Thursday
27th February: a varied and interesting day. Let’s focus on just one
day to give a flavour of life at Westminster.
I arrive
in the office a little before 8.30 turn to the Telegraph’s website to
see what’s making the local news. Then to the iPlayer to see what was featured
on the previous night’s Look North while flicking through the emails to see if
there is anything that needs immediate attention.
At 9.20 I
set off on the 5 minute walk through the labyrinthine corridors of the
parliamentary estate to get to the Commons Chamber in time for prayers. As Big
Ben chimes the Senior Doorman enters and in a booming voice says ‘Speaker’
which echoes around and the Speaker’s Procession appears. The Speaker appears
alongside the Serjeant-at-Arms who carries the Mace. Behind them the Speaker’s
Chaplain, the Reverend Rose Hudson-Wilkin. Rose is a wonderful lady from
Montego Bay and her life story is fascinating as many of you may have heard
recently on Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs. You have to be a particularly
resolute and determined character to come from a West Indian island to the
traditionally Establishment position of Speaker’s Chaplain and, as if that
wasn’t enough, Chaplain to H.M. the Queen; and Rose is also a parish priest in
Hackney.
The
first business each day is Question Time and today it’s the Energy &
Climate Change Department. I have question 13 just far enough up the list to be
reasonably sure of reaching it before time is called. Members often use examples
of issues brought to their attention by constituents and on this occasion I do
just that.
My
question is ‘What steps he is taking to ensure that energy suppliers check the
accuracy of meters?’ After the Minister’s reply I outline a long dispute with
the company concerned that eventually led to them agreeing that they had
overcharged by the staggering sum of £2548 and three months later still no
refund. I suspect that a cheque will very soon be in the post.
Then we
moved onto the weekly questions to the Leader of the House. My question is
simple and to the point: ‘My flood-hit constituents are mystified at why the
Government do not seem to be applying for EU funds that could assist them. May
we have a statement to clarify the situation?
‘
The reply
though is much more complicated and clearly more work needs to be done to
establish whether we are better off applying for relief funds or not and like
most things European it’s not as simple as you would expect.
Immediately
after that it’s a quick dash to the Royal Gallery in the Lords where Angela
Merkel the German Chancellor is due to address members. As always on these
occasions it’s a half-hour wait and a chance to look around and see who is
there. Diplomats, peers, a whole collection of ex-ministers; I can’t help
thinking about all the experience and knowledge about world affairs is gathered
together. I’m behind the Chancellor of the Exchequer who when taking his seat
and realising he was surrounded by Labour members joked that he was ‘clearly
amongst friends.’ Behind me former Foreign Secretaries, Jack Straw and Margaret
Beckett; on the front row David Cameron, Nick Clegg and Ed Miliband sit
side-by-side. Ed Balls exchanges a joke with William Hague. At midday the doors
swing open; Dr Merkel enters and takes her place on the podium.
Her speech
ranges across a range of world affairs but all attention is on whether she will
hint at support for David Cameron’s strategy of renegotiating our relationship
with the EU.
After the
grandeur of that occasion it was to the cafeteria for a bite to eat and back to
the office to finalise what I’m going to say in the afternoon debate about
Parliamentary Representation and how we go about broadening the range of MPs. I
have decided to focus on how we encourage more people with working class
backgrounds to consider a political career.
Then at 5
one last meeting before checking a few more emails and the dash to King’s Cross
for the 19.03 train. I’ll be home to watch Question
Time!
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