Paul Flynn - Read My Day

Diana, Frank Cook and me

Bad-mouthing
Princess Diana's role in my parliamentary life was 13 years ago - beyond the reach of Google's tentacles to delve.

Not that I ever meet her. I kept to my advice of telling MPs how to avoid royalty. But surprisingly she found a debate I had in the Common on the subject of the plight of young people leaving care.   Shocking reports revealed the depth of misery of those who left full time care for full-time neglect at the age of 16.

Vulnerable damaged young people, scarcely more than children, were dumped into lodgings with little support. They were ill-equipped for independent living. Predictably many ended up in lives of crime, exploitation and  poverty.

The debate was well attended and there was a supportive meeting organised by Barnardo's and other childrens' charities. There was not a ripple of interest from press or Government until a letter from Princess Diana arrived on my desk a month later. She said she had read the debate, was sympathetic to the cause and was especially impressed by some comments by my fellow MP Frank Cook. This gave the campaign a great fillip. The subject was then well aired in the media.

Sadly the news was soured by criticism that Diana was interfering in politics by supporting a campaign led by Labour MPs. Her help was welcome and valuable but the pro-Charles papers were more interested in bad mouthing Diana than in highlighting  a scandal that was wreaking the lives of thousands of young people.

To her credit, she tried.

Swim fest

Twenty five year ago, pundits said that there was only one future popular sport - squash rackets. That's why Newport invested heavily in new squash courts as the core of a new sports village at Spytty Park.

The buildings remain  but they are no longer used for the now unpopular squash. But today, Newport's splendid new swimming pool was throbbing with life.

Teams for many parts of the city competed in races and water polo. The pool has the unusual but very useful facility of altering its depth for different activities. Free swimming for the pensioners and keep fit campaigns have guaranteed the pool is very busy.

The neighbouring Velodrome was also fully occupied today It had a boost when Manchester's shut down for a couple of mouths. Cycling clubs from many English cities transferred their allegiances here permanently.

The Newport Sports Village is a brilliant success and a credit to the Newport City Council.

Memo to the Argus.

When you publish an analysis on election funding, give the job to a reporter who can count.

Today's hilarious junk maths Argus findings are that Labour spent an average of £7,216 in the Assembly elections in the seven Gwent constituencies. As the party spent over £7,000 in only one of the seats, there's something amiss here.

Even a casual calculation proves gross innumeracy. The true average spend for Labour was £5,358. That's nearly £2,000 adrift. Also the total Gwent spend calculated on the Argus abacus is £6,000 wrong. As the whole spin of the story is high Labour spending, the piece is a wild exaggeration.

Does anyone ever check this garbage? Do sub-editors still exist? An equally absurd story about an alleged increased rat infestation since the introduction of twice weekly bin collection was printed without the intervention of any intelligent judgement. The figures proved the opposite to the story's headline.

But that's the criteria. 'Rat plague threat' sells papers. "Rat complaints reduction" does not.

More advice to the Argus. Send the staff on a course on 'Statistics for beginners.'

Junk Science Killer.

Moronocracy

Disrespect for science is a killer.

The popular media are obsessed with unscientific mumbo jumbo that gives a false credibility to any batty ideas that challenges established scientific truth. A society that giving equal respect to evolution and creationism, the Da Vinci Code with objective history and astrology with astronomy is shaping up to become a Moronocracy.

Andrew Wakefield flawed investigation of 12 children claim a link between  the MMR  jab and autism. Reputable investigations on 12 million children found no link. Yet a few scaremongering popular tabloids presented the conclusions as ones of equal merit.

A doubt was sown in the minds of all parents. It was a wholly unnecessary anxiety to add the inevitable trials of parenthood of young children Many opted for what they saw as the lesser risk and avoided the MMR jab. One fatality has occurred  with the death from measles of a boy who did not have the jab.

A Gwent MP supported Wakefield with parliamentary questions and speeches. Immunisation rates dropped in his constituency faster than elsewhere in Gwent.
The UK immunisation rates, eight years after the first scare over the MMR vaccine, are among the lowest in Western Europe. They were 90 per cent in 1998. They fell to  below  80 per cent two years ago. Currently, 81 per cent of children have the combined vaccine while many European countries achieve the 95 per cent coverage recommended by the World Health Organisation to prevent outbreaks.

Already this year there have ben 480 cases of measles. they include three in one Newport school . Last years was the highest number for ten years. at the present rate this years will exceed that.

