Tory campaigns against HoC bar turned to creche
2:53 pm - February 26th 2010
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A Conservative MP is trying to stop changes at the Houses of Parliament that would make it easier for MPs to bring their children, and create a more family-friendly atmosphere.
The House of Commons, in spite of trying to be more inclusive, has no creche or facilitie. It does however diligently provide said ladies a place to hang their sword as soon as they are returned as Member of a constituency.
The MP, Christopher Chope, was earlier behind attempts to water down the Minimum Wage.
Today he sent around the email below. LibCon has managed to get a copy:
From: CHOPE, Christopher
Sent: 26 February 2010 09:57
Subject: Bellamy’s BarAs you will know, the House of Commons Commission has decided to close Bellamy’s Bar, The Astor Suite and Bellamy’s Club Room in order to convert them into a nursery/crèche. The bar was recently refurbished at a cost of £480,000 and the cost of the conversion to the nursery will be in excess of £500,000.
Neither the fire service nor the Administration Committee where consulted as to the sighting of the crèche before the House of Commons Commission made its decision.
On Monday night, I am presenting a Petition to the House of Commons objecting to this work given that Bellamy’s Bar is the only one available, without membership, for staff on the House of Commons Estate and that other locations are available now.
If you would like to add your name to this Petition, would you please email me back to say ‘Yes’.
With best wishes.
Yours sincerely,
Christopher Chope MP
The change is being led by Speaker John Bercow. Wonder if that has anything to do with it.
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Sunny Hundal is editor of LC. Also: on Twitter, at Pickled Politics and Guardian CIF.
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Reader comments
Sounds like he objects not to there being a creche, but only that the proposed location is unsuitable (with more suitable ones being available). If so, I’m afraid I don’t see the problem with his petition.
Whilst I’d love to see the best intentions in a death penalty supporting, minimum wage abolishing, Thatcherite, pro-war, anti-gay* Tory scumbag, somehow I’m always inclined to think negatively. Shame.
* source here
and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Chope" here .
Although I don’t like Chope much, this campaign is a good one.
Bellamy’s is primarily a staff bar and canteen. Quite frankly Parliament staff have to put up with enough as it is, without the constant ebbing away of their facilities. Parliament is a place with no union recognition, and is not subject to all labour laws because it’s technically a palace. The creche could go elsewhere.
@Laurence. HoC staff are in a union – PCS – and they’ll be on strike with their PCS colleagues on 8 ad 9 March. As will the members who work in historic royal palaces. So not sure who told you otherwise.
http://www.pcs.org.uk
Sorry, I should have clarified. I was not talking about the lack of unions, but the lack of recognition of unions. I was talking more about the lack of recognition of UNITE in Parliament for MPs staff. I have not heard if the PCS is a formally recognised union within Parliament.
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Christopher Chope MP is a loathsome human being. « Sugar the Pill
[...] of the more malevolent Tories – he is opposed to the minimum wage, pro-death penalty, has a dislike of family-friendly policies, and is even against regulation of sunbeds on the laughable grounds that members of the armed [...]
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