Nothing that could have prepared me for the experience of actually sitting on those green benches (Picture: House of Commons/UK Parliament/PA Wire)
Of all the things I expected I might have to buy after being elected as a new MP, I didn’t think I’d genuinely have to consider earplugs.
But since entering the House of Commons in July, I’ve been shocked by the sheer decibel level as people shout at the top of their lungs in an old, echoey chamber.
In this week’s debates on winter fuel allowance, the chamber was nearly shaking with MPs’ shouting, and heckling.
It’s no surprise to anyone that Parliament has a culture problem. It didn’t stop me standing to represent the people of Bristol Central, because I got elected to change things.
But as a newly elected MP, there is nothing that could have prepared me for the experience of actually sitting on those green benches surrounded by hundreds of politicians braying and booing at each other.
And so my message to Keir Starmer is: If you are serious about your pledges to restore trust in politics, and put the needs of the country over the interests of the Labour Party, then he must lead a cross-party effort to make our Parliamentary system fit for the 21st Century.
Frankly it’s been disappointing to see how much time is spent in Parliament on the same old Punch and Judy theatrics rather than finding genuine solutions and building consensus.
Public trust has been eroded so severely in politics (Picture: Carla Denyer)
Like everyone else, I’ve seen this on TV and recoiled at the childishness of it.
But there is something quite different, and far more visceral, seeing (and hearing) it in 3D. The Commons Chamber is so much smaller in real life than it appears on a screen.
Amid the winter fuel debate, Conservatives were pretending that suddenly they care about the impact of austerity cuts on poor and vulnerable people, despite 14 years of insisting there is no alternative.
And Labour, now in government, have copied the old Conservative script of ‘the last government spent too much money.’
These two sides seem to genuinely enjoy laying into each other while the rest of the population just watches in disbelief.
And this bad behaviour isn’t limited to how they treat each other, it’s in how the big parties often treat their own MPs too.
When there is a big vote in Parliament, the Labour whips stand at the doors of the voting lobbies literally just shouting, ‘Labour to the right, Labour to the right, Labour to the right.’
It seems that the days are over of whips physically cajoling MPs into voting the way they’re told, but the government is clearly still a long, long way from trusting their backbenchers to vote according to their consciences, as I believe most of their constituents would want them to do.
Public trust has been eroded so severely in politics that only 23% of people trust Parliament.
All MPs should have room to sit down in the chamber (Picture: JESSICA TAYLOR/UK PARLIAMENT/AFP via Getty Images)
A whopping, but not unsurprising, 79% of people say the system of governing Britain could be improved ‘quite a lot’ or ‘a great deal’.
I’ve never agreed more.
The new Labour government has announced a Modernisation Committee that will bring many changes to the way that Parliament works – or so I hope.
The previous Modernisation Committee, during the Blair government, brought changes such as Parliament sitting at sensible times of day, procedural improvements, and using Westminster Hall to allow backbench MPs more time for debates.
But I worry this new committee could become a rubber stamping exercise on the government’s own proposals, rather than a genuine attempt to bring politicians together from all parties to actually improve the way our system works.
The committee’s makeup doesn’t give me much hope.
Of the 14 committee members, there will be nine Labour MPs, three Conservatives, and two Lib Dems – all hand picked by their party leaders.
That means not a single MP will be allowed to take part from the Green Party, SNP, Plaid Cymru, or other smaller parties or independents.
So while I hope the Committee makes some positive changes, I’m not expecting groundbreaking reforms such as giving more time and opportunity for the smaller parties, or my Green colleague Ellie Chowns’ apparently controversial proposal that all MPs should have room to sit down in the chamber!
I fear it will be business as usual, with Labour and Conservatives maintaining the cosy Westminster rules that allow them to take turns to run the country while blaming each other for the mess they’ve both created.
Despite the toxic culture, our four Green MPs have been elected to Parliament to shake things up and work towards a better world.
We are here thanks to the nearly 2million people who, despite all the flaws in our political system, went against the odds and placed their hope in us.
So while it might not be easy being Green – the voting system protects the two main parties, the rules are stacked against us, and other MPs shout us down – we will stick firm to our principles and always keep pushing the government to be braver and bolder.
And if the government can listen and work with the smaller parties, then we can truly put country over party to fix the broken culture in Parliament, together.
Do you have a story you’d like to share? Get in touch by emailing Ross.Mccafferty@metro.co.uk.
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