§ Mr. Allen Adams (Paisley)I beg to move,
That leave be given to bring in a Bill to prohibit Members of Parliament from holding any paid office or post whilst they are sitting Members of the House of Commons, other than the post to which they were elected.I am deeply touched by the support that I have had for my proposed Bill from solicitors, barristers, Lloyd's underwriters, accountants and company directors who have made it clear to me that they are perfectly prepared to make all sorts of sacrifices for the unemployed. The Bill is essentially about unemployment and the unemployed. It is a plea to Members of Parliament not only to speak for the unemployed, but, to use the commonly used phrase, to put their money where their mouth is.It is appropriate at this time to talk about unemployment and about people's jobs. Only last week it was announced by the Scottish Office that 305,000 people in Scotland are unemployed. In my constituency, the figures clearly show that unemployment is now running at 16 per cent. For the benefit of Conservative Members, I shall convert that into simple figures and say that one in six people in Paisley, Renfrew and West Glasgow are now without a job. Those figures will echo down the corridors of time and stand out boldly as an epitaph on the Government's tombstone. Yet with all the misery, squalor and deprivation that those figures imply, right hon. and hon. Members not only are not without a job, but have one, two, three, four and, in some cases, even six jobs.
As you have said, Mr. Speaker—and I recollect your words—it is a well-known fact that there are no hypocrites in the House. I wonder whether the people outside this place realise that—I am speaking of the people who missed your remarks, Mr. Speaker. I wonder whether the man in Paisley, Dundee, Kilmarnock or Glasgow who has been on the dole for two or three years and who has four or five children thinks that way, or whether he believes that there is a great deal of hypocrisy in someone here talking about unemployment and its deprivations and crying crocodile tears. He says to himself "It is all very well for those people. Not only are they Members of Parliament, but they have two or three other jobs as well, probably bringing in £70,000 or £80,000 a year".
What good does that do for Parliament, or for the credibility of Parliament? When we tell people that we care, let us prove that we care by saying that we will relinquish all outside interests, save the money that we get from the position to which we were elected. If we were prepared to do that, the standing of this House in the eyes of ordinary people would be immeasurably and immediately enhanced.
The title of the Bill demonstrates what I seek to achieve. I am seeking to protect the integrity of the House, which is greatly diminished—as I shall repeat again and again—by the fact that people weep crocodile tears over the plight of 3 million people while having three or four jobs that bring in substantial sums of money. I could go on to say—quite apart from the financial remuneration—that if we did our job properly as Members 700 of Parliament and looked after our constituents adequately, there would be no time to go to Lloyd's, the Bank of England, or anywhere else: we should be here.
The Bill demands that Members of Parliament treat their occupation as a full-time job. That is the kernel of the Bill. There are two basic arguments in support of the Bill. First, it would bring to the House something that I suspect is missing—an element of professionalism. Far too many right hon. and hon. Members treat the House as a hobby, a place to go to when the law courts close at 4 o'clock. The public are not as stupid and unaware as we think. That attitude demeans the whole standing of the House, and it is something that the House should rectify immediately.
Of course, I do not expect Conservative Members to support me. The present system was instituted and supported by Tories, and it is manned by Tories for the perpetuation of Tory and capitalist policies. Therefore, I expect Conservative Members to vote against the Bill. In the main, I am addressing my remarks not to Conservative Members, but to this side of the House. After all, the Labour Party has been in existence for 75 years. In that time, we have been in Government for 20 years. Yet a party that is constitutionally and spiritually committed to secure the best possible means of administration has done nothing to prevent its own members from earning cash from outside jobs, and it is high time that it did. To do otherwise would not be consistent with our aims and purposes. Containing and rolling back the Friedmanite plague which has recently descended upon us can only be consistent with securing a comprehensive Socialist strategy. The fullest involvement of Members of Parliament in the Chamber demands their exclusive and perpetual attention. It demands constant monitoring to oversee its practical implications.
The Bill is one factor; there are many others. It is part of a major review that is taking place inside people's minds in the parliamentary Labour Party, and also in the minds of people in the country. They want Members of Parliament to be fully committed. I shall not name names or pick out any special groups—except one. Let people search their own consciences and souls. There is a group of people in the House who were elected as Labour Members of Parliament. For their own reasons, they decided that it was not appropriate to remain within the Labour Party. They hailed themselves as the vanguard of the working class. They said that they were the new representatives of the working people. I am sure it is no mystery to you, Mr. Speaker, about whom I am speaking. I am referring to the so-called Social Democratic Party—the so-called representative of ordinary people. I wish to quote a wee catalogue of its interests—
§ Mr. SpeakerOrder. I trust that the hon. Gentleman will make his wee catalogue a very wee catalogue, because time is running out.
