Archive - Originally posted on "The Horse's Mouth" - 2011-05-30 21:48:18 - Graham Ellis
When Duncan Hames was standing for election, I was very impressed. And of course that meant that I had very high expectations of him once he was elected to represent up - perhaps unfairly high expectations. However, I'm delighted to report that he's livingup to what I hoped for, and more.
Today - Bank Holiday Monday - Duncan addressed the Melksham 55+ Seniors group at the Assembly Hall. On the left you see him listening to a question, and on the right he's answering it. Good - a politician who hears. Even with the unfairly high expectations, I've been impressed. Not just at how much we've seen and heard of Duncan, but also at how well informed he's been on a wide variety of topics, and how coherent his questions and answers have been. And so it was today, as he spoke a little of the workings of Westminster for a new MP, and then took questions on
• Reform of the Lords
• Bad behaviour in the Commons
• The LibDem results in the local elections
• Interaction with Wiltshire Council
• Getting younger people to vote more
to all of which his answers were impressive.
Also impressed at the size of the gathering - on a Bank Holiday Monday - to meet Duncan. It's the first of these meetings I've been able to attend at all, as they usually run during the week, and in the middle of the day when the majority of 55+ to 65- people are at work. And even today I had to sneak out at about ten to 12; other busineeses may not be working the Bank Holiday, but (like Duncan) we certainly were. I walked past a cafe on the Market Square, doors locked, chairs on tables, back to Well House Manor where we were open for Coffees, teas and snacks ... and nicely busy too.
P.S. - I enjoyed learning about some of the levers in Westminster, and the setting up of offices for a brand new constituency. I wonder how anyone can cope with 3000 incoming messages in 5 days while trying to set an office up, and I now know that a higher propotion of MPs from the last parliament than members of the public as a whole are in jail. Hmmm - I think we'll put down that last one as a statistical quirk which we can't - or shouldn't - be able to extrapollate to this parliament.
When Duncan Hames was standing for election, I was very impressed. And of course that meant that I had very high expectations of him once he was elected to represent up - perhaps unfairly high expectations. However, I'm delighted to report that he's livingup to what I hoped for, and more.