Filibuster Heaven!

MP's in the United Kingdom get to take 18 weeks holiday a year. That's more than a teacher. But being a member of parliament also brings additional benefits - like the opportunity to increase the number of holidays you get just by voting it through.

Or even just for having Easter fall on the wrong weekend.

Yes, thanks to some quirk with next years calendar (and not because its a leap year) the MP's in Westminster will get a glorious extra four days holiday. Harriet Harman, the government's 'holiday organiser' seems to think that our politicians don't get enough time to rest, and hence need extra time away from their desks.

So that's an increase in real terms of 4.6% over the number of holidays of the year before. Someone should tell them that the taking of holidays should only occur when it is prudent to do so.

I don't think this is even a cheap way to cut public spending - I bet the heating in the Palace of Westminster isn't turned off for those four days, and we can expect hardly any difference in expenses claims by MPs despite being away more.

I suppose the politicians will be telling is that this isn't really a holiday, it's time they'll be spending in their constituencies doing local work. Yeah. Try telling my boss that I should have four extra days out of the office next year to do work for someone else rather than him. 18 weeks out of Westminster is an awful long time to be doing constituency work - particularly when MPs have been elected to represent us in Parliament. Does the process of government only equate to a part time job?

It's time for a radical shake up of working hours in Westminster. Proper office hours, with proper structured holidays at times that look much more like those we see in industry. There is no reason for a stupidly long summer break, if this (and other holidays) were shortened, then Westminster could be used for government more of the time. They'd certainly get more done.