Odd jobs: How MPs’ side hustles twist our Democracy

The Bunker

Podmasters

News, Politics, Society & Culture, Government

4.6 • 984 Ratings

🗓️ 26 July 2023

⏱️ 26 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

MPs have collectively earned millions of pounds from side hustles in the last few years. From the ‘cash for access’ scandal to the resignation of Owen Paterson, the public is fascinated by extra work carried out by politicians. But how much does this impact their day jobs? Marie Le Conte sits down with Dr. Simon Weschle, assistant professor in the political science department at Syracuse University, to find out if second jobs truly are the scourge of British politics. “Having a second job means MPs are more likely to attend the commons.” “An MP working as a dentist doesn’t change their voting behaviour.“ "If an MP has a city job they spend more time in London but they’re less often in their constituency." www.patreon.com/bunkercast Written and presented by Marie Le Conte. Producer: Liam Tait and Kasia Tomasiewicz. Audio editor: Alex Rees. Managing editor: Jacob Jarvis. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. Instagram | Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	My name is Stan. I'm at. Nice to meet you. So you took up photography where? I've always loved
0:05.5	photography but I turn it into earning a living at 60. I enrolled on a day course.
0:11.8	Well college. I loved going to college. It's good you can retry. I'm enrolled on the day course. But college?
0:13.0	I loved going to college.
0:14.0	It's good you can retrain and do something.
0:16.0	Yeah, yeah.
0:17.0	Let's talk about working, learning, saving and making the most of living longer.
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0:28.0	Search Phoenix Group living longer.
0:30.0	Pets brings so much joy.
0:32.0	From those happy greetings at the door to the warm cuddles on the sofa
0:36.7	so give a little love back with dental life from Purina a range of delicious chues made for dogs and tasty snacks for cats that help clean and support your pets, teeth and gums, essential for their overall well-being and a happy, healthy life. They give you plenty of smiles so
0:55.3	look after theirs with dental life. Pick up dental life in the pet food aisle. Hello my name is Marie Lacont. Welcome to the bunker. The topic of MP Second Jobs has been in and out of the news for years.
1:15.8	In 2021, the scandal about Owen Paterson's work with Brandoix marked the beginning of the end of Boris Johnson's
1:21.1	Premiership. Earlier this year, Kirstirstammer hinted that a Labour government
1:24.8	would ban them altogether. It's an issue that often captures the public's imagination, but not
1:29.2	one on which we know a lot. Do second jobs actually influence the way politicians behave? If so, in which ways?
1:35.0	Here with me today to discuss his research on the topic is Academic Simon Veshler.
1:39.0	Hello Simon.
1:40.0	Hey, good to be here.
1:42.0	So you're an academic at Syracuse University. What made you decide to look at the second jobs of the House of Commons specifically?
1:48.0	Yeah, so my research has been since, you know, since I got my PhD has been on what effect money has on
	...

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