Did you vote for Henry Smith?

Henry Smith was re-elected as MP for Crawley in this year’s general election.

But what does Henry Smith stand for? We can get an idea by looking at his voting history. He has voted:

• Against banker’s bonus tax – despite bankers being responsible for sinking the economy in 2007/2008
• Against gay rights
• Against laws promoting equality and human rights
• Against a “right to remain for EU nationals” already living in the UK
• Against benefits raising in-line with prices
• Against higher benefits over longer periods for those unable to work due to illness or disability
• For increasing rate of VAT (BUT against increasing rate of taxes for those paid over £150,000
• For allowing employees to exchange some employment rights for shares in the company they work for
• For more restriction of trade union activity
• For reducing capital gains tax
• For reducing corporation tax
• For raising England’s undergraduate tuition fees to £9,000
• For reducing government funding for local government
• Against a more proportional system for electing MPs
• For greater restrictions on campaigning by third parties, such as charities, during elections
• For mass surveillance of people’s communications and activities
• Against measures to prevent climate change
• For selling England’s state-owned forests
• Against financial incentives for low carbon emission electricity generation methods
• Against greater public control of bus services
• For capping civil service redundancy payments
• Against restrictions on fees charged to tenants by letting agents

After a visit to the Cayman Islands, Henry Smith also supported the fight against anti-money laundering measures and criticised plans to introduce more transparency to the islands. In other words, Henry Smith supports offshore tax havens.

The Panama Papers have shown that offshore tax havens support organised crime including drugs and human-trafficking and terrorist cells whilst also allowing banks to hide money and avoid paying those taxes that could go toward public services.

Does Henry Smith stand up for the average person? Please check the site:

They Work For You

Living with a (tired) teacher

I was spread out on the living room floor, reading a bulky sci-fi novel when I heard an intake of breath. Not exactly a snore. But kinda like a snore.

My fiance (let’s call her “Tired Teacher”) was sitting cross-legged on the couch. A four-colour bic hanging from her hand and a student’s English book spread on her lap. Her head was on her chest and her eyes were closed. Asleep.

This is common. I reach over and shake her leg. She comes to, head snapping up like she had never stopped marking. She offers an exhausted, embarrassed smile and gets her pen ready.

I get another paragraph in, a boy trapped underwater, his best friend struggling to get to him. The adults are racing to the scene but who knows if they’ll be there in time – another not-quite-but-kinda-like a snore.

Her head is down again. Eyes closed. Pen at the ready.

I shake her awake. Tell her to go to bed. She nods and puts her student’s book into a large bag. The same bag she lugs in and out of the car and somehow hefts to and from school Monday to Friday.

When the book is away she slumps sideways across the couch and is asleep. It’s 12.32 in the morning. She’ll be getting up at six-thirty.