The Two Davids
The people of Gwent elected two MPs named David Davies in 2005. One is known as Dai the other as Top Cat, because of his initials T.C. Both have been hyperactive this week. Dai called for fewer Welsh MPs, Top Cat self-indulged in a vacuous rant.
David Davies Monmouth is living down to our lowest expectations of him.
A populist rent-a-quote at the Welsh Assembly, he won acres of publicity for parroting the right-wing absurdities of the tabloid press. There were signs in his early days in Westminster that he wanted to grow up from schoolboy politics and create a respected persona. He appeared to be ashamed of his 'Daily Mail personified' tag which won headlines but left his fellow Tory MPs smirking.
He failed to changed. Of the three Welsh Tory MPs he is the least impressive and was not considered when a frontbench appointment was made. Parliament has always had publicity gluttons who will mouth the quotes invented by tabloid journalists. Their careers amount to zilch in achievement.
His current campaign is to put more people in prison. for longer periods. All sentences should be longer without remission. That's always a winner with the unthinking public. David sees himself as the voice of the common man. He is the drain down which the lowest common denominator of public bigotry and ignorance flows.
Mostly his statements of the obvious echo the bigotry the common moron. On his website an article describing a very thinly attended adjournment debate is illustrated misleadingly with a picture of a packed Houses of Commons. His latest intervention is to demand a heavier sentence for a man who committed a terrible crime against a child. The man was sentenced to 12 years in prison and his wife for six. By any standards these are as severe sentences. Probably the heaviest the law allows. Everyone shares the horror at the crime. Nobody needs a MPs to tell us they did something dreadful.
There is little or no chance that these sentences can be extended. So what's the point? The only explanation for politicians braying off in these circumstances in their own aggrandisement. This is attention seeking., not grown-up politics, David.
Dai Davies
Perhaps unwisely Dai Davies has to-day called for fewer Welsh MPs. As an undistinguished junior MP with a record of relative inactivity, he is not best qualified to pontificate. The People's Voice for Blaenau Gwent has been mute in parlaiment.
He spoke only seven times in the last year - but, to be fair, always to good effect. His regular attendances in his corner seat in the Chamber are impressive. He probably sits through more debates than any other member. But his voting record is an atrocious 50%. That by far the lowest of any Gwent MP and compares very unfavourably with Jessica Morden had a great deal of time off maternity leave in the year but managed a 66% voting record.
Possibly Dai is present and does not always vote. It's easy for most MPs because whips tell us whether we for or against. When Gwynfor Evans was the sole independent MP his most difficult task was finding what the votes were all about. It is far from easy as the order paper is written in impenetrable legalistic language.
Dai may protest that he may have been present but there is no way to abstain. There is. That's to do a 'David Taylor' trick and vote 'for' and 'against.' That way your presence is recorded. It's tricky explaining to constituents how their MP can be one both sides of the question, but it's the only way until we legislate for abstentions.
Dai has submitted a formidable 363 written questions but his voters would be astonished to learn that most are about matters foreign or nuclear. I have never heard him ask an oral question nor does he appear to submit them. He has made a number of interventions on the industrial workers subject on which he has specialist knowledge.
Dai has earned respect for his quiet dignified approach to his work. But his level of parliamentary activity is below par.
Crackberry
The Blackberry is addictive.
I've had mine a month now and I'm hooked. Just in time to use in the Chamber. Inevitably the fuddy duddies objected. They were propping up the fable that speeches in the Chamber enjoyed an audience of attentive MPs hanging on every word. That's true for key speeches by frontbenchers and those by backbenchers who are have respected expert knowledge. But there acres of dross, verbal junk intended to inflate egos, impress constituents or just to use up debating that would otherwise be taken by opponents.
There is a convincing theory that no-one listens to the first answer that Ministers give to an oral questions. The House in general switches off. They know it will be bland and defensive answer. Even the questioner will not hear it because they will be preoccupied with rehearsing the supplementary question they are about to ask. I treasure past examples.
Proof of this was provided by Ynys Mon Plaid Cymru Member Ieuan Wyn Jones in 1996. He had asked how many representations the Minister had received on the threatened closure of Benefit offices in Wales.
'A number' said Social Security Minister and Monmouth MP Roger Evans ' contemptuous retort. Ieuan said .... "I am grateful to the Minister for that reply." As the answer was the Parliamentary equivalent to "Get Stuffed' it's reasonable to conclude that Ieuan was not listening to Roger 's put-down.
Daringly Peter Bottomley in May 1986 again proved the theory by dragging extraneous information into oral replies to Transport Questions. He had a bet with, among others, John Major that he could intersperse extraneous information into oral questions.
He had an oral question on the unpromising subject of 'Bus Lanes in London.' He gave three supplementary answers to experienced Commons performers including super backbencher the late Tony Banks.
Incredibly he weaved into his replies the information that "Anne Boleyn had six fingers on her left hand", that "Burkina Faso means the land of wise men' that "Frogs eat with their eyes shut." and that "13% of people share their bath water."
No-one noticed Nobody asked whether he had gone off his rocker. He won his bet.
Thinker Gordon.
Gordon the losers of the last two weeks dog fight is emerging as a politician of great substance.
He wrote his speech this week on liberty. Contrast its cleverly expressed profound ideals with the infantile drivel of parliamentary exchanges and hope.
The Conservative poll rating is sliding. They will drop into freefall when the LibDems get a credible leader. Hope twice.
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