A Member of Parliament (MP) is elected by a particular area or constituency in Britain to represent them in the House of Commons. MPs divide their time between their constituency and the Houses of Parliament in London. Once elected it is an MP's job to represent all the people in his or her constituency. An MP can ask Government Ministers questions, speak about issues in the House of Commons and consider and propose new laws. Source http://www.theyworkforyou.com/glossary/?gl=36
St Albans constituency is part of a 4 tier political system
House of Lords
House of Commons (where MP's sit and vote and work)
Herts County Council
St Albans District Council
This means that it can be confusing to find out and understand who is responsible for services.
Potholes for example are dealt with by Herts County Council
Environmental services are dealt with by St Albans District Council
Tax raising is controlled by House of Commons
The House of Lords makes laws, holds the Government to account, investigates policy issues and provides a forum of independent expertise.
The MP expenses scandal of last year, reducing voter turnout (61% in 2005 general election source http://www.ukpolitical.info/Turnout45.htm) and a move to a more presidential style of Govt where power and control remains at the top centrally has left the UK in a mess.
Despite more than 1,000,000 people marching against the war in Iraq we went to war. Why? Not only has this cost the UK well in excess of £4.5billion (Iraq and Afganistan combined as at February 2009 source http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/defence/4606263/Cost-of-war-in-Iraq-and-Afghanistan-rises-to-4.5bn.html)
There was and still seems to be no planned exit
Our troops have been poorly equipped
Very flimsy intelligence data used to justify actions
The MoD were reported by the BBC summer of 2009 to be running at over £250 billion over budget. How is this possible?Talks of public service cuts don't mention the MoD ever - why?
The banking crisis was caused by light touch regulation despite there being enough powers to control what the banks were doing. Gordon Brown when he was Chancellor of the Exchequer actually praised the City of London for the foreign earnings they brought to the UK a year before Northern Rock happened.
Huge tax rises over the last 13 years – where has this money gone? Are services really any better?
An impending energy crisis. We now import more than 50% of our gas supply and actually have to sell North sea gas in the summer at low prices because we don't have sufficient storage – no wonder our energy costs have risen so steeply.
We import electricity too!
Many of our Nuclear power stations are about to be decommissioned with no replacement considered.
We could go on........
Now you may think that we are anti Labour. Not true we are writing from a non partisan perspective. Merely raising a few simple substantial issues about the needs of our country and the current political parties record and raising issues about how we are governed and how decisions are made.
Central Govt I know have to make difficult choices but how well are we being managed?
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