Your MP is elected to speak for you

In the seat of government - and thereby able to represent your interests in the House of Commons - regardless of your political affiliation, so we are told.

Unless of course your constituency lies in the path of the HS2 and that MP is a Minister in the Government:

"But the odd thing is they're all ministers, and not allowed to speak up against the government," points out Steve Rodrick, chief officer of the Chilterns Conservation Board. "So no one is representing our interests in the house."

In effect the constituents living in areas affected by HS2 have been 'disenfranchised', where relevant, by the elevation of their MP to the status of Minister, or Secretary, of State. Because of this situation, those constituents do not have the privilege of having their case brought to the public attention of the Minister in question. In instances such as HS2, national policy will always take preference over any local problem caused as a result of a national policy, a fact confirmed to me by David Cameron at a 'surgery' I attended at the beginning of October this year - which means that Cameron's 72,000 constituents are also, in effect, disenfranchised. Leaving aside any accusations of NIMBYism, whether or not that NIMBYism is unfounded or otherwise, any member of the electorate is entitled to have their elected representative raise any matter of concern in the House of Commons.

Do not forget the EU Trans-European Network - Transport (TEN-T) being in the 'mix', somewhere. Where I know not and I am still seeking that 'link' - which will prove the 'connection' - and which will eventually surface. In the link just notated, a quotation is used from the TEN-T website:

"Most of these transport infrastructures have been developed under national policy premises........"

One only has to look at the map on the TEN-T website to see that the line from London to Birmingham then branches into a 'Y', one going to the Northwest and the other to the Northeast, the configuration being that which the Government have selected. It would be intriguing were one of the MPs in whose constituency the path of HS2 lay to actually ask whether there is any connection with the policy to 'build' HS2 with, as yet, unpublished policy of TEN-T - and then to watch as Philip Hammond exhibits obfuscation, straight denial or confirmation.

Oh, and don't forget that Scottish MPs - albeit few in number and therefore probably having no effect on the outcome, unless the result is 'tight' - will no doubt file through the voting lobbies on a matter which is none of their concern.

Just saying.................