What do we really need to know about our MPs? Their stated policies prior to an election are pretty worthless. Their promises even more so. So we need to know who and what they are. Factual stuff that reveals a little bit more about what their motives might be. Could be misleading but far less so than any trolled out party line that the escape clause has already been written for.
So I have created a form, below, that any existing or prospective MP can complete. It's very simple and doesn't include any long words. There are no opportunities to state your policies, so there is no chance for any errors being made in that respect.
The questions
Are you under 40 years of age?
Simple really, with age comes experience and hopefully some wisdom. We need people with experience running this country, a bonus would be to have a little wisdom too.
At what age did you enter politics?
Do you want a career politician who has never seen a working life outside politics? Maybe you do see it as a profession that can be learnt like accountancy.
What sort of school did you attend?
I went to a private school so I might consider that all people that went to private school are well rounded individuals with an excellent education. That might be exactly what you're after, or what you think you'll get. It should be considered that if one did go to a private school it does mean your family had money. With money comes, generally, connections. As we all a aware of the saying 'it's who you know...'. So did that candidate get where they were on merit? Don't forget, you don't have to be clever to get into a private school.
I recently added grammer school after some thought as you do need to be reasonably bright to get into a publicly funded Grammer school.
How long have you lived in your constituency?
I think this is important. An MP is supposed to represent the local people. To do that he needs to have personal experience of the local issues so that he can really take them to Westminster with passion. It could be that you would prefer a top notch politician shipped in because of no decent candidates locally.
Have you ever drawn Unemployment benefit?
My opinion is that someone who has been to the bottom and climbed back up must have something special to offer. In my book this counts for quite a few points. It could be that you think otherwise.
Note, I haven't asked about any policies or opinions though I have asked about thier polical allegiance which gives them some leeway I suppose. It's limited to 40 characters so not too much opportunity to get carried away
I hope the results would allow anyone to decide whether a candidate was for them. It may be that you wanted your MP to have a top level education from a private school. Maybe you'd like them to have had a life outside the Westminster Village. It could even be that you would like someone local. I like to follow the K.I.S.S philosphy so that is exactly what it is, simple. Even an exisiting MP should be able to manage it.
Good luck
