Blog articles tagged with Felicity Parkes

The vulnerability of political staff should worry us

by Sadie Smith / 27 Feb 2013 14:08

Last week my colleague and I – after we’d stopped screaming like girls - had cause to put a call into the Parliamentary Rodent Dude. Amid a wide ranging discussion on a number of issues, and a free and frank exchange of views on the state of our office, I asked for reassurance that Fortesque the Mouse was definitely a mouse, and not a rat. I hate rats.

Did you know that Parliament

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The laws of the IPSA jungle

by Felicity Parkes / 25 May 2012 09:45

This article is from the June 2012 issue of Total Politics

I forget the exact date I cursed IPSA with a fiery focus I normally save for more pleasant endeavours, but I do know it was a sunny day and, once again, every food outlet on the parliamentary estate was serving something in jerk sauce. These days, the constant changing of the rules without notification

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Finding your inner iron lady

by Felicity Parkes / 27 Jan 2012 09:39

This article is from the February issue of Total Politics

One of the first things I see each morning as I walk through Westminster tube station, trying to apply my lipstick without spilling tepid coffee down my front, is a poster for The Iron Lady. Many have moaned or criticised the topic of the film but like it or not; Maggie is back, and I'll bet she never broke

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The solution to David Cameron's woman problem

by Felicity Parkes / 22 Nov 2011 09:48

Dear prime minister,

It has come to my attention that Downing Street is looking to hire a female special advisor whose role will be to view all policies through a woman's eyes.

Despite my opinion that this is a shallow and tokenistic idea, I would still like to take the opportunity to apply for this position as I haven't got a snowball's chance in hell of getting a pay rise out of

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The types and tribes of Westminster – the boys

by Felicity Parkes / 21 Jul 2011 12:54

You can read the first part of Felicity's guide here

A few weeks ago I described a few different groups of female staffers in Westminster. Because we don't want the poor dears to be left out, I've put together a few for the male staffers.

There are other groups for both genders which I could mention but frankly the Mother of all Parliaments is filled with so many weird and

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The types and tribes of Westminster

by Felicity Parkes / 07 Jul 2011 16:14

Knowing and reading the people you deal with is an absolute must-have skill in any work place but nowhere is this more needed than Westminster. All sorts of people visit Parliament but it’s those who work here that I watch the most. They are, after all colleagues, competition and would-be bosses.

If I could tell you what the male/female ratio of staffers is I would but I won’t as I don’t

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The hunt for Felicity Parkes

by Felicity Parkes / 10 Jun 2011 14:38

Felicity works in Westminster. Look out for her future contributions on the TP blog.

Being anonymous is tricky at the best of times but when you’re based in Westminster it is a 24/7 mission. No other group save possibly a circle of nattering mothers by a school gate is as gossipy or nosey as Westminster staffers. It is little wonder I often see reporters and hacks sitting amongst researchers, secretaries and interns. Everyone

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