Ding Dong ... Sir Stuart Bell
Posted: Tue Feb 14, 2012 10:09 pm
Data journalism combines with investigative journalism to leave an elusive MP with questions to answer
Ding Dong ... Sir Stuart Bell has some questions to answer
What’s the best way to rate an MP’s performance on behalf of his or her constituents? The number of times they have voted in parliament is one way, as is the number of times they’ve stood up and spoken in parliament. But most MPs, when faced with such data (if not positive about them) would argue there’s much, much more to being a constituency MP than just talking in the chamber.
And they would be right, to a point. Which is why I wanted to flag up this rather excellent piece of investigative journalism from the Evening Gazette in Middlesbrough, which has been doing some digging into Labour grandee and local MP Sir Stuart Bell’s performance.
Sir Stuart’s performance in the Commons chamber, according to theyworkforyou.com, is below average. But the Gazette has established that Sir Stuart hasn’t held a constituency surgery for 14 years. He is made even harder to contact by the fact he doesn’t have a constituency office
http://davidhiggerson.wordpress.com/201 ... to-answer/