The Curious Case of Mark Williams MP’s Voting Record
Posted in Critical Thinking, Internet, Politics, Rants on February 25th, 2009 3 Comments »
Plaid Cymru pushed a leaflet through my door today. The front page showed a picture of the party’s prospective candidate for the next general election – someone I know and respect, so I took the time to read the rest of the leaflet.
On the back page there was an article that quoted the Daily Mail (always a bad start!) saying that Mark Williams was all but invisible at Westminster.
Well in the information age it is easy enough to check these things. I went to the wonderful They Work for you website to look at my MP’s statistics.
Far from being invisible, the record shows he has spoken in more debates than average, has received written answers to more questions than average and has answered a high number of constituent questions quickly online. All this on reasonable expenses that are only slightly above average, and that because of travel costs, which considering the remoteness of teh constituency, is altogether reasonable.
One area that Mark Williams falls below average on is his parliamentary attendance. At 66% attendance at votes, he is a little below average here. But how much of that is related to the issues of distance, geography and relevance? So the immediate question – as Plaid Cymru is putting this information out – is how would he compare to Plaid Cymru MPs? Well again, a quick search of the Public Whip site turns up the information we need.
- Mark Williams MP, Ceredigion (LibDem) – 66.2%
- Hywel Williams MP, Caernarfon (PC) – 64.2%
- Adam Price MP, Carmarthen East & Dinefwr (PC) – 60.5%
- Elfyn Llwyd MP, Meirionnydd Nant Conwy (PC) – 63.5%
So to be clear, Mark Williams has a better voting record than any Plaid Cymru MP. A case of the pot calling the kettle black?
I don’t have a problem with Plaid Cymru. I often vote for them. But I do have a problem with misleading statements, and this surely qualifies.