Monday – 18 November, 9am – Culture and Leisure portfolio holders meeting
6pm – Labour Group meeting
Tuesday – 19 November, 5pm – Full Governing Body meeting, Sidegate Primary School
Friday – 22 November, 7pm – ‘Stand up for Labour’ fund raising comedy event, Westgate Ward Club
Saturday 16 November, 10am – Labour campaigning, North East Ipswich
This week, our Tory MP, Ben Gummer voted against the Labour motion to get rid of the ‘bedroom tax’. I highlighted this fact on twitter as our MP failed to mention it on one of his infrequent visits to his twitter site and as his website is still indicating the last time he spoke in Westminster was in January 2012, I knew it would not be mentioned there.
A number of local activists used the ‘bedroom tax’ vote to highlight the number of Labour MP’s who did not attend the vote. It became quite obvious that they were not aware of the ‘pairing’ system that is used in Westminster. A system that of course is open to misuse but in the main, one that works well. You can’t expect David Cameron to be at every vote so this week whilst he is in Sri Lanka playing cricket/apologising/talking to his arms dealer pals he will at least know the Government will not lose a vote because his Labour ‘pair’ will not be able to vote.
When a number of Tories were informed on twitter of the ‘pairing system’ they then mentioned as many of those from Labour who missed the vote were very critical of the ‘bedroom tax’ they should have been there. Trouble is IDS, the minister who is bringing in the benefit changes was not even in Parliament to defend the tax – he was in Paris – something the Tories on twitter failed to mention.
A more interesting list of MP's is the list of Lib Dems who voted against the government or made their excuses for not attending – more worried about keeping their seats in 2015 than supporting their government.
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