Kelly report highlights double jobbing..
Here’s the a relevant passage (see also Pete on SF’s complications arising):
One aspect of paid employment outside the House is that, partly for reasons of recent history, 16 out of 18 Northern Ireland Westminster MPs are also members of the Northern Ireland Assembly. Five of them currently hold ministerial positions there. The only other example of dual mandates is that the First Minister of the Scottish Parliament is also an MP. He has indicated that he will not be standing at the next Westminster election. We recommend that ‘double jobbing’, as it is known in Northern Ireland, should be brought to an end, ideally by the next elections to the Assembly in 2011. We recognise that this will be a demanding timetable but the issue is an important one.
Slugger reader asks Peter Robinson: ‘well which are you going to stand down from?’
Kelly Committee also says on double-jobbing: “There is transparency – the issue has been widely aired in the Northern Ireland media. But the Committee questions whether it is
possible to sit in two national legislatures simultaneously and do justice to both roles, particularly if the MP concerned holds a ministerial position in one of them.”
That’s pretty pointed
Its a pity that our politicians can’t do one job correctly.
What have politicians been doing to earn their actual wages when you consider the state of both countries.
How much time did the politicians devote to “arranging” their expenses
And how much time did they devote to deciding to send other peoples children to “illegal” war
The corruption is so brazen that we “cannot see the wood for the trees”
Actually it makes no sense for party leaders not to double job – how else are they to be across all their responsibilities and issues?
If, say, Margaret Ritchie is to lead the SDLP from Stormont, she will restrict her own access to Downing Street and her prospects of being a familiar face to important contacts at Westminster.
Same for Robbo; he would have to send an MP as messenger on his behalf.
Similarly, Durkan and Adams seem to be learning that you can’t lead a party at the assembly without also sitting in the Executive.
Enough moralising about jobs and money; the job of a party leader is to sit in the Executive and in Westminster.
And if they aren’t up to it ….
Aren’t there some triple jobbers too?
Why would Margaret Ritchie need access to Downing St? Her party is provided for in Stormont.
Remember the SDLP only got 0.5% of the vote at the last General Election.
The days of Presidental visits, talks about talks, summits and Downing St is over.
Margaret’s job is to administer housing and welfare in NI that’s all
I think a major problem is that there just isn’t the talent to go round.
FFS, the DUP apparently couldn’t find someone who was qualified to be a councillor and had to resort to running an Executive Minister for the post?
The Assembly needs to be reduced by 50% by the end of the next Assembly at the latest. Before, if the DUP want to renegotiate some things.
The end of double jobbing is not the only problem facing our parties.
Recommendation 39 kills stone dead Sinn Fein’s tens of thousands for ‘rent’ at Westminster -
“Any MP whose presence in London on business related to their parliamentary role is infrequent should be expected to stay in hotels rather than claim the cost of permanent accommodation in London.”
To prohibit double jobbing is not fair to the electorate who may want an representative in both parliaments or as stated above is not fair to a party leader.
It is best dealt with by stopping salary and all expenses at Stormont if someone is also elected to Westminster.
Recommendation 40
The practice of permitting a Westminster MP simultaneously to sit in a devolved legislature should be brought to an end, ideally by the time of the elections to the three devolved legislatures scheduled for May 2011.
I real irony is that our MLA/MP/Cllr/Ald haven’t had to good grace to sort this out themselves.
THey have had to be pushed – and not half hard enough.
The report should have said “double jobbing is inappropriate and will come to an end next wednesday just after Prime Minister’s question, go sort you greedy b******s
I note Peter and Iris in the House of Commons together today for Harmans statement on the Kelly report. Long after all their colleagues had cleared off, there they were listening attentively to the Q&A session. I guess some topics under discussion are just too important to miss.
(I didnt see Lady Hermon in the chamber for NI questions either. Surely she didnt miss that yet again)