Julian Robertson, spokesperson for the Northern Ireland Conservatives, today welcomed a fresh call from the Committee on Standards in Public Life to end the practice of double-jobbing by politicians.
“For far too long politicians have been getting away with double-jobbing as MLAs and MPs. Currently 50% of our MPs in Northern Ireland have a dual mandate and it simply isn’t possible for them to do the best possible job in two separate positions. Some of our more honest politicians are prepared to admit this, with the SDLP’s outgoing leader, Margaret Ritchie, being a perfect example.”
“We can’t continue to tolerate the current situation where elected representatives do two full-time jobs in a half-baked fashion, rather than doing one properly. Northern Ireland’s particularly poor record on double-jobbing is a throw-back to the bad old days and a type of politics which should be consigned to the past. The public deserves better service from its politicians.”
“The Standards Committee recommends that parties should take action to stop double-jobbing themselves. Unfortunately, in Northern Ireland, the Stormont parties did pledge to end double-jobbing, but then, after the electioneering had finished, carried on regardless. The public don’t appreciate being taken for fools and if the parties can’t be trusted, as the committee observes, there may be no option but to legislate on the matter.”