The next General Election promises to be an interesting one. The only politician in Parliament who can refer to the 'westminster village' without having to apologise about bubbles. Mark field is pleasantly straight-talking and can push a coherent world view on a crowd in a way many at the Palace of Westminster can't.
The next General Election promises to be an interesting one. The only politician in Parliament who can refer to the 'westminster village' without having to apologise about bubbles. Mark field is pleasantly straight-talking and can push a coherent world view on a crowd in a way many at the Palace of Westminster can't.
The next General Election promises to be an interesting one. The only politician in Parliament who can refer to the 'westminster village' without having to apologise about bubbles. Mark field is pleasantly straight-talking and can push a coherent world view on a crowd in a way many at the Palace of Westminster can't.
Henry Hopwood-Phillips interviews the only politician in Parliament who can
refer to the Westminster village without having to apologise about bubbles
he next General Election promises to be an
interesting one. Commentators are already debating whether we are soon to witness the dawn of a post-liberal age whether 2015 will be the year the post-war consensus begins to unravel. Looking at the CV of Belgravias Member of Parliament Mark Field, one might be forgiven for thinking that he is a dinosaur of the Blairite mould. Having worked for Lord Patten, done time as a corporate lawyer for Freshfields and entered politics when the Labour leader dominated the discourse, I try to divine how far Mark has wafted off into the dark arts of mediatraining, career-worship and mindless Third Wayism. The reality is hes pleasantly straight-talking, however, and can push a coherent world view on a crowd in a way many at the Palace of Westminster cant. I think colleagues have lost faith in the fact that people believe in liberalism. This cuts them off, making them dissimulate and seem a little shamefaced I guess, Mark ponders. Its something he refuses to do. I put it to him that his contemporaries may be on to something and that liberalism is, at the very least, changing its spots. Yes, the rules of capitalism do seem to be shifting. Professionals in particular are beginning to feel the pressure; their role in the economy may be changing, Mark admits. He also acknowledges the fact that the old sums dont add up to what they used to and this feeds a sense of injustice that lends UKIP a lease of life. Talking of sums, some of the Conservative Partys dont seem to be adding up either. Mark does not deny that the coalition has made only 40 per cent of promised cuts, that the UK government will borrow 100bn this year, or that the structural deficit is still wobbling around the 2030bn mark, and is frank that the reasons are twofold. First, there is a lack of political will and second, perhaps more importantly, part of the tardiness is in order to keep the music playing but ultimately we must have something to show to the markets to keep the show on the road. The situation reminds me of the 1930s when we featherbedded industry for the sake of social cohesion but ended up hobbling ourselves in the long run, Mark continues. His hawkish stance on the deficit and the debt is a passionate one, mainly because he feels anger on this situation is bleeding into the wrong places. A good example is that of immigration, an issue inextricably linked to sovereignty and therefore the EU. The MP pushes the fact that freedom of movement and a needs-
based welfare state are incompatible and that its not
the former that should be shafted but the latter. He is confident that a contribution-based welfare state would definitely take a lot of heat out of these debates. Marks enthusiasm for the EU is tempered by a respect for democracy that not all Europhiles share. I was one of the 81 rebels, he reminds me, referring to the 2011 vote for a referendum, which was double the size of the largest previous Tory rebellion over Europe (Maastricht) in 1993. Not that he thinks it will all be plain sailing into a supra-national state, in the transitional period he believes a points-based immigration system is a necessity, as well as strong armed forces. This sits awkwardly with government policy which has made cuts steep enough to prompt former US defense secretary Robert Gates to dismiss Britain as no longer a major military partner. Mark admits he isnt comfortable: We cannot sleepwalk into being Holland, a country with no effective army, in 20 years time. Perhaps it might be fine if that was what people wanted, but at the moment no honest conversation is being had. He should know what he is talking about. Mark is a member of the Intelligence and Security Committee, currently chaired by Sir Malcolm Rifkind even if he is the youngest (beating Hazel Blears by almost 10 years). I suggest things arent as bad as implied because the aid budget is ring-fenced and contains soft power features. Mark is unconvinced: People might talk of these soft alternatives but they are meant to complement hard power, not replace it. Closer to home, Belgravias MP is happy gadding about his constituency. Some of my colleagues feel a disconnect between the views of their constituents and their own, but Ive never suffered that, he informs me. I think Belgravia is special because its full of history but isnt overwhelmed by it. Venice may look beautiful, but its only got around 52,000 people in it and feels a bit like a museum. Its hardly a scales-from-Sauls-eyes moment but, far from being the autocue monster with all the personality of a small-talk murderer, I had half-expected, cricketloving Mark represents a small crop of MPs with the brains, the vision and personality to operate at the highest order of government. We disagree on many issues but Belgravia is undoubtedly fortunate to count him as its agent in the Commons.
I think Belgravia is special
because its full of history but isnt overwhelmed by it