Useless Tory Proposal To Cut MPs

The Tories will cut the numbers of MPs to save £30m:

The Conservatives have said they will cut the number of MPs, ministers and special advisers by a fifth within five years if they win the election.

Another proposal showing the Tories have lost the plot.

Will it enhance MPs' independence? No, because British political parties are increasingly centralised and state funded. The central party machines dominate MP selection, and are insulated from local party associations by state funding.

Will it reduce the payroll vote? No, the number of ministers is not determined by the number of MPs. If a governing party wished to reduce the number of ministries they could do it now.

Will it make for a better Parliament? No, it reduces the pool of available talent. It is what MPs do that matters, not how many of them there are. Far better if MPs actually scrutinised legislation, instead of passing endless enabling Acts which let the UK/EU government legislate by regulation.

Will it save money? Marginally, perhaps, but £30 million is so little in the overall scheme of government expenditure. Leaving the EU would save far more on MEP salaries and expenses - apart from the benefit of having the freedom to reduce the £100 billion annual cost of regulation.

Will it make for a smaller state? The number of MPs has nothing to do with the size of the government machine, or the range of activities it undertakes, or the volume or complexity of regulations. In that sense reducing the number of MPs is irrelevant. It might make some sense if the government's role in society was substantially reduced, and politicians had little to do, but reducing the role of government has to come first. At the moment the problem is that MPs are not doing what they should be doing, viz. representing the electorate and scrutinising legislation and the executive.

Come on Conservative Party! Surely you can do better than this?