“Tony,

If all candidates were independents, then I suspect that Pelling would stand. As it is, we have a party system, so he'd have to pitch himself against two (or three if your count the LibDems, which I don't) party machines. These are well funded finely tuned campaign machines.

Electorally, I suspect that AP would be identified with the Tory Party, presumably splitting the right-of-centre vote. As we have a neanderthal voting system, this would allow another party (presumably Labour) to win on a small minority vote of about 40% of votes cast. If the turn out is about 50% (as it will be this time round), that means that Croydon Central will be represented by an MP with 20% support. As Homer (Simpson) said, "When will people learn? Democracy doesn't work."

If Pelling did stand and did so as an independent, I might even vote for him. I'm probably not alone in that. Whether he'd get in is, as I say above, quite another matter.”

“Andrew, whilst I welcome your reply I would question whether, considering you claim to be at Parliament seven days a week, often pass midnight and manage to claim £1000 per hour for outside consultancy, you are able to offer a full service to your constituents. I know if I worked the hours you claim to do my health would probably suffer as tiredness would undoubtedly set in. Your constant claim regarding career politicians only ever having been employed in the party machine, is clearly yet another veiled personal slight. Is it not time you were the 'honest' politician you purport to be and be honest with the electorate. Will you stand as an independant in the forthcoming General Election. Yes or No will suffice.”

“Thank you Alan of Forestdale. I do not claim a second home allowance and I am 625th out of 645 MPs at the bottom of the league table of MPs expenses.”

“I did not use the word 'earn' Michael.”

“Contrary Mike to your commentary my client relationship work at Tokai Tokyo Securities Europe Limited (TTSE) is entirely separate from Parliament and Croydon Council. It's nice to have 90 minutes a week doing something entirely different. There is no influence peddling in British politics as you imply as the activity at TTSE that provides for borrowing by international supras and foreign agencies to take up the savings Japanese retail investors is entirely unrelated to Parliament and Croydon Council. It does allow me to look at a Bloomberg machine - being old fashioned here we don't have Bloomberg terminals. It keeps me up to date on economic developments and this knowledge helped me argue against the steep cuts in public spending that the Tories proposed and have mercifully (probably) dropped. It's a good thing that David Cameron, in this case listened and had the strength of mind to change his stance.

What worries people about Councillors is that they receive a full time wage at the Council but they have other jobs as well that consume 100 % of their time 9 to 5 elsewhere 5 days a week. We don't know this for sure of course as the Councillors' outside work hours are not published unlike the transparent publication of outside hours and outside income here in Parliament.

May be £ 6 million is too much for part-time Councillors.

I do work seven days a week here in Parliament and will be here late tonight.

The sad thing here in Parliament is that very many MPs have only ever worked as a researcher or election campaign organiser for the political party they represent in Parliament and dare not disagree with that Party as they have been the only employer they have ever known since school. No wonder this place is so weak at holding government to account.

Also not published are the amounts of your public money that are paid to Councillors that are imposted from them for transfer to political parties' coffers. Is it right to take your money to give to the party political machines ?”

“John,

Client relationship work is talking to organisations like The World Bank and The Inter-American Development Bank.

I enjoy the 90 minute break every week as I do work here seven days a week as I send this missive at 23.59 on a Sunday evening from here in Parliament. Actually Big Ben is just chiming ........ striking ....”

“Alan - I would like to correct the information that you have that is in error.

I very much did raise the issue of Councillors' allowances when I was a Councillor.

I opposed the much higher allowances than provided for elsewhere in local government by the the then Labour controlled Croydon Council in 2000.

I can remember a Council official nodding enthusiastically when I proposed that Councillors should sign a contract in return for this step change in allowances. The contract would have provided for agreed standards of service to constituents including speed of replies to correspondence (sadly I do pick up correspondence from constituents who find that some Councillors just never get round to replying), levels of attendance at committee meetings and hours put into the contract.

I did try to get the Conservatives to cut salaries by 10 % but too many Conservative Councillors disagreed with that proposal when I was Deputy Leader of the Opposition Conservatives so the proposal was lost.”

“Sadly Tony your comments are in error. I did raise the issue of allowances when I was a Councillor. I criticised the big Councillors' allowances introduced by the Labour Party in Croydon and proposed that a contract be put in place for Councillors to sign promising a certain quality of service, response times to letters, attendance at meetings and a minimum number of hours put in. I also, as Deputy Leader of the Conservatives on Croydon Council proposed a reduction in Councillors' salaries but the issue proved too divisive as many Conservative Councllors opposed my proposal of a 10% cut in Councillors' salaries.”

“As an MP, Andrew Pelling is one of the few who have not taken advantage of the expenses fiddles. His claims are among the lowest in the country. No second home, travelling to and from parliment on public transport from his Croydon home.

If somebody is prepared to pay him a grand an hour for work in his spare time, then good luck to him. Who would turn it down?

I suspect that John's (previous post) politics are those of envy. Perhaps the same as his namesake, former deputy prime minister, class warrior, two jags, ... getting warmer?

Incidently, I am also unemployed, John. See you down at the jobcentre sometime.”

“"client relationship work" ???

What on earth does that mean? It sounds like a fancy name for what people who sell themselves for money do. Oh, hang on... I take it all back; it's probably exactly the kind of work experience that an M.P. would find extremely useful.

I've always known that almost all M.P.s put their party above their electorate, and their frantic need to be re-elected above any desire to properly represent their constituents, but now it seems that all of that comes a long way down a list which begins with:
1. Me
2. Me
3. Me”