[andrewb]

Originally I thought people should go into parliament when they're older. Thinking about it again, as Less has just said, I don't think it's about age but about whether you're capable of being the best representative of the people. Take the expenses scandal, members who have had 20, 30 or 40 years life experience have still lined their own pockets. The constituents can see that paying for the cleaning of a moat, a duck house, or swindling your second home allowance, is out of order, and an abuse of taxpayers money. It doesn't take a wealth of experience to know that, it takes judgement. An MP must be able to represent and listen to constituents of all ages. What it required is an ability to use the information gathered from listening to those with wide ranges of experience and circumstances in Hyndburn, and to actively make a judgement in the best interests of those people.