Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Information about Linda Jack 4 PCC

This morning a voter in Bedfordshire has kindly informed me that the BBC has been directing those wanting to learn about their PCC candidates to this page. This is my personal blog and has nothing to do with my candidacy for PCC - apologies to anyone who has ended up here in error. I have informed the BBC of the mistake, in the mean time you can visit my PPC website here.


Tuesday, November 06, 2012

I'm a Celebrity - So my Constituents can go Hang for a few Weeks....

The news that my infamous MP had hotfooted it to the jungle hit me between the bleary eyes at some point during the Today programme this morning. A few minutes later I had ITV Daybreak on the phone, asking if I could come on the programme to talk about it tomorrow - swiftly followed by the BBC and Sky. Unfortunately I had to tell them I am currently the PCC candidate for Bedfordshire, which meant they all dropped me like a hot potato. 

So, I am forced to resort to my blog. Of course the last time I resorted to my blog to take on Ms Dorries she contacted a dear friend and told him she was going to sue me. I confess my response was, bring it on. The fact is that she apparently lives under the misapprehension that she is "Teflon Woman" that nothing she says or does will have any consequence. She got away with lying to her constituents (admitting she pretended she was in the constituency when she was apparently in her "First Home" in the Cotswolds), and allegedly fiddling her expenses (apparently despite a police investigation the CPS didn't want to prosecute - Denis McShane come to mind?) oh and of course, Derek Conway may have paid the ultimate price for employing his children while they were students, but apparently that is OK for Ms Dorries.  

But maybe this latest escapade will turn out to be that step too far. She has upset her constituency party once again (I understand they weren't best pleased when she spoke about "killing" Cameron) and at last has forced the hand of the parliamentary party who have now withdrawn the whip. 

So, what would happen to you or me if we just decided, on a whim, to up and leave work for a week and let's say....swan off to Australia? Well, when I was in the army that would certainly have been considered going AWOL (Absent Without Leave) or desertion (once a capital offence). As an employee I would certainly have been on a disciplinary, and more than likely dismissed. But of course, when you are employed by 70,000 odd constituents.....it's not quite so easy to get dismissed - and even if you upset them all, you generally get a breathing space until the next election. 

Ms Dorries claims that she is doing this because she can reach millions of people with her message about 20 weeks.........I don't want to rain on your parade Nadine, but I suspect it was more to do with the alleged £40,000 fee? But, you could prove me wrong and donate it to a local charity. Maybe a foodbank? They are after all the fastest growing charity sector at the moment. And maybe I'm a bit old fashioned, but I thought the job of the MP was to reach out to their constituents - not half the known universe?

However, as a pal pointed out earlier this evening, you could see it as that she is only following in the footsteps of our erstwhile transported ancestors, but in this case, self sentencing herself!

I'm not usually too keen on 'I'm a Celebrity' but if the threatened Lib Dem phone bank comes off......we may be in for a treat in the Bushtucker Trials :-)