The association of former MPs suggested last year that parliament should evolve with MPs being engaged on a full-time basis and receiving adequate remuneration. Calls for MPs to receive reasonable remuneration, thus ensuring they can focus solely on their work without the unnecessary distractions of other duties, have been made in the past, including by NGOs.
This really contrasts with the fact that during the last legislature we saw a majority of MPs incurring fines for being absent from parliament without justification. On those occasions, when multiple sessions are held on the same day, such as when the budget is being discussed, MPs who attend only one sitting are marked absent from the others but do not incur a fine since they would have fulfilled the criteria to be present at least once on the day. So much for our representatives!
Opinion divides fiercely, though, over the question of whether representing a constituency should be a full-time job or a part-time sinecure. On the one hand are the free-market cavaliers: they argue that for men and women of their calibre the pay is feeble and that a ban on second jobs would discourage the best from entering parliament.
Besides, MPs who work outside the House do us all good. ‘Career politicians’, who know nothing of the world of business, are far less valuable than those with a ‘hinterland’, who know the cut and thrust of life on the sharp end of, say, a non-executive directorship in a local leading business company.
Parliamentary guidance has it that members may take work outside parliament. It would take a crabbed heart indeed not to be impressed by the story of one MP who, on an unprecedented occasion, missed a crucial vote in order to show up for his second job. There was someone who, rather than blathering about unemployment from a comfortable seat in the House, led by example!
So what is an MP expected to do? While there is no formal ‘job description’ that sets out what a backbench MP does, it is possible to identify aspects of work common to all backbenchers.
An MP is expected to be a spokesperson for local interests, an ombudsman and facilitator who deals with concerns about government matters, a lawmaker, an examiner of the work of the government and how it spends the money it raises from taxation, and a contributor to debates on national issues.
MPs have three roles: parliamentarian, constituency representative and party member- Mark Said
If an MP has been elected with the support of a political party (as most are), they are also expected to participate in party activities.
Most MPs can, thus, be viewed as having three roles: parliamentarian, constituency representative and party member. The different roles can place competing demands on an MP’s time. For example, they must leave their electorates to attend parliament. When parliament is not meeting, parliamentary committees on which they sit may be in session to discuss a plethora of issues of national interest.
MPs are expected to have a broad range of skills to enable them to make an effective contribution across the breadth of their work responsibilities. Individual MPs should have different sets of skills, developed through education and their work before entering parliament. These may influence where an MP chooses to make their main contribution. For example, research and analytical skills are important in committee work and in the examination and preparation of legislation.
Good communication skills are important in all aspects of an MP’s work but are particularly so in working with constituents, debating legislation and lobbying.
Negotiation skills, organisational skills and problem-solving skills are just a few of the other skills expected of MPs. As in any field of work, MPs should develop existing skills and acquire new ones, simply because of the wide variety of tasks they are required to undertake.
Being well informed and having up-to-date information is vital if an MP is to understand and debate the great range of legislation and other issues dealt with by the House and provide an effective representational link between the constituents and parliament.
Only a full-time MP can meet such expectations. Who could be luckier than to be paid fairly well, which, to be honest, MPs should, for pursuing their hobby? That is what politics is all about. Being a full-time MP can be a good job, the sort of job all working-class parents want for their children: clean, indoors and no heavy lifting. What could be nicer?