The Sunday Mirror  is standing in the icy water of voter disillusionment with Nulabour governance this morning, fiddling with its flies and trying to hook a Grayling. A knee jerk reaction of partisan politics at its worst; ‘they’ve got our ‘Second Home Secrecy’ Jacquie Smith, on the hook, we’ll have a go at theirs’.

Back in 2001, when he first became an MP, Chris Grayling  bought a studio flat in Westminster. I know the block well, I sold my own flat there to Keith Stainton MP many years ago, he bought for the same reason I imagine Grayling did – office accommodation for MPs in those days was dire and cramped, having a private office within sound of the division bell where you could also sleep after late night sittings, essential. Here’s a suggestion for both parties – buy the entire block and keep it as a hotel for MPs who need late night accommodation. 

Unable to conflate Graylings ‘second home’ with Jacquie Smith’s claim that staying with her sister two or three nights a week constituted her ‘main home’, they have resorted to whining about the possible capital gain to be made on a future sale of this property.

Blair swept to power on a ticket that appealed to many women, that of a ‘third way’, consensus politics. It has since fallen by the wayside. Women are not enamoured of the macho ‘my Dad’s bigger than your Dad’ style of traditional politics, with the contestants spraying testosterone up the door posts as they slug it out, supported by their partisan media.

Women are less concerned with the political process than with the outcome and delivery of policies. Deborah Mattinson, of the political research and consultation firm Opinion Leader Research, says. “It may sound old-fashioned,but I think that women especially are looking for politicians to be public servants.”

While men hurl abuse and scorn on the ‘opposition’, and then vote for the same party time after time, the women’s vote is much more likely to swing towards candidates that offer honesty, dedication and representative government.   

I don’t see such a candidate on the horizon, just endless mud slinging that alienates 50% of the voting population.

Wake up boys!

Gloria Smudd
February 22, 2009 at 23:43

Chatelaine – evening, m’dear. Card-sharp Maman well, I trust? The
whereabouts and well-being of Saul remain a mystery and I think Ms Raccoon’s
rogue ‘s’ must have been a typo. Unless of course the man with the large
chequebook whisked him overseas for a weekend of surprise surgery. Oooh. No.
Oooh. Yuk. Poor Saul.

Ch February 22, 2009 at 23:26

BTW do you know some flash.quantserve.com takes ages to load?

Ch February 22, 2009 at 23:25

Anna???
him? she?

Ch February 22, 2009 at 23:13

I missed that ..What happened to Saul

Anna Raccoon
February 22, 2009 at 23:15

A man with a big cheque book buying him drinks………poor Saul, she’ll be
right in the morning…….

Gloria Smudd
February 22, 2009 at 21:34

Ah. So maybe he really DID get plastered last night during his night on the
tiles. Perhaps the town is partially painted a bright crimson. Perhaps late
last night the colour spectrum passed before him in one long multi-coloured
yawn. And I thought it was just him having punning fun. Oh dear. Oh dear, oh
dear.

(Smudd sucks air sharply in through remaining teeth, shakes head, adjusts
tool belt and sticks stubby pencil behind hair-plugged ear and says: “Ever
fought about laminate floorin’ luv?”

Gloria Smudd
February 22, 2009 at 20:51

Come on, Montgomery, where are you? This thread is just bait for the
punster ….

Anna Raccoon
February 22, 2009 at 21:18

Montgomery is indisposed I fear Gloria…….and accounts of his suffering
not exaggerated!

Anna Raccoon
February 22, 2009 at 13:50

Personally I think that the women who enter politics have become just as
adept at the mud slinging style. This wasn’t a rant against ‘men’ per se, but
at the masculine style of politics. There is a difference – I’m no
feminist!

Blink February 22, 2009 at 13:39

Enough of this mudslinging at men already! Not going to say anymore!