I am old enough to remain measles as a child killer. My  own childhood experience of was one  damaged eyesight and being confined to a darkened room lit by a shaded candle. The memory is an indelible one because the book that was shading the candle caught fire with unforgettable results.

There were no serious long term consequences for me, but other children died or were left were brain damage and impaired sight. The WHO  figures show the number of deaths caused by measles world wide fell from 873,000 in 1999 to around 530,000 in 2003. That is entirely the result of the vaccine.

Progress in continuing the developing world while we are moving back towards a dark age of superstition and ignorance. The moronic tabloids are to blame.

Mortal mercy
It's certain that substantial ransoms were paid to the Taliban for the release of the Korean hostages.  There is a heartbreaking choice for the relatives who have loved one in the hands of callous murderers.

The individual choice is the inevitable one of paying the ransom. But it is always wrong for the common good. The taliban have hit on a profitable new earner. No foreigner is safe in the large tracts of Afghanistan under taliban control.

The 'humane' ransom payments will lead to more kidnappings and deaths.

Tree words
A wonderfully tender, mind churning, witty and beautiful series of mini-masterpieces has been published under the title, 'The Heart of Pillgwenlly.'

These short poems  grew from the words and ideas generated by sculptor Alec Peever, poet Philip Goss and children from St Michael's and Pillgwenlly schools

Within each poem is hidden a word which implies a question or theme that speaks to the heart of the place, its history, its people and their lives.

Seven of the poems will be permanently engraved into steel banners to embellish the trees in Pill Park.

I HAVE BEEN HERE BEFORE, GROWN,
        BEEN CUT DOWN, PULPED AND PRESSED.
                    WHEN YOUR PEN WRITES, I REMEMBER.

FOR EVERY FEELING, THERE'S MORE.
        VERILY I SAY THIS UNTO YOU; TURN UP
                THE CONTRAST ON YOUR LIFE. BE VERY.

ZENITH, HORIZON: IN THE CHARTERED SKY
        HOW MANY WANDERINGS, OUR AND STARS',
                ARE PINNED IN PLACE BY WORDS IN ARABIC

UN-HAPPY  UN-ABLE UN-KIND UN-COOL...
        NOT A WORD BUT A DULL PUNCH, A GRUNT:
                UN-... DROP IT, AND A NEW LIFE HAS BEGUN

Deep pockets : short hands

Elected meanies

"I've kept the letter, I could show it to you if you like.' a well know Newport personality told me yesterday. He probably noticed my genuine incredulity about his example of the legendary meanness of a previous Newport MP. Having collected anecdotes about the bizarre conduct of my fellow legislators for some years, this one deserves a special place.

The MP had invited his constituent to lunch at the House of Commons Strangers' Restaurant. A few weeks later the MP sent out a copy of the bill to the constituent's home explaining that he had already paid it and looking forward to the constituent's  cheque  in the near future. The bill was for the meals of both the visitor and the MP.

There are many stories about tightwad MPs. A local hairdresser tells a tale about another past Newport MP. He stayed in a hotel near the railway station on his rare visits to the constituency. He always left a shilling on the pillow as a tip for the chambermaid.

After some years of this, the hotel housekeeper explained, " We appreciate that you remember the chambermaid sir, but there is a difficulty because  there are two of them, not one."

The MP was grateful for the information and changed his ways. After his next visit and forever afterwards, he left two sixpences.

If there are similar stories about the present Newport MPs, I want to hear them before they achieve legendary status. They would , of course, be utterly untrue.

Positively Pillgwenlly

Pili Pala films showed two great mini-films yesterday celebrating the virtues of the Pillgwenlly area of Newport.

Dominating the singing and chat was a group of young Pill women. They spoke eloquently about the rich international flavour of life in Newport's most ethnically mixed area.

Edward Watts who runs the Pill Millennium Centre presented well-deserved awards to the film makers. I was told that the young women insisted on accentuating the positives throughout.

Pill-born, Pill bred. Pill proud.

Thanks. Great work!

Let there be light..

-but not too much of it.

Newport's reputation for campaigning against the  the modern menace of light pollution is at risk. They won a well-deserved award from the British astronomical Society for  restricting poorly focused  lights that make the stars invisible.

They acted promptly when I took up the case of the unwanted light show from the Celtic Manor Golf range a few years ago. Now a constituent has sent me this picture which appears to show stray beams of lights aiming heavenward on the new footbridge.

