Letter from Parliament - Simon Danczuk MP

Simon Danczuk MP welcomed Retail Ready People to Rochdale

There are many things that trouble me about our parliamentary democracy.

Real change is painfully slow to come about, too many politicians are more answerable to the party machine than their electorate and there’s far too much apathy among voters to name a few. But the most worrying thing troubling me of late is the fact that a long-haired, drug addled comedian is being hailed as the answer to all our problems. The idea of Russell Brand leading some sort of revolutionary charge to change our political system is ridiculous. Yet ever since he appeared on Newsnight arguing with Jeremy Paxman about why he’ll never vote, the media have been hanging on his every word.

I’m the last person to pay much attention to millionaire, celebrity comedians, but I have to admit Brand is right about one thing, democracy is in crisis. The fastest growing party in the UK is the apathy party and there is a danger that one of the oldest democracies in the world is sinking under a tide of cynicism.

Healthy scepticism is a vital part of democracy. But these days we’re way beyond that. A mood of anti-politics risks discrediting a thousand year history from Magna Carta to universal suffrage. The vote that people died for has become devalued – and politicians have to try harder to explain to local people the value of politics.

This is why I meet as many people as possible, hold regular surgeries, public debating sessions and always explain what I’m doing locally and in Parliament on their behalf. Whether it be voting to stop Britain going to war in Syria or to secure an energy price freeze, or action locally to represent victims of grooming, scrutinise regeneration efforts, try to support local business and job creation and raise money for local charities, I believe I’m doing what the vast majority of people want.

As long as I’m Rochdale’s MP it will be a partnership with local people and I am always willing to listen and learn on how they can be better represented.

Our Parliamentary system is not perfect, but is much better than many other countries. Sri Lanka, where I am trying to get justice for a Rochdale Red Cross Worker killed there, is an example of a terrible system.

If, like Brand and others, we give up on democracy then we should be careful what we wish for. We won’t end up with a “revolution of consciousness” that Brand talks about; we’ll have a dictatorship.