Louise Mensch resigns...

[propercharlie]

too hard to balance famaily life :(

And when someone admits that they haven't read the whole thread but comes on to lecture everyone else, including the many people whose posts they "couldn't be arsed to read", it really pisses me off.

Gosh,her husband is old. (Have googled - eurgh.)

No accounting for tastes.

Also, she didn't "stop a lucrative career". She's continued writing alongside her work as an MP, and has found time to launch an Internet start-up in the US as well.

She is resigning to live with her husband in New York. Thats it really, nothing to do with balancing life with her children.

"She is the living incarnation of Pandora Braithwaite from the Adrian Mole series."

OMG bang on! That has made my day

True, mindosa.But the kids make a convenient excuse whereas the husband would just sound selfish.

I suspect, along with others, that it is neither the hubby nor the kids which are the real reason, but either a scandal about to break here (trad reason for spending more time with one's family) or more likely the pull of as yet unknown better career opportunities in the US. Time will tell. Maybe we're being unfair and no career will emerge there (or attempt at one), and she will be photographed on endless trips to the park with her kids. Can't see it myself for one so blatantly ambitious, but maybe the leopard has genuinely changed its spots.

If the kids are just a cover, I think it's a bit mean to tar other women with the 'can't cope' brush.

Has anyone found out yet if her ex husband who is the young children's main care giver is also moving to NY and if her children will go with her to NY or whether she is just going there for sex with her OAP husband and because he is very rich and MPs and writing tends to be paid peanuts?

Not sure why people are surprised that she has resigned rather than her DH. MP salary is approx £66k.

Peter Mensch owns his own management company, and manages some very, very high profile acts - Metallica, Jimmy Page, RHCP, Muse, Josh Groban. I can't imagine any scenario where his earnings are eclipsed by hers???

But squidgy, HER job is more important.
And, once again, depressing that people of their wealth and stature make life decisions based on how to get EVEN more money...

I predict a tax avoidance scandal is imminent.

More important to who?

Considering that her capability as an MP has been constantly questioned, and her popularity with her own constituents appears to me minimal, I would argue the opposite.

Had she have had a massive impact, and used her position to campaign for worthy causes I may have felt differently. As it is, I don't see that she is going to be any loss at all to UK politics.

And its not necessarily making a decision to increase their existing wealth, but may be a decision reached because it is the most logical and practical solution to a problem. Just because somebody has a higher profile and perhaps more income than the majority, it doesn't mean the same problems don't arise for them. If my DH lived and worked in another country, it would be most practical for me to move to him as he earns at least double what I do. That's not to say my job isn't equally important to his, just that his earnings would sustain our lifestyle, where mine wouldn't.

She entered into a contract with the electorate and swore an oath to serve their interests. It should be for the electorate to decide when she goes. I am sure the people of Corby are happy she has gone but it sits uneasily that she has gone to chase the money, breaking up a family unit in the process, to be with an old man who she hero worships. These are not valid reasons in my opinion.

How do you know she has broken up a family? Are you closely connected to her Ex? (Who just so happens to be American with ties to New York, where she plans to move). What makes you assume she 'hero worships' her DH? Do you know either of them? Have you tried sustaining a relationship with you each living on different continents, with an ocean between you?

I entered into a contract with my employers, as did everybody who is employed. It doesn't mean that they can prevent me from leaving.

If it were a man in this situation, this debate would be very very different.

Did you read the quote up thread where she said (direct quote) "I hero worship him" and talks about branding herself with his name?

The debate would not be different if it was a man. The scenario would still be one adult taking the children away from their other parent and abandoning a long-term public commitment for the sake of lust and money.

The debate with you would be easier if you actually read what has been written.

Her ex is Anglo-Italian.

Its either

1. She has a movie deal in the US.

um.. or

1. Boris wants to be an MP now,
2. She has realised that you can't be a feminist and a tory, so after publicly supporting the lib dems and nick clegg, is leaving her seat to labour, making a withering "frustrated" remark to david cameron.

What exactly has she done in her short term career as an MP. Not a lot by the sound of it. And let's face it. Everything Louise Bagshawe does is for the benefit of Louise Bagshawe and nobody else.

If it was any other constituency I'd hope it was 2 just for comedy value.

As it is I'm hoping it's option 1 or 3.

luckywinner Do you know anything about Louise Mensch at all? Apart from the fact that she's a woman and therefore we should all be blind to things such as her voting record, attendance record in Parliament and her constituency, work she has done on behalf of constituents, contributions to Parliamentary debates, searching questions she asked the Murdochs as a member of the Culture, Media and Sport sub-committee? *

Basically, the boring things that MPs do when they're not promoting themselves on Newsnight and Twitter?

• that was a trick question btw. But she did remind James Murdoch they had children the same age. Maybe she was angling for playdate.

ROFL at Pandora Braithwaite.

I liked her standing up to trolls thing. Remember reading about her home life and puzzling how on earth the NY/London/Corby set up could work long term.

Good thing that can come out of this

1. Looking at demands on MPs with young families. Debating whether this a reason why we have so few female MPs and should /can more be done to accommodate.

I don't support / not support LM because she is a woman. I consider myself a feminist. This doesn't mean I automatically agree with or support all decisions made by all women. I get frustrated when I'm am meant to blindly agree with someone because of the "sisterhood".

My DH doesn't agree with everything another man says because of their gender. IMO it is not a sign of feminism principle to think we should be supportive of LM just because of her gender.

If family life is so important, why didn't her husband move to the UK?

Are you in Corby, Woolly?

It may be both 1 and 3
:)

Making this a debate about balancing family life is ridiculous. She is trying to dress it up as this but ultimately she wants to live with the husband she her worships/gets botox for/dresses up for (her words, not mine)

Thats absolutely fine but say its this and dont try and dress it up as something sanctimonious. Hopefully this is the last we hear of her.

I cant read those type of books. If I am reading trashy novels, I want proper good trash, Jeffrey Archer, Jilly Cooper, Barbara Taylor Bradford etc

This is all rather silly.

Her DH lives in the US.

She is moving herself and kids to be there ( they aren't his kids as far as I know.)

Looks pretty straightforward. Balancing work and home can mean you can't work in London ( as an MP or anything) and commute to the US as well.

Her writing is a separate issue and I don't see why is matters here so much- unless maybe some people are jealous that she is pretty?