Has anyone thought of becoming an MP/Is anyone an MP/Is anyone's partner an MP or thinking of it etc

[IWonder]

I was having a little rant about various things political to my DH recently, and he said "well, why don't you become an MP then, I think you'd be a really good one". I told him not to be silly, that I wasn't at all political, hadn't been reading the collected works of Marx/Churchill/whoever since the age of 6, it wasn't my thing at all. He said "well you are intelligent, articulate, passionate about what you believe in, I think you would be really good at it". I laughed.
He hasn't let it go though - he keeps saying that he thinks it is something I should think about, and despite myself, I have been.

So I just wondered if anyone else was considering it, or within the process, or had any experience generally. Could it work? I'm not working at the moment although have previously had a fairly intense career in the city and industry, so I know what it is to work hard. I do have young children and I live outside london, so that is an issue. I assume that if you do get the through the selection process to be a candidate then you first end up fighting an unwinnable seat somewhere completely unrelated to where you live, is that an absolutely 24 hour a day job? I assume it can't be, as lots of candidates still have day jobs elsewhere, but is that naive of me? I have about a million questions, but I guess I just want to know what people think about whether this is a stupid idea for a woman with small children and a working husband, or whether I should continue my quiet life and maybe become a magistrate or something to get my public service conscience satisfied.

Thanks everyone for your input. Expat, that WAS a joke (blimming 'ell what are emoticons for anyway ), I am a regular and "know" you, me old mucker. Nice to know that Mumsnet leapt to the defence of expat in the face of adversity, though, well done girls, lol.

So KatyT, what is your gut reaction? I'd be really interested. Mixture of school age and pre-school children, couple of hours from london, not previously political but well connected (know the odd ex-cabinet minister, MP, local committee members etc). Would your gut instinct be saying "go for it" or "wait until the kids are at school at least" or "NO! STAY AWAY!" ???

I don't want to even mention the possibility to any of my contacts until I have it straight in my own mind that I want to do it (or not)

well personally i wouldn't want to be an mp in a million years - which is a good job as one in the household is enough i think!!!

if it's something you are even considering you need to find out more, i am a research/info freak!

[putting aside any party politics here, i will assume you have a party in mind, makes life a tad easier!]

contact your local mp (if he's of your persuasion!, if not try your nearest one that is) and ask to help out in the local office for 1/2 weeks, that will open your eyes to all the 'drudge' work that doesn't make the tv news....
also try and swing your way into work experience/shadowing in westminster for a week if you can to see the more exciting stuff (and a few famous faces!).
normally i would agree with other posters that you need council/borough level experience but the honest truth is being a woman in today's environment that isn't strictly true anymore. plus sometimes they appreciate a fresh pair of eyes that aren't 'jaded by years of tedious council meetings'! (just my personal opinion of course!)

are you able to get back home from london in the evenings? expect not to mon & tues regardless but it's good if you can on wed and thurs. expect your fridays to be full of surgery/local affairs and prob most of your w/end too. learn to be strict about allocating private/family time!
hth, kt

Iwonder - I used to be a local councillor and it was very hard work - every evening and weekend was pretty much taken up with meetings with local residents, advice surgeries etc, not to mention all the in-party networking. Used to get home at about 11.30pm each night and didn't really see DH for the four years I did it.

Lots of MPs have young children, but not many women MPs have young children (remember Cameron, Blair, Brown and Kennedy et al are all male and have either sahm's or nannies).

Not trying to put you off as we desperately need more women MPs - (in fact even Iraq, Rwanda and Afganistan have more women MPs than we do in the UK!!), but you need to be realistic about the committment required - particularly while you are working towards being an MP, trying to gain support for your nomination and out canvassing etc. Election times take over your life.

You do also need to have an absolutely sqeaky clean background. Politics is an extremely nasty business, back stabbing is the normal modus operandi and your enemies will be not the opposition, but people within your own party who have a grudge or are from an opposing in-party faction. You need to be prepared to front out stories in the press about you which are untrue and journalists trying to dig dirt.

Sorry if that sounds negative, but its true.

If you can cope with all that, good luck to you. It would be great to have a fellow MNer as an MP, we deffo need more women in parlaiment who understand the issues parents face. I'll vote for you

I was involved with politics (including a spell as an MP's constituency worked) before the children came and ate up all my spare time, wouldn't stand for the council if I were you, I found local politics too too petty for words

if you are a Lib Dem, or would be, they do a work shadowing scheme for women where you shadow an existing MP. I don't know about the other parties but I bet they have womens' associations, and or candidates' associations who would tell you

the slog of unwinnable seats is the classic route in, but not the only one. Even the lib dems, not known for our collection of safe seats have Matthew Taylor, Don Foster, Lembit Opik, all orginally selected a v short notice before a General Election

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