Profile Bob Russell MP - As English as Tuppence

Bob Russell (Colchester) may be one of the hardest working MPs outside of Government. He is one of those really old-fashioned types who are determined to represent his constituents as keenly as possible. Consequently he has developed a good rapport with the town and increased his majority in each election since he was elected in 1997. He has effectively turned a three-way marginal into a safe Lib-Dem seat. He is their Defence Spokesman and at last count he had laid well over 1,000 Parliamentary questions.

Bob's achievements are mostly on a micro scale for Westminster. He has championed the Sport of Darts finally recognised as such by UK Sports Council - unfortuntaely it looks now too late to get darts into the Olympics. Bob would, like us all, have been thrilled to see Eric Bristow carry the Olympic Torch.

Bob is utterly and unapologetically English - to capture the essence that is Bob Russell think, Morris Dancing, halves of bitter in the social club (wives permitted), a navy blazer with brown shoes. And Bob sports the mightiest 'Pudding Bowl' haircut in the whole House. He is earnest, dependable, dogged and even a bit fierce.

MPs on the whole try and moderate themsleves at all times in Parliament, they can do indignant, outraged and appalled but very rarely angry. I've seen saw Bob Russell lose it. It was the Committee stage of some Criminal Justice Bill in about 2000, discussing several tedious Road Traffic provisions. Of the three hours of debate, Bob was only allowed only about 50 seconds to speak. And he flipped. His mood was not helped by the fact the Minister Charles Clarke (Norwich South) and his oppo Jon Bercow (Buckingham) had spent much of their time in playful and inexplicable discussion about their own belly-buttons. At the end, Bob furiously grabbed his huge pile of papers, fringe clinging to sweaty forehead and shouted what a "bloody farce" it all was. He was, of course, entirely right and the episode took political navel-gazing to a new level.

Westminster needs MPs like Bob Russell because for all the superficiality and emphasis on presentation there still functions a process where constituents raise issues through their MP and (s)he in turn holds the Government to account, seeks to overturn injustices and alleviate suffering. In that way he is a bit like the Dennis Skinner of the Lib-Dems. I'm sure neither would enjoy the comparison.