In a post on this blog last year, I looked at the lack of activity from Gordon Brown after the General Election. I noted that he hasn’t done much in parliament and there is little evidence of work in his constituency. This is interesting when you consider the following quote from this Guardian article:
“So he’s not tempted by a few lucrative directorships and a peerage? Brown is appalled at the idea. “I am not going to the House of Lords. Never. That’s not who I am. That’s not where I am. I want to do something for Kirkcaldy and Fife. I am a full-time MP, not a businessman.””
This post not only follows on from what I have posted previously, but it also marks the beginning of a series called ‘Brown Watch’. Whenever the member for Kirkcaldy or Cowdenbeath does something he was elected to do, I will report it. I will also take note of the amount of work he does (or appearances that he makes) that aren’t MP-related.
Photo taken by Downing Street photographer (Creative Commons, Flickr)
Recent Activity
I don’t want to go into too much detail about what I put in my previous post as it’s still available to read. However, the following is a summary of his activity between the GE and ‘Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath’s missing MP’ (December 2010):
- Seconded one Early Day Motion (acknowledging Dundee United’s success in the Scottish Cup)
- Only taken part in four days of voting
- Only done one speech (about Rosyth being the dockyard to refit aircraft carriers)
- Not introduced any Private Member’s Bills
- Hasn’t been present at any session of Prime Minister’s Questions
- Little evidence of constituency activity
Since then, he has done more – but not much. The following is what he has done (so far) this year:
- Received nine written answers to questions that he has asked (7 in February, 2 in March)
- No Private Members Bills submitted
- No Early Day Motions seconded or supported
- Has taken part in no debates
- Has not attended any sessions of Prime Ministers Questions
Voting record
Since May 6th, 2010, Brown has only attended 40 out of 286 votes (14%), which is substantially below the average of other MPs. In 2011, he has only attended 18 days of voting and, on all occasions, he has followed the party line (unsurprising).
Other activity
Since my previous post, there has been little or no evidence of constituency activity. I can find no relevant news items and his website doesn’t have dates on the articles.
At the end of last year, he was appointed as the inaugural ‘Distinguished Leader In Residence’ at New York University. He has already taken part in discussions on globalisation and the economy.
According to Journalisted, he has written 12 articles for media outlets, such as the Guardian, Independent and the Financial Times. He will probably be receiving a noteworthy amount of money for his contributions.
IMF
Many people believe that he is suitable to replace Dominique Strauss-Kahn as the Chairman of the International Monetary Fund on the strength of his performance during the economic crisis. It’s worth noting that his approach to banking regulation played a part in the United Kingdom’s failure to adequately recover.
Finally…
Gordon Brown continues with his lack of parliamentary activity since the General Election. He said that he will be a “full time MP” and “not a businessman”, but this is a blatent lie. Instead, he is profiting from his legacy and not representing the people who elected him. For someone who claims to have a strong moral compass, this is scandalous.
So, what do you think?