Where in the world is Lady Sylvia Hermon? (5)
Still, it's worth pointing out, just for the record (and for the eccentric few who actually do care about Northern Ireland's voice being heard at Westminster) that the member for North Down has now racked up her century.
Drum roll please ..... the 'independently minded' Lady has participated in 0 votes out of 102 during this parliament. Count 'em! Even Alasdair McDonnell, a notoriously work-shy member has notched up 24 votes.
An extraordinary record anyone would surely agree. Even at the Spending Review announcement and the subsequent debate, which will surely affect even the prosperous denizens of the Gold Coast, Hermon was conspicuous by her absence.
How long will this record continue before it's flagged up outside a handful of blogs? Have the local papers in North Down expressed any concern? There hasn't been a peep in the regional press.
Update: In the comments zone Bob Wilson points out that Hermon didn't even make it to the Northern Ireland Select Committee considering a cut in Corporation Tax.
Comments
Rather ironically when I put in a search on here name there, it came up with: "Syntax error (missing operator)"
Be fair to Alaisdair though being a Monday he wanted to be at the Assembly so couldnt make it either
Life's hard for these double jobbers!
Bob Wilson
In fact SF are acting better than Hermon - they don't get salaries because they abstain. We do pay Hermons.
Compare what enthusiastic representation one would have had from Parsley or a DUP person.
I am no DUP fan but the DUP do turn up and take it seriously. Hermon doesn't.
The DUP backed Hermon. She should attend in the good way that they do.
Wilson has attended 55% of votes, Simpson 61%, Shannon 57%, Paisley Jnr 46%, Long 51%, McDonnell 24%,, Donaldson 64%, Campbell 46%, and Ritchie 26%, they are recorded on theyworkforyou.com as "well below average.
Durkan 68% McCrea 70% and Dodds 74% are the best but still recorded as "below average".
So are they all useless?????? Not even one manages to be "average".
They do not elect her to traipse over to Westminster. They expect her to be in North Down, listening and caring, not being involved in petty party politics.
As far as the quality of representation for NI is concerned I would have to rate Mark Durkan as excellent - I was just watching one of his masterful speeches today (1 Nov) on the issue of parliamentary boundaries. He is highly regarded and his points generated a lot of discussion. I think Mark Durkan is a great representative of NI and I say that even though I am unionist not nationalist.
If Hermon were to turn up (which of course she hadn't) she might have been able to say something about constituency sizes, something that affects us in NI. But frankly I am beginning to doubt if she has anything to say. What is the point of her?