Robert Courts' voting intentions

Tue 7 Feb 2017, 21:01 (last edited on Tue 7 Feb 2017, 21:25)

Memories of my history & politics degree are rather hazy - heck, it was the early '70s - but wasn't it Disraeli who on a close run thing said to another MP something like 'damn your principles, stick to your party'? So hardly a modern concept (to get things done) if these days kept to rather more rigidly than back then. Burke may have been a constitutional expert but I remember thinking of him as a bit a berk in other ways. Individuals can be wise, consider where the species is now leading us/US. When all said & done, at the end of the day, ultimately etc etc - an MP is answerable to his or her constituents. So we can watch how 'Tory Boy' votes and cast ours accordingly next time around.

As for Ken Clarke, it's possible to admire someone whose politics you don't share - a man with impeccable taste in music if not shoes at last breaks ranks! But more in the twilight than the dawn... suspect we'll miss him when he's gone.

Tue 7 Feb 2017, 18:44

To quote Winston Churchill

'The first duty of a member of Parliament is to do what he thinks in his faithful and disinterested judgement is right and necessary for the honour and safety of Great Britain. His second duty is to his constituents, of whom he is the representative but not the delegate. Burke's famous declaration on this subject is well known. It is only in the third place that his duty to party organization or programme takes rank. All these three loyalties should be observed, but there in no doubt of the order in which they stand under any healthy manifestation of democracy.'

Unfortunately number three is prevalent these days

Mon 6 Feb 2017, 12:53

Based on what I have seen of "Tory Boy" so far, I would not imagine that - as a junior MP - he will jeopardise his potential career within the party by voting in any way other than along party lines.
He, of course, is not the only one to blame, in this hideous excuse for democracy that we have had in the Mother of all Parliaments for far too many years now. Apart from occasional "renegades" (!) like Clarke (and I never thought that *I* would be writing this either!), pretty well the whole of Parliament is made up of forelock-tugging slaves to "the party" (insert name of party).
I've just re-read that last clause, and it could easily have been said about the old Soviet Union. Ho hum.

Fri 3 Feb 2017, 22:23

37% of the UK electorate voted to leave the EU. A recent YouGov poll identified that, of that 37%, 74% wanted to control the borders even if that means not having a free trade relationship with the EU (or a 'hard' Brexit). That means that 27% of the UK electorate want a 'hard' Brexit and 60% don't. 13% don't know.
As suggested, I wrote to Robert Courts asking him to support open access to EU markets with free movement of labour, no matter the cost on the grounds that 1. As an MP he has to support the interests of the country and those interests include trading with the world's largest trading union, and 2. To prevent the free movement of people when the free movement of capital results in capital flows overseas to areas of greatest competitive advantage, results in unemployment and poverty for those in the UK who are unable to move to follow the capital, the jobs and the opportunities.
Remember the early '70's - unemployment, rampant inflation, IMF debt, lack of investment, poverty, homelessness. Remember "Auf Wiedersehen Pet" - the British migrant construction workers seeking work in Germany. I left school in '73 and went straight to France to work because there weren't any jobs in the UK. For this generation of young adults I asked our MP to support open access to EU markets and free movement of labour. I got a long reply explaining why it was his duty to support the views of 37% of the UK electorate.
So I have written again asking him to support the 60% who do not want a 'hard' Brexit and will likely settle for open market access and free movement of labour even if we no longer get all the financial benefits that we got as full members.
I'll be in London on 25th March.

Thu 2 Feb 2017, 21:08

Oh dear, so Robert Courts hasn't represented the wishes of the majority of his constituents. How weird. Makes Kenneth Clarke - the ONLY Tory who voted against A50 - look like something of a hero. Never imagined I'd write that.

Thu 2 Feb 2017, 12:15

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-38835101

Tue 31 Jan 2017, 23:26

One way to express your concerns is to attend the forthcoming antiBeexit march in London on Saturday 25 March 11am London, see grease pit.

Thu 26 Jan 2017, 10:54

It would ALSO be interesting to know what the outcome of the referendum would have been if the Leave campaign had not lied e.g. about the money that would be available to the NHS which, it now transpires, is not really available.

Tue 24 Jan 2017, 20:59

Indeed they are not delegates, John, but how many times have you heard newly elected MPs saying that they are there to represent all of their constituents, not just the ones who voted for them? Please don't suggest to me that these are mere weasel words .....

Tue 24 Jan 2017, 16:58

It would be interesting to know what the outcome of the referendum would have been had it been counted on a constituency basis, although it would probably have put us in the same dilemma as the US with the electoral college. Like it or not though, MP's are not delegates that are obliged to vote according to their constituents wishes.

Tue 24 Jan 2017, 14:31

It seems quite a big assumption to me to assume that all those who voted Remain would also be in favour of disregarding the democratic view of the country in order to promote the Remain position.

Tue 24 Jan 2017, 11:52

Results of the EU referendum:
West Oxfordshire 46.3% leave, 53.7% remain (7.4 point difference)
National result 51.9% leave, 48.1% remain (3.8 point difference)
So, if the National leave vote can be considered to be a significant majority, the remain vote in West Oxfordshire is clearly a more significant majority. By more than double!

Tue 24 Jan 2017, 11:28

Significant majority?

Tue 24 Jan 2017, 11:12

Given the Supreme Court's ruling that parliament must be consulted over any activating of Article 50, maybe it's time to remind our new MP that - whatever his own stated views may be - the significant majority within this constituency voted Remain, and therefore he will be expected to reflect that view when the time comes that parliament votes on it.