it from me. We’ve got a bit of time left before your next bit of induction so I’ll be happy to take any questions you may wish to ask. Fire away. Perhaps you could introduce yourselves at the same time.’
‘Hello Mr. Ling’,
‘George please’,
‘Hello George. My name is Leonie Chichester, I’m the member for Neath, in South Wales. Until now I’ve been working as a civil servant at GCHQ in Cheltenham. I’m not even sure I’m supposed to tell you that, come to think of it, but perhaps parliamentary privilege overrules the Official Secrets Act? I’m only thirty so, for me, the old system is only a vague memory but, on the other hand, it is something much spoken about at work. Many of the old guard feel that the modern system has made us less able to react quickly to emergencies. What are your thoughts on this?’
‘Well, Leonie, this has been a recurring subject over the past ten years and, I daresay, will continue to be so. I suppose my view is that, historically, the ability of a small clique of government to make far reaching decisions on national security has not been to our advantage. The question relates to one of the CTD’s original mandate principles, vis, the larger the electorate, the better the decision. In the twentieth century, and at the beginning of this century, Britain became involved in a great number of conflicts around the world. Many were just causes, and many weren’t, but all had one common factor. We were sent to war without consultation. This meant that there would always be doubt in the nation about the decision and this could, at the very least, be used by detractors and pressure groups to undermine what may well have been very lucid and convincing arguments for involvement. I think that, if we are going to be involved in anything other than a defense of our own land, it is essential to have the whole country supporting the action through a democratic referendum. One other important element to take into account is the role of the armed forces in our democracy. Previously there was a very close relationship between the ‘generals’ and government. Armed forces, by their very nature, want to go out and show how good they are at fighting wars. So, when asked for their opinion late at night in some crisis room or other would tend to project an optimistic scenario that imagined a nice quick military solution to any given problem. Unfortunately, many politicians of the past were all too willing to agree with these people, and happy to take advice which they could later use in defence of their actions. I prefer a more considered approach.
Incidentally, new members such as yourself who have particular knowledge about something, such as national security, should not be shy to introduce themselves to the various committee groups that meet to discuss these issues. You’ll find a list of these in your induction notes.’
‘Anyone else?’
‘Hello George. My name is Indra Chowdary. I was a call centre worker in Portsmouth, and now I’m here representing that city. I’m thirty two, so, like Leonie, I didn’t have much experience of the old system. I’m the son of Indian immigrants, although I’ve never been to India and consider myself to be completely British.
I live in a pretty run-down part of Portsmouth. There’s a lot of unemployment and not a lot of well-paid work and, to me, nothing much seems to have changed over the last ten years. Can you comment on this?’
‘Portsmouth is one of quite a few cities and regions around the country that, one could say, have not really benefited yet from the modern system. The reason is that the demilitarisation of the past ten years has really badly hit areas, like Portsmouth, that relied on the Navy, Army or Air Force activity in those areas. On the other hand, for you to say that things have not changed much at least suggests that things are not getting worse, so I find that encouraging. Don’t forget that we are still very much in the economic doldrums and far from achieving some of the targets outlined by progressive governments. Perhaps you and your new colleagues will have something to say about that?
‘That’s all very well, but I’ve got no education to speak of and I can’t see myself making great speeches like some of the MPs we see on telly. How am I going to make a difference to anything?
‘Just by being you. By voting for things that you think are important. Your vote weighs the same as any other member and, when your constituents see you voting for their interests, rather than for the interests of some other pressure group, and there are plenty of those by the way, then they will thank you for it.
The discussion went on for some time. George Ling had noticed that, by comparison to the first few times he’d been asked to take part in this induction process, there were far fewer questions about the philosophical role of the modern parliament and far more about what could, or should, be done by this system. Perhaps it had now come of age and was accepted as the way things were. He certainly hoped so. It had been a long road.
Eventually the group split up and went back to their ‘residences’, flats by any other name, dotted around West London, or, in the case of Amelia St. Beuve, back to the family home in Dagenham.
Imogen Black and John Parker had swapped numbers and, subject to anything more important happening, arranged to meet up at the pub later that evening.
Everybody was, to some degree, suffering from shell-shock. Each drawn away from their natural environment at the whim of a lottery and now each beginning to understand the enormous importance of their new role, and worrying about how they would fit in.
Still, the real work didn’t start for another few days so, hopefully, the rest of the induction would make things a bit more obvious. After all, it wasn’t as if they were the first new MPs of the modern age. There had already been more than eighteen hundred who had served or were still serving and there was some comfort in that.
Imogen and John had arranged to meet at the Bell and Crown on the river, a pub both of them knew from an earlier life. Imogen had been a student in London and John had often had building jobs in the West End. Neither had ever had the full and certain knowledge of a substantial salary stretching four years into the future though, and this was to be celebrated.
John Parker, in his late forties and with a slight limp, the result of a roof-fall some years before sat contentedly, holding his pint with an ear to ear grin on his, as Imogen already thought it, handsome face.
‘Do you know. I can’t ever remember getting my round in without thinking, on some level, how much that left me to live on’
‘Nor me. Life as a barmaid in Bungay has its attractions but good pay is not one of them. How weird is it to be getting about forty thousand a year after tax, and the rent paid as well. It’s going to take a bit of getting used to. I can already understand why those old bastards used to try and hang onto their jobs, even if it meant selling their souls. I found those presentations today really interesting. How about you?
I’ve been a self-employed builder all my life just about. When there’s been work I’ve often made quite a bit, on a weekly basis, but there’s always the lean times to allow for so I’ve never felt confident about money. I’ve never owned a house because I could never really show how the mortgage would be repaid and now it’s probably too late, although I suppose this lot may make a difference.
‘So, what do you think of it all so far, Immogen. Just to repeat my unanswered question.’
‘Well, I’m feeling quite excited by the whole thing. I’ve always been interested in environmental issues, the effects of global warming in particular. This new position I find myself in might give me a real chance to boost the speed
