No MPs who are engineers
The institutions should be lobbying the political parties to seek out suitable parliamentary candidates from the engineering profession
- Published in Profession.
I do wonder if Colin Moore and PE’s erstwhile correspondent from the Middle East, Tony Marshallsay, can really be serious.
The last time Parliament got involved with reform of the engineering profession look at what it did. First there was the long winded saga of the Finniston Enquiry, a typical delaying tactic. Then the creation of the Engineering Council, a self perpetuating oligarchy with only a handful of engineers on a board weighted in favour of the establishment. It soon became apparent that the Engineering Council was nothing more than a privatised quango paid for by a tax on engineers who happened to belong to the profession’s institutions. The Council’s bluff was called when the Engineering Assembly, that had been set up to give a semblance of democracy, wanted to debate its own agenda rather than a sanitised schedule prepared by the executive. The Council’s response was to disband the Assembly. Likewise the chop was given to the Regional Organisations when they demanded to be heard. Are we really to be like turkeys voting for Christmas again?
Incidentally Mr Marshallsay should do his homework; there are now no MP’s who are engineers in the current parliament; there only bean counters and law mongers of all persuasions including many of the Philadelphian ilk. The Select Committee for Science and Technology musters the following callings a trade union official, a political party research manager, two historians, a printer, a barber (he should know about cutting edge technology) cum songwriter, an IT consultant cum estate agent, a shop assistant, a trainee solicitor, a chartered accountant, a chemist and a livestock farmer.
Clearly the institutions should be lobbying the political parties to seek out suitable parliamentary candidates from the engineering profession and fast track them through the selection process. What poorly remunerated engineer would not find attractive the salary, the generous expense allowances, the heavily subsidised cordon bleu canteen meals, jollies galore and long holidays; not to mention really flexible hours (work optional), the gold plated pension, excellent prospects for promotion and an enhanced severance package if kicked out early by the electorate.
Yes if I was younger I would certainly go for it!
Roy Mason, Ulverston, Cumbria