The city is proud that the stars are still on view from here. Clean air and vantage points from Allt-yr-yn and Christchurch still remains relatively unpolluted in a northerly direction. Southwards, it's a similar story to all other cities.

I am sure the council will respond positively. We want our star scape back.

Disorder for all
A correspondent about 'Pharmageddon reminds of an hilarious  item on youtube.

It begins this way:-

Woman: You've heard about SARS, AIDS and bird flu. Now researchers from Australia claim we're about to be hit by a new epidemic: Motivational Deficiency Disorder.

According to the British Medical Journal one in five people are said to suffer from Motivational Deficiency Disorder, or Moded, and most don't even know they have it. Symptoms include being unable to get out of bed in the morning, being trapped on the couch, or wanting to spend the entire day at the beach.

Jane Shields: Hello, this is Background Briefing on ABC Radio National. I'm Jane Shields; and you too, or your children, may be suffering from this mental illness.

Man: The condition varies from very mild. There are people who perhaps notice a slight reluctance to get out of bed on Monday morning at the mild end of the spectrum; through to the most severe disease, which is potentially fatal. These are people who find themselves at times in an acute attack, unmotivated to breathe, and these people will die.

Moded patient: I mean, all my life people have called me lazy, but now we know I was sick, and that's why I've set up the patient group, Unmotivated Anonymous, and we've got some corporate sponsorship, we've got a website and we intend to raise public awareness about this genuine disease.

It's worth watching on
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RoppJOtRLe4

Un-asked questions

Undetected Con

It's August, news is scarce - exactly the right time to get away with a propaganda stunt.

I flit between Radio Cymru, Radio Four and Radio Wales but I did not hear any  interviewer ask the obvious killer questions this morning. The story is part of a softening up process by the farmers' union to condition us for higher food prices.

They have already vastly exaggerated the effects of the floods. 20% increase in prices threatens, when less than 1% of farming land was flooded. Today's con is that the price of cattle feed will increase the price of meat.

All interviewers swallowed the bait and presented the stunt as   sympathetic to farmers. Not one asked who was getting the extra money from increased grain prices. The answer, of course, is farmers. British farmers.

Nobody told you but last year,  the average increase in farming incomes was 24.6 per cent., with larger increases of 33 per cent. in mixed farming, 88 per cent. in lowland grazing livestock, 119 per cent. in general cropping and 120 per cent. in cereals. This year there has been an even bigger bonanza. No commentator asked who commissioned the report on which the news was based.

No wonder farmers can afford to pay for a PR campaign to spread the poverty myth and prepare the country for unjustified price hikes.

Melting Pot
Doctor Ibrahim Hyat has been elected as one of the Labour Candidates for the Council Elections in Pillgwenlly next year.

Yesterday he helped with judging the floats in the Pill carnival. It was a chance for a photograph with long term Councillor Ron Jones, Rosemary Butler AM and me. Already the city has one Asian councillor who is also a  Regional Assembly member.  The Muslim population are not well represented in Wales.

The previous Newport Asian councillor Ravi Soni served in the seventies. Doctor Hyat is one the sons of the greatly respected Mohammed Hyat who died two years ago. The family are from Pill and are greatly respected in the city. I have no knowledge of other announced candidates which I will be happy to report. It's likely that there will be other Asians standing.

It's healthy that the successful councillors are now more likely to fully represent the ethnic mix of the communities that they serve.

Paralysed by cowardice and stupidity

Worse than failure

At last. The idea of using Afghan poppies for morphine production is main stream. Several interviewers today challenged clueless Tory and other spokespeople to consider a fresh approach.

It follows a second record increase in poppy harvests following the waste of £250 million of taxpayers money spent on 'reducing production'. In November 2005 the issue was first raised in an Early Day Motion which read ;

"That this House notes that spending £115 million of taxpayers' money on the eradication of heroin production in Afghanistan has failed, with a reduction of only 2 per cent. in production in 2004 compared with the previous year's record harvest; questions the planned spending of a further £155 million in an impossible mission; is convinced that a fall in heroin exports from Afghanistan will be replaced with increased production from Myanmar and Pakistan; and urges the diversion of poppy cultivation into legal diamorphine production to answer the current world shortage of this valuable, widely used medicine."

