To think that the job of an MP is to be interested in every single aspect of our lives?

[SnugShaker]

I get that MPs are supposed to represent us but it feels like a lot of them just pick and choose issues that directly affect them or their party. Isn’t their job to be concerned about the bigger picture? Things like healthcare, education, jobs, and the everyday struggles people face, no matter their background? Isn’t it a bit of a cop-out when they focus only on what suits their personal or political agendas, instead of the whole spectrum of issues affecting society?

What do you think? Am I being unrealistic in expecting them to care about every part of life?

How in the hell would they have capacity for that. I want them interested in the fundamentals of a good and thriving society and where a political intervention can make an improvement, not the blethering minutiae of my life.

They need to focus on the whole spectrum of political issues - and the issues that you mention certainly come within that.

But not every part of our lives.

What is the problem that you are having with your MP? What issue do you have that they aren't addressing?

Hugely unrealistic. I don’t expect my husband to be interested in every aspect of my life and he lives in my house.

I don’t have a personal issue with my MP, it’s more of a general observation. I just noticed a a lot of MPs seem to put more energy into certain causes or topics while neglecting others that are just as important to their constituents.

YANBU

PPs don't seem to understand what you're saying. No one is saying that your MP should want to pop by for a cuppa and talk about your gout or should be expected to remember whether you prefer comedies or dramas.

You're clearly saying that MPs who used to be doctors/nurses care deeply about the NHS and ignore anything to do with climate while MPs who care deeply about the climate and the economy don't bother with education.

MPs should be expected to show up, educate themselves and form an appropriate opinion on all aspects that they are expected to work on, vote on and campaign on - which is, actually, everything.

MPs are elected for what they can offer their constituents - they can and do offer support on most matters, often with support from caseworkers who research the issues and advise.
with the best will in the world they can only assume to know so much.

If every MP was a generalist, nothing would get done. They can bring their personal expertise, professional experience or interests into the job, and do things like bring bills to parliament or sit on specialist committees. A lot of important issues would never come to light or get dealt with if MPs didn’t campaign.

It’s the local and national governments’ jobs to cover the basics (and they do it by having ministers for each department, not by all of them doing everything).

My recollection is that every MP serves around 100,000 constituents. Clearly a significant amount of the constituents won't have voted them into office. About 30% probably won't have gone to the polling station, then of the around 70% who did, they will have voted for their preferred candidate on the ballot sheet.

A MP can only do so much and like everyone, will bring their own unique skills/specialisms to the job. They cannot possibly be all things to everyone.

I disagree. A basic understanding of everything is the point of the job.

If we think MPs should only have a small area of expertise then it should be formalised somehow - otherwise, we have ignorant muppets who know nothing about (for example) healthcare voting on NHS reform and their vote counting for just as much as the MPs who are experts in that field.

It's far more likely that nothing gets done because if 1/4 of MPs understand the economy and 1/4 understand education and 1/4 understand healthcare and 1/4 understand the environment then 3/4 of the voters on each of those issues don't understand what they're voting on.

No one is asking for PhD-level knowledge.

Who’s saying they don’t have a basic understanding? What even is the OP’s point?