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Tory MP says give businesses the vote

October 9, 2012 8:37 am

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It’s impossible to catalogue all of the ‘out there’ stuff that Tory MPs say at conference fringes – there are only so many hours in the day – but this one from Ben Gummer deserves to be noted.

He wants to give businesses the vote. Perhaps like Mitt Romney he also believes that “businesses are people”.

Gummer attacked his local council – Ipswich – as “getting in people’s way” and “frustrating ambition.”

“The calibre of many councillors often leaves something to be desired…Most of them can’t read a balance sheet. Business councillors could release aspiration.”

Gummer’s answer is to have councillors elected by local businesses. Who needs one person one vote, eh?

I am sure it’s a total coincidence that Gummer’s opponent at the next general election will be the Labour leader of Ipswich council, David Ellesmere. Evidently, Gummer’s view is that if you can’t beat them – you should rig the voting system in favour of business interests…

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  • http://twitter.com/RussellWhiTing RussellW

    Like father like son

  • jaime taurosangastre candelas

    His business vote idea is clearly “bonkers”, but any councillor of any party who cannot read a balance sheet and more importantly have a feel for the gearing, velocity and sustainability of cash flow, AND a sober appreciation of the impact of possible decisions they make has no business at all in being anywhere near decisions on the people’s money.

  • Pingback: The six maddest policy ideas from the Tory conference (so far) | Political Scrapbook

  • AnotherOldBoy

    What about “no taxation without representation”?

  • MonkeyBot5000

    You can start a limited company for £20 so this would be ripe for abuse.

  • Brumanuensis

    So Gummer wants to reintroduce a practice abolished by the Atlee government’s Representation of the People Act 1949. How progressive.

    Almost as foolish as Ian Cowie’s blood-curdlingly reactionary proposal to limit the franchise to people who pay income tax – whilst recycling Romney’s stupid ’47% line’ in the process: http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/finance/ianmcowie/100020160/is-mitt-romney-right-to-question-representation-without-taxation/

  • http://twitter.com/a_e_wallace Alexander Wallace

    Imagine what would happen if a Labour MP suggested giving unions the vote…

  • http://twitter.com/jwscullis11985 James Cullis

    Hang on on this basis you could argue for Trade Union representation, thus it could be more accountable to the community

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