This concept was ridiculed at the time, especially by Minister Kim Howells. Two years later, the extra cash has been thrown away, The results are worse than abject failure. They are woefully incompetent. Tory spokesman Liam Fox trotted out the same lame excuses today for not thinking. "The policy is not working, so what's do we do ? ..... more of the same, of course." Two parties paralysed by cowardice and stupidity.

At last other voices are being raised. Talk less and listen more, Kim and Liam. You may learn something.

Prescription epidemic
Great article in yesterday's Independent of Sunday by Nina Lakhani.

I missed it but someone sent my a proposed editorial for the "Prescriber' which challenges some of the claims of medicalising society.

The article says, "Our increasing reliance on pills has resulted in a 27 per cent rise in prescriptions written by doctors in just five years. It's costing the NHS £10bn a year, £200m of which is wasted on drugs that are never used.  Britain is in the grip of a prescription drug-taking epidemic, with unprecedented numbers of medicines being handed out by GPs, costing billions of pounds and stretching already tight NHS resources to breaking point.

Prescription drug use has increased by 27 per cent in the past the five years and the NHS drug bill topped £10bn in 2006. GPs prescribed 918 million medicines last year compared with 721 million five years ago, according to figures obtained by The Independent on Sunday.

Health experts put rocketing prescription numbers down to medical advances, but also point to poor prescribing by GPs, growing public demand for a "pill for every ill" and aggressive marketing tactics by the pharmaceutical industry, which prompted one MP to warn that the UK is heading towards what he called "pharmageddon".

Paul Flynn, the Labour MP, warned that a failure to change attitudes would be disastrous. He said: "We are heading towards pharmageddon. The medicalising of society is convincing people they need a pill for everything. Drug companies recruit patients, particularly good-looking and articulate ones, to help promote new drugs in the media. Life and death decisions should not be taken by tabloids."

Doctors now write an average of 81 prescriptions a day compared with 64 five years ago. More than 730,000 prescriptions for antidepressants are being handed out each week, to the point where they almost match those for antibiotics at 870,000 a week.

More than £1bn has been wasted in the past five years on buying and disposing of drugs that were never used by patients, according to new research by the Conservative Party. GPs prescribe thousands of drugs patients don't want or take, according to this survey. The money wasted would pay for a year's worth of the breast cancer drug Herceptin for more than 10,000 women or 100,000 cycles of IVF."

Pillgwenlly carnival.

Today's pictures

Mail rules the Royals

Sycophants R US
The most sophisticated PR machine in the land has crash-landed.

The BBC woke the nation up this  morning with the tightly spun story that the Princess Diana's sons had invited Camilla to attend this week's memorial service.  This was promoted as 'good news' - the perfect outcome. The Royals' PR group 'The Way Ahead" has agonised about this decision for months. The story
had been crafted, manicured and choreographed to present the Royals in the best light.

Then it all fell apart when the Royals snorted  over their cornflakes while reading today's Mail on Sunday.

Their headline was that Charles was trying to hijack the occasion by using it to promote Camilla as an acceptable Queen. The Mail thundered against Camilla - even suggesting that some Diana groupies would throw eggs at the former royal mistress if she turned up.

The volte-face found the BBC rolling on their backs again to welcome Camilla's absence. Nicholas Witchell said that it was surprising that anyone thought it was a good idea anyway. A bit of loss of short term memory here, Nick. It was the BBC who thought it was a great idea 12 hours earlier.

Another disturbing report is that the BBC may drop altogether a planned sycophantic account of a year in the life of the Queen. It is the one where the Queen was  annoyed to be told that her tiara was too  'dressy.'  Slighty embarrassing yes, but not a case for censorship.

Come on Beeb, Time to get off your knees. Royals are only human.

Bomb diplomacy
It's impossible not to be moved by the grief of the relatives of the soldiers killed by 'friendly fire' in Helmand.

Understandably, they want answers. Unfortunately bombing is rarely pin point accurate even with today's technology. Many of the bombs miss their targets. Luckily few have killed British combatants, but thousands of Afghan civilians have died, including women and children.

President Karzai wept publicly a few months  ago because American bombs were killing Afghan children. This is a campaign to win the hearts and minds of the Afghan. Every civilian death acts a recruiting agent for the Taliban, increases the ferocity of attacks on our troops and the threat of terrorism here.

Yet, the Helmand mission still enjoys widespread public support.

Why?

Feather brained

'My cleaning lady asked me why she found so many white feathers around my house. Where do they come from?', a woman who appeared to be of sound mind said on BBC 1 television this morning.

