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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To ask a few politics questions

27 replies

JazzAnnNonMouse · 29/01/2015 08:22

What happens if the leader of a party doesn't get elected as an mp?

What do all other mp candidate that don't win do for the next 5 years (especially the career politicians)

What do career politicians who stop being politicians do in general (not the famous ones like borris and tony Blair)

OP posts:
Original poster
JazzAnnNonMouse · 29/01/2015 08:23

When they've stopped being mps

OP posts:
taxi4ballet · 29/01/2015 08:27
  1. The party has to elect another leader
  1. They carry on with the lucrative directorships & consultancies they have already
Original poster
JazzAnnNonMouse · 29/01/2015 08:35

What if they don't have consultancies etc?

OP posts:
fredfredgeorgejnr · 29/01/2015 08:38

The party can keep the same leader, they need to find a new PM though for the country, but that would likely be temporary while someone in a safe seat suddenly found they needed to spend more time with their family, so the leader could stand in the by election.

TheTravellingLemon · 29/01/2015 08:53
  1. Leaders of parties normally represent safe seats and due to the increased amount of publicity they get, they are normally successful. If they are not there is nothing theoretically to stop them being leader, but in practice they would resign as failure to win an election is central to their job description and a loss of a leader's seat would normally be indicative of a wider trouncing.
  1. I sort of hate the term 'career politician' ans generally think its not as big a problem as the media would ahve us believe.Candidates don't get paid to stand at elections so they will normally have a job at the time of standing. I think the term comes from the fact that more and more MPs have a related background. That is, fewer businessmen, more communications specialists for example.

The bigger problem for me is that there is still a big problem with diversity of race, class and gender.

  1. They generally go into communications or get an advisory role somewhere.

BJ and TB are not career politicians. BJ was a journalist and TB was a lawyer.

Original poster
JazzAnnNonMouse · 29/01/2015 09:41

What's 'communications' ?

OP posts:
ghostyslovesheep · 29/01/2015 09:44

our ex MP is a friend - he continues to work for the party (he's retired - in his 70's) and his wife is a local councillor

but they are both old school and did it because they believed (and believe) in what the party stands for - not as a career

DoraGora · 29/01/2015 09:49

Becomes interesting if the party is so small that it has no safe seats. In general small parties change their leaders quite regularly.

limitedperiodonly · 29/01/2015 09:54

I sort of hate the term 'career politician' ans generally think its not as big a problem as the media would ahve us believe.

I agree with TravellingLemon. My friend is a backbench MP. Before he won his seat - to which he has close ties going back 20 years - he was a teacher and involved in local politics.

He campaigns on education and children's welfare issues because he knows what he's talking about.

If he loses in May, which is possible, I guess he'll go back to teaching.

He has a nice life but he's not exactly coining it.

TheTravellingLemon · 29/01/2015 09:57

jazz it's a bit of a catch-all really. Roles either in house or in consultancy that involve improving interaction with government. Often referred to as lobbying, but in practice it's much broader than this.

ihavenonameonhere · 29/01/2015 10:15

My BF friend who is an MP was a tax accountant before and if he loses in May he will go back to that.

Dawndonnaagain · 29/01/2015 10:24

I've known a few MPs. They go back to their original business or take up new posts involving campaigning/public relations/lobbying. If they started in business posts, they take directorships etc.

LineRunner · 29/01/2015 10:27

If they are sitting MPs and they lose their seats they now get very significant payouts, including a big tax free sum for themelves, plus a generous pension.

SilentCharisma · 29/01/2015 12:11

Sorry, off-topic I love your name TheTravellingLemon. I love that episode too!

TheTravellingLemon · 29/01/2015 12:29

Thanks SilentCharisma I'm a big fan too Smile

I'm always a little bit tempted to announce my presence on a thread by saying 'the lemon is on play' Grin

RandyGiles · 29/01/2015 12:29

*in

Balletballyflats · 29/01/2015 12:34

I'm always amazed that non career politicians ever stand - it's a crap job, shit hours, crap pay, not secure and highly public, dealing with other people's shite.

Original poster
JazzAnnNonMouse · 29/01/2015 12:57

Do they just say to their employers oh I may or may not be back for a bit (however long election campaign takes) and if I'm not then I may or may not be back in 5 years?

OP posts:
limitedperiodonly · 29/01/2015 13:23

Some employers kick up a fuss about you taking time off for dental appointments in work time OP, so I'd expect most to decline a request to keep a job open for a 5-year rolling plan.

DrDre · 29/01/2015 13:38

The Prime Minister has to be a member of the House of Commons I believe, so any party with serious aspirations of winning a general election will need it's leader to be a MP - unless they have a different party leader and Prime Minister, which is unlikely.
This is true of some other cabinet posts e.g. the Chancellor. Other ministers can come from the Lords, in which case the Prime Minister creates a seat in the Lords for you and gives you a ministerial job.
The issue with "career politicians" I believe refers to people who go straight from University (where they probably did PPE) to working as a special advisor for a minister, and then onto being a MP.

TheTravellingLemon · 29/01/2015 13:43

The MPs I know had their position held open for the duration of the campaign but if they are not re elected in May will not be returning to the same job.

Also you're skills change while you are serving. You learn an awful lot, especially if you sit on a committee of some description or has specific issues arise on your constituency.

I agree ballet. For a lot of people committing to working in London it's a significant pay cut, not to mention that you face the ordeal of being potentially very publicly sacked every five years.

On the whole MPs are a hard working bunch who really want to do the best for the constituents. There are a few bad apples and I'm not saying that's not a problem, but there is in any profession.

TheTravellingLemon · 29/01/2015 13:44

*your. Bloody phone is making me mad.

DrDre · 29/01/2015 13:46

Yes I'm amazed people want to go into Westminster politics. I can think of nothing worse than having to put a suit on on a Sunday morning, travel to a TV studio, and get grilled by a Paxman type.

PoliticalWife · 29/01/2015 13:50

My DH is standing for election this year.
He is self employed, so is 'simply' taking time off earning money in order to do political stuff. We're now starting to live off savings because he is not paid anything for anything political at this point- in fact it costs a lot. He has to go to lots of events which costs money (& buy raffle tickets!)

It will be a pay cut if he wins.
If he loses, he"ll go back to his self employed job.

PoliticalWife · 29/01/2015 13:53

In 1963 the prime minister was chosen from the lords- he had to renounce his title and get a seat in the commons. That was the last time that happened.