What are our MPs for?

I was struck to ask the above question after I was delivered a leaflet last week, from my Parish Council, inviting me to meet my Conservative MP, David Warburton on Saturday 21st April between 10.30-11.30, at our village hall to raise concerns with him about - and I quote from the leaflet:-

Potholes, planning, broadband, mobile phone coverage, school transport, housing, education, drainage, rural isolation, the NHS and ice and snow.

Does anyone reading this seriously believe that these are topics that should concern our MPs?

My answer is unequivocal, that these are issues that should be dealt with by local politicians leaving our MPs to concentrate predominately on matters of national and international concern. With Brexit very likely to lead to a self inflicted economic hit as our government struggles to come up with a coherent policy to leave the political EU but maintain our trade, I do not want my MP wasting his time on the the issue of potholes.

Our second demand for 'Real Local Democracy' states - 'The foundation of our democracy shall be the counties ( or other local units as may be defined), which shall become constitutional bodies exercising under the control of their peoples all powers of legislation, taxation, and administration not specifically granted by the people to the national government.'

Under our proposals local politicians take on real responsibilities and have a proper job of work to do serving their local communities, thus driving up the calibre of the individuals concerned, leaving MPs, who we propose reducing from 650 to around 400, able to concentrate on matters concerning our nation state.

So is it Potholes or Brexit?

I know which of the two I want my MP to concentrate on especially given the astounding amount of raw ignorance there is at Westminster over the basics of Brexit as our MPs struggle to comprehend the differences between leaving the political EU but maintain the important existing levels of trade that we currently benefit from within the Single Market.