Westminster newbies

Regular readers of this blog know about our MP exit interview project, the first time this kind of information has been gathered systematically in Canada.

We're putting the final touches on our first report, which will talk about the MPs' motivations for running and their paths to politics, and are turning ourselves to the next one, which focuses on their transition to politics and their work as a Member of Parliament.

So it was with some curiosity that I read the BBC's MP diaries, penned by five newly-minted MPs in the UK who describe their first weeks on the job.  The roster includes one Conservative who won the UK's first open primary election (this is where all the voters in the consistuency can chose a party's candidate, and not just those who were members of the political party as is the case usually, and here in Canada as well).  Similar to Canada in 1993, the most recent vote in the UK returned the largest crop of first-time MPs of any election in a generation.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, like with any new job, there's a lot of logistical sorting-out (two mention insufficient seating) and general inquiry into what the new role will entail.  But unlike most jobs, there were coalition votes to be had, Queen's speeches to be listened to, and questions on what running a country really entails.  You can read their impressions here, or listen to the radio show here.

Thanks to Reva Seth, who helped out with our interviews, for passing this along.  And please watch this space for more on our first report.