Green MP Caroline Lucas calls for parliamentary candidates to be able to stand in pairs on a jobshare basis

Comments

[Chuck Unsworth]

Sheer Green discrimination. What's wrong with Triples or Quadruples or any other multiple groupings being MPs for, say, Brighton?

Was this proposal in her manifesto - or is she emulating Harman by making it up as she goes along?

[AndyJay]

Maybe she is saying she is not upto the job of being an MP. It's interesting that she quit the MEP job and it went to a Keith Taylor. Surely when that Yorkshire Conservative MEP defected he should have resigned his seat and someone from the Conservatives could have filled his seat. Mind you given the Coalition Government he looks a bit of a tool for defecting anyway.

[C H Ingoldby]

Why is it that Greens are so consistently such a bunch of pointless lightweights?

[Victor Southern]

If she can't stand the heat she should get out of the kitchen.

[hector]

I disagree with her on this, but disagree she is a lightweight. When interviewed I think she comes across quite impressive. I can see the greens taking disenchanted lib dem votes at the next election.

[George Kaplan]

This is an impression of Caroline Lucas' latest, society wrecking, expensive and idiotic idea:

(Part time - MP):

'I'm sorry Mrs Constituent, I can't help you, you see, it's Friday, and I do Monday to Wednesday and every other Thursday'.

'I voted against this bill, but my part time colleague voted for it. So we can safely say we truly represent everyone in this constituency'

'My colleague has decided to resign triggering a by-election. If some other party wins then it's gonna be one interesting job share'.

My MP works hard, full time and is a great representative for his constituents (yes he's a Tory). I will never vote for a job share candidate. Policies like this need coverage so all those idealistic green voters can see what a bunch of nutters the party actually is

[robert]

Conservatives should not dismiss this out of hand but query why Ms Lucas has chosen this as a priority.
What is her contribution to the real issues - the economy, terrorism, immigration, the war in Afghanistan, growth and job creation, the broken society, the NHS not up to EU standards, etc?
What has she ever done for this country?
Caroline Lucas is in the wrong job.

[Herbie]

This sounds like incontrovertable evidence that the Greens are totally "loopy". I agree with the others. If she is not up to being an MP as a full time job, then she should resign.

[Patsy Sergeant]

robert, the reason that Ms. Lucas has chosen this idea as a priority, is because she is desperate to find some way 'in'. I really don't think it would matter too much to her if she was the only Green representative, as long as SHE manages to find herself in the HoC's. After all she can talk-the-hind-leg-off-a-donkey!

[Holly]

Caroline Lucas eh?
The future looks dim with low energy/green candidates like her....very similar to the duff light bulbs.
Both tolerated by the public because nothing brighter has been offered at present.
If and when it is, both the light bulb AND the Green
party may do better.

[Tony]

Yeah, this would be a real winner with the public wouldn't it?

Twice as many politicians......Yippeeee

[john parkes]

The emphasis now is to people the House of Commons with professional politicians. These days they are actively discouraged, inside and outside Parliament from holding other non-political appointments, particularly if they are paid to do so. "Conflicts of interest" is the cry.
If they cannot manage to carry out this task without job-sharing being introduced, then they should be removed and replaced by an alternative who can; and I do not doubt there will be plenty of applicants. As it is, I suspect back-bench MPs are not over-done for work and could, if they wished, undertake other jobs without severely prejudicing their Parliamentary or constituency duties. In fact I believe they should be encouraged to do so, as long as what they do is correctly registered with the Parliamentary authorities. In that way we would suffer less from MPs who are too narrowly focused and thus bring no added value to their political career.
Ms Lucas has perhaps insufficient experience yet to be able to judge properly the weight of the burden of an MPs employment. However if after more time has elapsed and she continues to feel out of her depth, there is an alternative available in the Stewardship of the Chiltern Hundreds.

[Ultimo Tiger]

And to think, her lot are helping prop up Labour in Australia *Shudder*.

[Duerino]

That's just silly. Either the two candidates agree all the time, in which case it's pointless. Otherwise the MPs adopt inconsistent positions, in which case constituents get totally different outcomes depending which week they lobbied their MP on.