The Hamster Wheel

…or to put it in slightly more detail – displacement activity to justify a presence.

That was how Paul Goodman described what MPs do in Parliament these days. It is why he says he is quitting the House at the next election.

It is a harsh conclusion, but one that will ring true with many MPs. Even the ones that don’t agree will admit Parliament has less ‘umph’ than it used to.

You only need to look at the questionable ‘all-party groups’ that MPs are members of – these are interest groups set up to lobby on particular causes.

Many are in support of admirable causes, but then there is also an all-party slimming world group, the all-party golf group and the all party yacht club.