Thread by @glover_susan

It seems a lot of people are asking this, so having met the gentleman when I was working in his constituency I thought I'd help.
1/

https://twitter.com/BillyVacant/status/1546247502487293952

It must have been about 10 years ago. One of kids in my year group had a relative who worked at HoC and somehow an offer of a guided tour landed on our (mine and the other year group teacher's) desk. It was very exciting. We research HoC and the things MPs did. 2/

We discovered Mr C had agreed to have a Q&A with the kids. The children were over the moon. A proper MP would be listening to them. They drafted questions, they edited the questions, they submitted them for a vote and chose the ones they thought most important. 3/

Mostly the questions revolved around the environment, the curriculum and student fees - issues that affected them and their families. Their concerns. We censored anything that might be construed as rude but that was our only input. 4/

It was a glorious day. Mostly, the kids were enchanted - especially taken with the idea that the red lines were two swords length apart to avoid MPs duelling during the workday (not sure if that was true or just a nice flourish from the guide). The kids were superb.
5/

Then we met Mr C.
He spoke with ease and charm until the questions started.
He bulldozed over a question about curriculum change. The child asked, not unreasonably, why what they had been taught wasn't good enough and would those taught the old curriculum be at a disadvantage. 6/

But the real charm came out when a particularly bright lad asked why tuition fees were being raised.
The child pointed out it would be his generation that would be the doctors, nurses and other professionals that would carry our future, so why not invest in them? 7/

Chistie glared at him, charm flew out of the window.

"What makes you so special. Other people had to pay so why shouldn't you?" (well actually Mr Ch, none of the adults in that room would have had to pay - tuition fees were a nice bit of 'pulling the ladder up' policy). 8/

The lad's mum who, was one of of legion of parent helpers gasped. The children looked stared at us, shocked that an adult they had been told to treat respectfully had been so rude. We smiled, modelled our 'polite faces' and gestured for them to turn round and behave. 9

At the end of the session, I organised my face & managed a polite thank you - remember this trip had been arranged by a pupil's relative. I didn't shake hands but then, as most of the adults had been taking bets on whether I was going to spit in his eye, I think I did well. 10

So, if you're wondering who Mr C is, he was a man who didn't give straight answers, or show respect when questioned. who didn't seem to care the children were future consituents, and that most of the adults were actual constituents. 11

It may be unfair to drag up trivial incidents from the past. He may have had a damascene revaltion & become utterly faultless, but it hasn't filtered through to his voting record yet.

If it must be a Kentish MP ( yeah I know Medway isn't proper Kent) Let it be Tugenhat. End

Despite having said End, I have scuttled back because I have just been reminded Chistie actually started out as a Labour councillor his initial bid as MP was for Labour.