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First of all, there are not that many seats in the commons. You need to work in local politics long enough to be able to be selected to stand for your local seat
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Except in the modern go-ahead egalitarian Conservative Party, where possession of the right accent, ancestors and friends can still get you on the list.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zac_Goldsmith
Naturally there are plenty of examples of similar stuff on the Labour side, but what it means is that the old idea that you worked your way up has largely been replaced by the idea of demonstrating loyalty via networking with people who know. I'm not certain this is an improvement.
My MP (Ann Keen) has been fingered for putting her husband (also an MP) on a life insurance policy and charging us for the premiums. Nice. She also claims a London flat allowance despite representing a constituency half an hour and 9 miles away.