§ Mr. AdamsI have great respect for you, Mr. Speaker, so I shall do as you ask. I am not pillorying any particular group; I merely cite an example. Members of the Social Democratic Party have among them eight directorships, the ownership of one company, two consultancies and sponsorships in a number of legal practices. All the parties 701 in the House are in a similar situation. That is no longer acceptable to the people of Britain. The House should seek to change it.
§ Question put:—
§ The House divided: Ayes 74, Noes 155.
| Division No. 235] | [3.43 pm |
| AYES | |
| Adams, Allen | Lewis, Ron (Carlisle) |
| Allaun, Frank | Lofthouse, Geoffrey |
| Ashton, Joe | Lyon, Alexander (York) |
| Atkinson, N. (H'gey,) | McKay, Allen (Penistone) |
| Booth, Rt Hon Albert | McTaggart, Robert |
| Brown, R. C. (N'castle W) | Marks, Kenneth |
| Buchan, Norman | Marshall, Dr Edmund (Goole) |
| Callaghan, Jim (Midd't'n & p) | Meacher, Michael |
| Campbell-Savours, Dale | Mitchell, Austin (Grimsby) |
| Canavan, Dennis | Morris, Rt Hon A. (W'shawe) |
| Carmichael, Neil | Morris, Rt Hon C. (O'shaw) |
| Clark, Dr David (S Shields) | Morton, George |
| Cryer, Bob | Park, George |
| Cunliffe, Lawrence | Powell, Raymond (Ogmore) |
| Dean, Joseph (Leeds West) | Prescott, John |
| Dempsey, James | Race, Reg |
| Dixon, Donald | Radice, Giles |
| Dubs, Alfred | Roberts, Albert (Normanton) |
| Duffy, A. E. P. | Roberts, Ernest (Hackney N) |
| Eadie, Alex | Sheerman, Barry |
| Eastham, Ken | Short, Mrs Renée |
| Ellis, R. (NE D'bysh're) | Skinner, Dennis |
| Evans, loan (Aberdare) | Soley, Clive |
| Evans, John (Newton) | Spearing, Nigel |
| Fletcher, Ted (Darlington) | Spriggs, Leslie |
| Forrester, John | Stoddart, David |
| Foster, Derek | Taylor, Mrs Ann (Bolton W) |
| Foulkes, George | Thomas, Dr R. (Carmarthen) |
| Graham, Ted | Willey, Rt Hon Frederick |
| Grant, George (Morpeth) | Wilson, Gordon (Dundee E) |
| Hamilton, James (Bothwell) | Winnick, David |
| Harrison, Rt Hon Walter | Woodall, Alec |
| Haynes, Frank | Woolmer, Kenneth |
| Homewood, William | Wright, Sheila |
| Hooley, Frank | Young, David (Bolton E) |
| Hughes, Roy (Newport) | |
| Jay, Rt Hon Douglas | Tellers for the Ayes: |
| Lamond, James | Mr. Ernie Ross and |
| Leighton, Ronald | Mr. William McKelvey. |
| NOES | |
| Adley, Robert | Braine, Sir Bernard |
| Aitken, Jonathan | Brinton, Tim |
| Alexander, Richard | Brooke, Hon Peter |
| Ancram, Michael | Brown, Michael (Brigg & Sc'n) |
| Atkins, Robert (Preston N) | Browne, John (Winchester) |
| Baker, Nicholas (N Dorset) | Buck, Antony |
| Banks, Robert | Budgen, Nick |
| Beaumont-Dark, Anthony | Carlisle, John (Luton West) |
| Bendall, Vivian | Carlisle, Kenneth (Lincoln) |
| Benyon, W. (Buckingham) | Chapman, Sydney |
| Berry, Hon Anthony | Clark, Hon A. (Plym'th, S'n) |
| Blackburn, John | Clark, Sir W. (Croydon S) |
| Body, Richard | Clegg, Sir Walter |
| Boscawen, Hon Robert | Cockeram, Eric |
| Bottomley, Peter (W'wich W) | Colvin, Michael |
| Bradley, Tom | Cope, John |
§ Question accordingly negatived.