I work for a Member of Parliament AMA.

[MPStaffMemberAMA]

I work for a Member of Parliament AMA.

Obviously I won't write anything identifiable otherwise I can't be completely honest with my other answers.

Have you been subject to sexual harassment at work? (Not by your boss necessarily, but anyone in the world of Westminster)

How many letters do you 'bury'? And on what subject are they normally on?

I know someone who used to work for an MP. She is very good with words (went into teaching and is now Head of English at a Sixth Form College), has excellent social skills and - probably coincidentally - very slim and pretty.

Are those qualities you recognise in other people who work for MPs?

What’s your salary?
What did you do before?
What are the best and worst bits of the job?
Did you vote for the MP?
Would you vote for them again based on what you see they’re like?
What do you think of the new PM?

How much alcohol consumption do you see/smell during the day? Is it widespread at Westminister?

Edit - she’s also a very pleasant, reliable and responsible person.

Which party?

No not at all. But I have heard of people who have. If definitely goes on and a lot of it is luck in terms of who your Member associates with.

Can you be a bit more specific about the phrase 'bury'? I want to answer your question honestly but I'm not sure I fully understand the meaning.

Do you work in the constituency office or at Westminster, because those would be two very different experiences?

Yes definitely. It's a very networky kind of place so if you get on with people, are articulate and capable you get a positive name for yourself. Conversely I know a lot of ND staff work in constituency offices so they aren't essential to be an MP staffer. Empathetic, kind, helpful are the core skills there.

Do you share their politics.

I would be excellent at casework. However I’d not necessarily be the same politics. Also the salary advertised recently was crap.

Has your MP been in the job for long? If so, has their attitude to the job changed over time? I imagine that many MPs start out enthusiastic and positive and become less so as they struggle with the political realities.

Do you think your MP went into the job for the right reasons? I believe that many do, but that one of our previous MPs did not.

It's always total nonsense on AMA. Who are they?

Mid IPSA range because the staffing budget is so tight.
I've worked in public, private and third sector organisations using comms, policy, research, insight and marketing skills
Best is helping people and genuinely making a difference
Worst is the abuse, hatred and awfulness of the general public who don't respect staff and appreciate they are just trying to help
Yes and definitely would again. In fact the more I know about my Member, the more I respect them and think they are in it for exactly the right reasons
I hope the PM starts making things better for people on a day to day basis because everyone is miserable and that needs to improve

Absolutely zero on a day to day basis. In the evening in the bars it goes on but it's mainly one drink then heading home. Working for an MP is relentless and there just isn't time to be off your game!

I want to be completely honest with my answers so I won't answer anything identifiable

Both. And yes you're right. In the constituency office the manager sets the culture. In the parliamentary office the MP sets the culture

I can do a massive AMA. "I worked for the royal family in the 80s, ask me anything" and will do it, but not until I see some action on these threads.

There's a big overlap. Not on everything but there are zero red lines where we disagree. They take our counsel so we know we have been listened to, but they don't always vote as we would.

We are always crying out for good caseworkers! But the pay isn't as high as it should be. IPSA is consulting on the staffing budget at the moment so I'm hoping it improves. Caseworkers I think are least affected by politics as helping people should be apolitical.

Who do you work for?

It's not about who I am it's about what I know about an area of work few get the opportunity to get insight into.

I'm sure many MP's assistants are bright and capable, but I the one I dealt with wasn't!

Years ago, when I worked in the Democratic Services department of a local authority, she sometimes contacted me and I found her to be surprisingly ditzy. She also breached the rules on "purdah".

Also, she once had the bright idea that she could offload some of her admin tasks on to me. For example, she emailed me requesting that I phone a constituent and get their up to date contact details, then pass them on to her. No, Michelle, I can't do that for various reasons. 😂