Gemma from Torpoint and more confusion about the role of MPs

It must seem like I’m picking on Sherrly Murray? Barely a week into this blog and this will be my second post about her! Well, I’m not – I’m using her behaviour as an example of how our expectations of MPs are not what our MPs should be doing.


Sherrly Murray made headlines when it released that she had been drinking at the House of Commons and was rude to a doorman. Murray denies the claim – fair enough, there is no reason to disbelieve her.

However, the comments section of thisisplymouth.co.uk (showing an article from The Herald) had some interesting comments.

Gemma, from Torpoint, said that this was a classic case of people jumping on the ‘we hate MPs bandwagon’. As if – If I was drinking at work I would lose my job, as I suspect would many others. But Gemma showed a complete misunderstanding for the role of an MP. Her comments can be found here.

For Murrays defence Gemma stated ‘Once in a 'surgery' to discuss why I a well educated, community spirited young woman was out of work for 11 months with no 'break' Sheryl was amazing and I am so pleased to say I am in full time employment and very grateful for her support and encouragement. Sheryl also helped judge a dog show I organised’. Great – organising a dog show is good community work. But it did nothing to help her decide which way to vote in the House of Commons – that is, after all, her job.

The job of an MP is not to organise dog shows. Although, this may form part of their research, but to man the House of Commons, to vote there, and to hold the government to account.

In a previous post, I raised this issue in another form; that we need to support our MPs far more with the kind of evidence that they need to work effectively in the commons. Gemma’s comments perhaps sum this up – it’s all OK because Sherlly organised a dog show.

The longer we continue to look at the ‘community work’ out MPs do – and the less scrunity we place on their appearances at the house – then governments will be able to get away with far more than they should.