Should our MPs be more than 'super social workers'?
What kind of MPs do we want?
It's a question that's been occupying my mind this week as I met three retiring MPs and interviewed three aspiring candidates.
The selections that have been taking place also make you think about the kind of parliament we will see after the election.
It'll be one with a lot of new faces, but will that change its character?
It was interesting to talk to one assiduous parliamentarian this week.
Sunderland South's Chris Mullin did reach the minsterial ranks briefly, but probably his greatest achievements involved overturning miscarriages of justice - .
He's also proud of his work chairing the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Affairs Select Committee.
Neither of which of course relate directly to his constituency.
Of course, he will have spent significant chunks of his career working on behalf of his constituents, but it shows that being an MP is about more than just that.
And - purely dealing with constituents' problems rather than holding ministers to account and scrutinising legislation.
Perhaps that may be what some local parties and constituents want from their MP.
And certainly with 650 MPs, not everyone can become a minister or chair a select committee.
But I'm not sure having too many of our politicians purely pursuing that "social worker" role is good for our democracy.
We also need politicians who are ambitious for ministerial office, MPs who are crusading independent-thinking reformers and parliamentarians good at holding ministers to account.
Parliamentary reforms may help, .
But they have yet to be adopted, and any party that's in power will have to be willing to surrender some of their clout in the chamber to make them happen.
Of course that clout may be severely diminished anyway.
A hung parliament would mean every vote counting - and the humble backbencher may again have real influence in the chamber as well as in their constituency.
Meanwhile the search for new candidates continues.
Labour has been shortlisting in the process to find a replacement for David Clelland as their Gateshead candidate.
The list includes two Gateshead councillors - and , Newcastle Council's Labour group leader and former Northern Labour press officer, - who's one of the party's most renowned bloggers.
Recent Labour selections suggest the local councillors have the best chance, but with two of them competing for the same votes, that may open things up.
The Conservatives have already picked former teacher Hazel Anderson as their candidate, the Lib Dems have selected Gateshead councillor .
I'm Richard Moss, the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ's Political Editor for the North East and Cumbria. Welcome to my irreverent - but hopefully insightful - northern take on reporting politics for Look North and the Politics Show.
Comments
or to comment.