Interviewer and interviewee smiled at the cleaner's  ignorance.  They both know that feathers are left by angels. As the interviewee has written several books about angels, it's understandable that dozens of them would beat a path to her door and leave the a few of their feathers behind.

This was on the 'Heaven and Earth' programme presumably meant for adults.   The interviewer Gloria Hunniford was captivated and totally convinced that angels are everywhere, spreading comfort and moulting furiously.

It's not April 1st. Can today be Fantasy Sunday? A special day for  buttering up royals, losing your marbles  and chatting up angels?  This makes Pastafarianism sound sensible.

Deja viewed

Deja-vu

"Two tenses grappling with one instant, one perception:
forgotten as it happens, recalled before it has begun."

Cardiff based Patrick McGuiness' new volume of poems begins with this striking description of common phenomenon that we have all had.

The slim  volume arrived the same day as news that  scientists have simulated the out-of-body delusion experienced by many people in moments of anguish. Computer scientists in the US are developing a system which would allow people to "teleport" a solid 3D recreation of themselves over the internet.

Professors Todd Mowry and Seth Goldstein of Carnegie Mellon University in Pennsylvania think that, within a human generation, we might be able to replicate three-dimensional objects out of a mass of material made up of small synthetic "atoms".

The impossible may be experienced in futures as a fantasy so convincing that it may be indistinguishable from reality.

The Argus asked me what super human trait I would like. Spending so much dashing from Newport to London to Strasbourg and back, the ability to teleport myself would be the most useful.

Fascinating, isn't it?

2500 dead?

Kim Howells has pontificated on the future on the Afghan Disaster. He says the campaign can continue for 'decades.'  One 'expert ' had suggested that  it could go one for 38 years.

How does Kim see it?

Foreign Office Minister Kim Howells, visiting the Afghan capital of Kabul, suggested some of the other NATO countries with military deployment in Afghanistan ought to be "pulling their weight". "The countries of NATO have caused this mess by refusing to commit the resources necessary to get the job done. Afghanistan would be a democracy by now if they weren't such a bunch of wimps."  Wimps OK, but they have have not thrown away the lives of 73 of their own soldiers  in vain.

In 2005, Military leaders celebrated the start of the fifth year of coalition forces serving in Afghanistan. The party was held in the Afghan capital Kabul and was attended by Foreign Office Minister, Kim Howells. After the event, the Minister congratulated British forces on a "cracking party" and said he was very much looking forward to the 10 year celebration.  How many deaths will there be by then?

Since June 2006, there have been  66 deaths in Helmand. There were 7 only in the five previous years - mostly accidents. The  blood price  for 38 years could be 2,500 British deaths. The Russians lost 15,000 soldiers chasing their delusion that Afghanistan can be conquered by military force.

In the Foreign Office deliberations do they discuss whether 2,500 deaths is a reasonable price to pay for a mission impossible?

 

As depressed as a chicken

Lame excuse

A Gwent woman said today that her one legged pet chicken '"Is quite happy to hop around on one leg, but sometimes she tries to scratch herself with her missing leg and falls over." 

The woman spent nearly £2,000 on operations for her pet chicken rather than go on holiday this year. The chicken had seven operations to save her leg. Alas they failed. The lady said her unusual pet was also recently diagnosed with depression but has recovered.

How do they know?  Many years years my family kept chickens. The subtlety of their moods escaped me. Is there a  budding career opportunity in chicken psychiatry? What a fulfilling and profitable vocation that could be.

Tired as a Tory
It's a bad sign but I am starting to feel sorry for the Tories.

Friends of their previously unflappable health spokesman explained that he was suffering from 'exhaustion' when he announced on live television that he had bungled a campaign.

Exhausted? We are in the middle of a recess. Lansley had announced a list of NHS hospitals where A&E units were under threat of closure. There was a chorus of protests because the list is bunkum.

Then David Cameron hits a hyperbole record and denounces 'anarchy' on our streets. What word do you yours if civiisation collapses. If we have anarchy, what do you call the state of Basra or Helmand?

It's a desperate try to counteract the Browne bounce. On Sky News  an exasperated Mr Lansley, whimpered, "I'm fallible." He added that Conservatives were capable of making mistakes.

There, there.

Saint and sinner

Two fascinating character traits revealed in quotes published today.

