for the situation and the yellows for stopping them doing something about it.
the public know that is a load of hogwash as the blues outnumber their coalition partners on a massive scale.
Guest 714- Registered: 14 Apr 2011
- Posts: 2,594
howard, I'm anti the coalition but are you sure the deficit has widened?
Guest 655- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,247
The deficit has reduced indeed, though not enough. More cuts are needed to reduce it further.
Howard - you cannot whitewash how we got into this mess and the role of those who failed to allow the growth phase to reduce the deficit - specifically the last government. We should not allow people to forget either.
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
the reductions must have been very recently barry as a year ago the gap was widening.
a lot has been said about dave ending the coalition and running a minority government, but that would not mean any further inroad into the deficit as an election would be about 2 years away.
Guest 714- Registered: 14 Apr 2011
- Posts: 2,594
Howard you are confusing the debt with deficit, our debt is growing as we borrow more money.
The same people that moan about cuts also moan about the debt growing, its a nonsense tbh
Guest 655- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,247
I suspect David is right Howard, a common mistake confusing deficit for debt. The deficit is the excess of spending over income and is adding to the total debt figure.
One confusing thing is that there are several ways in which the deficit is expressed/measured.
Here are some figures (taken from the Guardian, a paper you are likely to approve of), in fact you will see that on all these measures the deficit has reduced.
Deficit including financial intervention: 2010 -£82,245million 2011 -£62,825million
Deficit excluding financial intervention: 2010 -£104,933million 2011 -£92,288million
Deficit as net borrowing including financial intervention: 2010 -£123,081million 2011 -£94,288million
Deficit as net borrowing excluding financial intervention: 2010 -£145,998million 2011 -£123,842million
Intervention being QE.
These are staggering figures with number that are impossible to fully comprehend.
Guest 714- Registered: 14 Apr 2011
- Posts: 2,594
Barry, you make a living from numbers and keenly follow current affairs. 90%+ of the electorate are oblivious to our financial predicament, it says everything about the current crop of party leaders who believe they have the answers when the reality there is no answer.
Guest 655- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,247
There are answers David, but it is tough medicine and no-one seems willing to administer the level of doses needed. There is simply no easy or painless way out of this and the sooner politicians acknowledge this and start making the public spending cuts needed the better and the sooner the economy can start recovering.
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
those figure in post 12 are breathtaking, makes 60 grand for a market manager look small beer.
Guest 714- Registered: 14 Apr 2011
- Posts: 2,594
Barry, thats my point, the current party leaders cant or wont clasp the nettle.
Howard, you've hit the nail on the head, the reality is that the money has run out.
Guest 640- Registered: 21 Apr 2007
- Posts: 7,819
But surely deficit and debt are one and the same thing, it just depends where you are in the accountants cycle. If the current government was to fall now in a crash or similar..the debt would be deficit would it not..on their particular books.
I'm never sure of the moral argument for bashing the Labour government over deficit. Almost every nation was caught out...from the mighty USA all the way down to little Ireland, and all points in between.
In everyday terms it is akin to 'everday Joe' going along managing his household expenses. He has a job and all is reasonable. So lets say he buys a car on his credit card ( not recommended just for supposition)..all is fine.. car running beautifully, job running beautifully, economics running well. Then his conglomerate head office in Los Angeles decides they dont need the wing in Dartford any more. Out goes everyday Joe.
The question is...was his debt responsible and fair, was he just caught out by unforeseen circumstances. As were all his peers.
As we know all governments borrow all the time, and right across governments the debt is nigh impossible to manage right now, because they have all been caught out, just as Labour were and everyone else was.
To keep bashing Labour about the deficit is pure party politics and is not based on fair assessment. No matter what government was in power. Red, Blue or something in between. They would all have been caught out in the same way.
Guest 714- Registered: 14 Apr 2011
- Posts: 2,594
Paul, thats all very hollow when Brown said he'd ended boom and bust
Keith Sansum1
- Location: london
- Registered: 25 Aug 2010
- Posts: 23,942
So paulb im with you bruv(even tho your a champagne socialist)
we can cut and cut and cut the public sector as barryw wishes and dump 4 million on the dole, and maybe even go some way to reduce debts,
but to have 4r million on the dole wont do much for morale, future finance, the benefits system which is already costing to much, and 4 million to add to it.
think a re think required
ALL POSTS ARE MY OWN PERSONAL VIEWS
Guest 714- Registered: 14 Apr 2011
- Posts: 2,594
And what is that rethink Keith?