How out of touch are our MPs? Sir Nicholas Winterton, a Tory MP for Macclesfield, and standing down at the next election, argues that MPs should still be allowed to travel in first class because the rest of us, who travel in ’standard’ class, are a ‘totally different type of people’.
Really?
Talking on Radio 5 Live today he said:
If I was in standard class I would not do work because people would be looking over your shoulder the entire time, there would be noise, there would be distraction… There’s lots of children, there’s noise, there’s activity. I like to have peace and quiet when I’m travelling. (source: BBC News)
Well don’t we all, Nicholas. Lots of us – myself included – work when we’re travelling. Lots of us would like peace and quiet and no distractions, but we have to make do with plugging into an iPod to block out everyone else.
MPs are the only people in any position to really do anything about the state of the railways in this country, and they should be forced to travel like the vast majority of us – in so-called ’standard’ class. Perhaps then they’ll see how most of their constituents (a ‘totally different type of people’) live their lives.
I want to be represented by someone who is the same ‘type’ of person as me. How else could they ever fight for those things that interest and concern me?
Like seats on trains, quiet coaches and a service that runs on time.
Image courtesy of M. Holland
