Continuing with the retiring MP series, Total Politics speaks to Sir Patrick Cormack, Conservative MP for South Staffordshire.

For the first ten years of my life, I was 'the young Tory MP'. Then somewhere around a decade after coming here, I became a 'senior Tory MP'. After about 25 years, I became 'one of the most senior Tory MPs'. And then I became 'a veteran Tory MP'. I prefer long serving myself. Or maybe even long suffering would do best.

I wouldn’t want to be in a Parliament where I couldn’t give of my all, as I have done and continue to do as a chairman of select committees and all the rest of it. I wouldn’t want to become a sort of half-throttle, half-time Member of Parliament. I don’t want to become a sort of bitter old man here.

I must be honest, this last year has not been a very happy year in Parliament and I can see the next Parliament being rather a difficult one. I can see an awful lot of changes being imposed with which I may not find myself wholly in agreement. What grieves me most about the last year is that honour and trust have rather gone out of the political vocabulary. And I think that is a great pity.

I love parliamentary sketchwriters. Some I love more than others. It has always been part of the tradition of reporting Parliament that one of the things you do is make fun of those appointed. That’s fine. What I do object to is that in many cases, the sketches are all that you get. There isn’t an in-depth report of what goes on here. The media seems to have come to the conclusion that readers, in spite of advanced education, have lost some of their attention span and can’t read anything that runs for more than a couple of minutes. I believe that to be profoundly wrong. My constituents don’t know a great deal of what I do and have done for many years in the House because there is no means of their knowing.

One of the few perks of being here a long time is that you do tend to get a rather better room. And I use it a lot and I love it. All the things in it, apart from the furniture which belongs to the House of Commons, are mine. It has a domestic feel. It is like my study at home. I spend a lot of time in it. I will miss it. I really will miss the House of Commons. I shall miss the opportunity of being able to stand up in the House and make my points with vigour and debate them.

The nature of being a parliamentarian has changed. When I came here, it was very much a way of life, a calling, a vocation. It is now much more of a job. I personally don’t welcome that change. And so I feel that it is time for me to, as I say, pass it on.

Click here for our magazine article on retiring MPs. And here for our interview with Phil Willis MP who is standing down at the next election.