Qualifications, training, and re-validation for MP's

The success of a country is judged by objective markers depicting economic, industrial, social, and cultural output, alongside the health and well-being of its citizens.

The only mechanism people have to potentially secure this success is through the quality of a nation's operating democracy, and the central law making body at its heart. The latter is elected by 'informal promises' to hopefully achieve the best outcomes. In Britain's case, this duty falls on the workings of the House of Commons and ultimately by the quality of the party in government, supported in essence by a balance of 650 elected members of Parliament representing the regions and people of Britain.

The British Parliament has been a historical role model, but deep and ongoing problems are now present. The system for electing MPs has not effectively changed for hundreds of years, the duties of an MP are not clearly defined and no task obligations are written down. This casual state is unheard of in every other walk of life. Many events are now challenging these loose foundations, change is badly needed to refresh and update the principles by which the Commons, government, and particularly MPs work. This is to ensure we have the most responsive central legislature that is fully equipped and in touch with a rapidly changing country, its people, as well as a very fast-moving highly technical world.

Over the last decade or two, many calamities including financial, economic, banking, health, employment, infrastructure, education, as well as the very probity of elected members, have emerged as significant issues. In many cases, these issues fail the test of good government. Even now, we are unclear what expenses MPs are entitled too, what extreme views an MP can hold in office, whether MPs can be compelled to quality control, should they take on second and sometimes a third (or more) jobs, and why there are no basic qualifications which would make MPs 'fit for purpose'. All these points fundamentally return us to question whether the aspirations of the first and second paragraphs above are ever going to find success again. Not surprisingly, voter apathy reflects this deep impasse.

This petition proposes that much greater tests on the suitability of people to become MPs must be put in place. We accept the principle that effectively any British citizen of diverse background can become an MP, but, we also suggest that as in any other walks of life where there is a very specific and demanding job to be done, the incumbent should be maximally prepared for the task in hand and certainly not merely possess 'casual well meaning' as the test for office. MPs will therefore have to be 'fit for purpose' in showing strong evidence of educational, vocational, and personal skills demanded both by their new job and by the electorate, and not just offer a test of arbitrary party loyalties to be finally selected.

Hence, evidence that MPs can sit in our central law making House and are pre-endowed with the educational skills to steer economic and social reform to which the nation is entitled, becomes a pre-requisite. The issue is not therefore so much about female to male ratios, ethnic or indigenous grouping, or indeed gender orientation, but about exacting proficiency and technical competence, in the same way every other job in the country has rightfully become.

The technical competence issue should now be raised as the central argument, whereby, only a person who is versed and learned in specified skills that are central to the demanding task in hand should be allowed to stand for Parliament. This will mean aspiring applicants must achieve set qualifications first, and for political parties to put in place a process where they steer prospective candidates through specific training before allowing candidates to stand. The qualifications will set the bar high, but Britons are especially well equipped to achieve this, as our educational history consistently shows. These qualifications, including all the subjects set out above, become preconditions of educational experience and attainment before finally sitting as an elected Member of the British Parliament.

Furthermore, a special internal and external education, science, and culture committee should refresh this MINIMUM list of requirements on a regular basis, checking educational progress of elected members and demanding new updated units to keep pace with the changing world and the job types (secretarial/ministerial) which the member may be diversifying into. Sitting MPs will have to constantly learn and update skills too, this can be achieved as 'study within recess' periods and cover all the units newly elected MPs face. Learning and re-learning, up-dating and re-validation, becomes part and parcel of the discipline for a Parliamentary political career.