"I am driven with a mission from God. God would tell me, 'George go and fight these terrorists in Afghanistan'. And I did. And then God would tell me 'George, go and end the tyranny in Iraq'. And I did. -George Bush 2003

“ Where is my faith? Even deep down there is nothing but emptiness and darkness. If there be a God — please forgive me.” Mother Teresa Calcutta 1970.

Battered

Newport fish and chip shop owner Charlie Ferris has started a petition to 'save' the Chartist mural. An unusually sharp comment was made by John 77 on a newspaper website.

"I think the Chartist mural is a drab uninspiring piece of 1970s subway tat. No-one has cared about for years, it is poorly lit, and has graffiti over it. But as soon as there's a chance to get some free publicity then out come the likes of Charles Ferris faster than you can batter a sausage."

Ouch!

Good news blind

Hidden Best
Wales doing better than the rest of the UK?

Is it impossible for the Western Mail to print a good news story about Wales?

Two days ago they reported on world's cancer deaths. They made the fair point that the UK was not getting increased survival value for increased Government spending on cancer. The reason  is that so much on the extra cash has cascaded into the pockets of the consultants and pharmaceutical companies.

But there is credit for Wales in the details of the report. Wales has a better survival rate than England, Scotland or Northern Ireland. Worth a mention by the paper that believes that it's the voice of Wales.

It's a certainly that if Wales had the worst outcome, the story would have been a page one lead.

Oh No Gordon.

Yes I know that the Labour party is strapped for  cash, but why take a donation from an Internet Betting Firm. What are they after?

The little experiences I have had of them has been foul. A constituent who had never bet in her life, strayed on to a 'Deal or no Deal' site. Familiar with the television version of the game she had a go. At first she won. Then it was all downhill. She lost her winnings, but continued to gamble to get her money back. She stopped when her losses amounted to her life savings of £40,000. She was playing with a debit card and the money has gone irretrievably.

If the firm who made this donation think they are buying goodwill, they are entirely mistaken. I, and many other MPs want their activities severely restricted. There is only way to ensure that political parties are not dependent on Mega-greed PLC out to buy favours. That is to reduce election spending limits and fund parties from national sources - preferably trusts.

Invisible Tide
It's good news that Uskmouth Power station is to  reopen creating 60 permanent jobs and 650 construction ones.

The Friends of the Earth fairly point out that a combined heat and power station  would have been environmentally kinder. What is ironic if that the station is sited on the mouth of the River Usk where it spills into the Severn - or the 'sea' as it is locally named.

This is the exact spot where the rise and fall of tide is the second highest in the world. Why use an imported  power source while the immense power of the tided is unused?

Guests triumph

Thanks to my staff for their great guest blogs in the past three days. I have been on an odyssey to France. I visited a very close friend in  Brittany who has been seriously ill and then drove down south to a village near Toulouse. The widow of my brother Terry has set up home there. She is very feisty, in her late seventies and decided that she needed a change. It was a wonderful surprise for me. More tomorrow. 

How to delegate

From re-reading Commons Knowledge we now understand Paul's particular interest in our previous experiences of extreme sports

How to delegate

MPs staff must be allowed moments in the flattering limelight of publicity.  Selfishness is a deplorable trait in bosses.  Staff appreciate chances to take the place of Members who are asked to parachute, bungy jump or abseil down buildings in the support of a good cause.  Staff are generally younger and cope with physical challenges while Members concentrate on growing old decorously.  One MP did not delegate a parachute jump.  He lived to tell the painful tale, but still has a persistent nasty injury. 

Researchers should be liberated to pursue their own enthusiasm and attend briefings in place of their bosses.  Well-informed, and passionately motivated staff will deliver work of high quality.  In some offices press feature articles are written by staff with specialist knowledge and published under the name of the member.  Very often it ends in tears.  The Member's superficial knowledge is painfully exposed by diligent press questioning.

It can work the other way around when an MP has specialist knowledge on a subject.  Outsiders assume cretin abilities for all MPs and quiz researchers as the founts of all wisdom.  Gifted staff write speeches which are sometimes delivered verbatim by Members.  It's a dangerous game.  Interventions will crack the egg shells on which the Member is treading.  It is painful to witness Members floundering, exposed because they do not understand the speech.

A thorough knowledge of themes is achieved by slaving over a wordprocessor writing speeches and articles from notes gathered by staff.

Cabals of researchers gather to exchange horror stories about their bosses.  The stereotype is of a lazy, vain overpaid prima donna who feeds off the labours of starving minions.  The highest tribute an employer MP can earn is the enduring respect of employees.