Political job hoggers…
THE Irish News explored the ever-present question of politicians’ double-jobbing yesterday. A spokesman for the Taxpayers’ Alliance said: “There is nothing wrong with having politicians who work hard for their electorate but we have got to ask whether someone can hold down being a councillor, an assembly member, an MP and a minister at the same time. Our public services need urgent attention and that attention needs to be undivided.” Should Northern Irish ministers only be devoting two days a week to the job? Rebecca Black looks at the DUP MPs’ record, but – while she’s not an MP – I wonder if any of this will deter Environment Minister Arlene Foster from standing for Fermanagh Council? She would win, but is it really an attractive prospect for either Foster or the electorate?
Arlene Foster is not an attractive prospect.
Arlene is also no longer Environment Minister.
If the Taxpayers Alliance are for it, I’m against it. Every one of their outputs is anti-politician and anti-politics. It’s a very right-wing libertarian front for Tory ultras – their ‘civilian contractors’ (the Tories have always done this – they had the ‘housewives league’ in the 1940s, blaming a Labour government for rationing when the Tories couldn’t be seen to do it themselves).
The Thatcherite right want it both ways. On the one hand, they say that there needs to be more politicians with ‘boardroom skills’ (i.e. pro-big business politicians). On the other hand, they will take any opportunity to attack politicians, because their crude version of Public Choice theory demands that they prefer the decisions of the market to those of politicians. So when they start demanding that politicians shouldn’t hold down second jobs in industry, then we can start taking this nonsense seriously.
Peat
Apologies, she’s the Economy Minister of course.
Doh!
Doesn’t change the substance of the post though.
Rebecca Black looks at the DUP MPs’ record, but – while she’s not an MP – I wond
is that the Rebecca Black from the UUP? that would explain the convenient omission of Syliva
“I wonder if any of this will deter (Economy) Minister Arlene Foster from standing for Fermanagh Council?”
Obviously not!
“She would win, but ..>”
Don’t be so sure