The excitement is nearly over. By the end of next week, we will know the outcome of the Makerfield by-election. Claimed to be not just the most consequential election of this century, some have said it is the most consequential of many centuries, determining, no less, the future of the Labour movement.
It’s easy to get carried away, but it really is a fascinating challenge. I’ve discussed the weirdness of it on these pages before. If you hate the Labour prime minister, vote Labour. If you hate the next Labour prime minister, vote something else. And is that “something else” Reform? Probably not, as Reform challenger Restore is making a strong run up the outside rail.
But this election does, at its periphery, also raise other interesting questions. Not least, what is an MP?
I’ve been doing this job for 16 years, and it’s not at all clear. MPs have practically no power whatsoever. We can’t get potholes fixed (that’s your county councillor), we can’t get pavements cleaned (district councillor). We can’t find someone a new council house (local housing authority). We have no rights to intervene on schooling issues, planning issues, and everything that people think we can. In fact, the only thing I can do as an MP that everyone else can’t do is vote in Parliament on legislation. That’s it.
But MPs carry a huge amount of influence, and it is how they use that influence that determines how effective they can be in the constituencies.
This also raises the question about outside interests, and how “normal” MPs should be. For example, if an MP is a doctor, should they be allowed to work from time to time in the NHS to contribute and maintain their practicing certificate? In some cases, many would agree that they should. But what if they were to do a job that takes them away from their constituents the whole time? Work overseas? Run a big corporation? I don’t think anyone would support that.
Yet that is exactly what the constituents of Makerfield are being asked. Andy Burnham is asking them to vote for him so he can take on a full-time job, away from his elected representatives, running a country. He is saying “vote for me and you won’t see me for dust”. For ministers, being an MP is their second job.
This is such a fascinating election. There are so many things to think about. The politics professors will be studying it for years.
