Jeremy Corbyn's 19,485 Early Day Motions

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-35054253

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Before Jeremy Corbyn became leader of the Labour Party he was a very active and opinionated backbencher.

Backbench MPs can speak relatively freely about their views, and Mr Corbyn took full advantage of this inside and outside Parliament. It's well known to most, by now, that he was the most rebellious Labour MP of recent times - voting against the party leadership 533 times since Tony Blair came to power in 1997.

But he has made his voice heard on a dizzying range of issues since the day he first arrived in the Commons in 1983, as MP for Islington North, often using a Parliamentary tool known as an Early Day Motion (EDM).

According to data on Early Day Motions on the Parliament website, since 1989 Mr Corbyn has signed 19,485 motions. Of those he was the primary sponsor of 766 and a co-sponsor on 2,727.

Before we start, what are Early Day Motions?

Early Day Motions are "are formal motions submitted for debate in the House of Commons" according to the Parliament website, yet it goes on to say "very few are actually debated". Essentially they are petitions for MPs to start or put their name too. They aren't necessarily an effective way of bringing about change and some MPs have previously called them "narcissistic" and "pointless".

But they are a good way for an MP to draw attention to an issue without having to wait for their turn to come around for things like an adjournment debate, backbench business debates - or until their number gets drawn for a Private Member's Bill.

Based on the motions he signed what would Corbyn World be like?

To start with there probably wouldn't be a London Eye. In 1996 he filed a motion titled "Ferris wheel and the homeless". The motion said it was depressing that planning permission had been granted "for a 500 foot giant ferris wheel on the South Bank of the Thames" it went on to say it would "be an eyesore and totally inappropriate for that site". He called for the money to be spent on the homeless instead.

There would be no nuclear weapons either.

Trident

Mr Corbyn is a long-time supporter of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament. During his time as an MP he has submitted over 50 Early Day Motions voicing his opposition to nuclear arms in the UK and abroad. Shortly before becoming Labour leader he had submitted one titled "Trident and the Strategic Defence and Security Review" which called for the review to set out "how it has considered the delivery of UK defence and security capability without nuclear weapons, including threat assessments, estimated costs and all non-nuclear options".

Animal cruelty (and asteroids)

Mr Corbyn is a staunch defender of animal rights and has signed many an EDM calling for an end to cruelty (including one urging the BBC not to repeat an episode of Michael Palin's Around the World in 80 days in which a snake was skinned alive).

But it was a 2004 motion tabled by the late Labour MP Tony Banks that caught commentators' eyes when Mr Corbyn became Labour leader, for its apparent call for the obliteration of the human race (Mr Banks had a well-developed sense of humour).

It read: "That this House is appalled, but barely surprised, at the revelations in M15 files regarding the bizarre and inhumane proposals to use pigeons as flying bombs; recognises the important and live-saving role of carrier pigeons in two world wars and wonders at the lack of gratitude towards these gentle creatures; and believes that humans represent the most obscene, perverted, cruel, uncivilised and lethal species ever to inhabit the planet and looks forward to the day when the inevitable asteroid slams into the earth and wipes them out thus giving nature the opportunity to start again."

Fizzy pop and Arsenal

Closer to home, in the House of Commons, Mr Corbyn wants to remove the vending machines that are "packed with crisps, fizzy drinks and confectionery" and instead offer "fruit and a number of healthy beverages and snacks".

Early Day Motions are sometimes used as a way to congratulate schools, sporting stars and the work of individuals. Being a football fan Mr Corbyn has congratulated his local football club, Arsenal 13 times - both the men and women's teams. His most recent was in June congratulating "Arsenal on their twelfth winning of the FA Cup" adding further congratulations to "the whole team, manager Arsene Wenger and all supporters on this triumph and the wonderful skills displayed in the final".

Non-Corbyn Early Day Motions on sport this parliament include:

Al Jazeera in Parliament

Other causes he has promoted include providing Al Jazeera English channel for MPs to watch on the parliamentary estate to help them be "better informed".

A memorial for protester Brian Haw

Jeremy Corbyn would also like a memorial in Parliament for protester Brian Haw who camped in Parliament Square for years, protesting against wars, especially the Iraq one. He died in 2011.

Human rights

There are some causes Jeremy Corbyn has consistently felt needed raising, many concerning human rights. He has repeatedly raised the issue for the rights of the Kurdish people, those in Western Sahara, the Dalits in India and the Palestinians.

What about Corbyn and other world leaders?

In 1992 after the defeat of President George Bush he welcomed the end of his presidency and referenced the US's "unprecedented" military action in "Nicaragua, El Salvador, Panama, Libya and the Gulf". The Early Day Motion finished by saying the signatories were "relieved" Mr Bush had been "so emphatically defeated in the election in November".

Mr Corbyn has been very supportive of Bolivian socialist President Evo Morales, submitting three Early Day Motions to congratulate him on his electoral wins, one congratulated him on his campaign which was "dominated by the demand that oil and gas reserves should benefit the people of the country and a rejection of new liberal economies".

Support for Stop the War Coalition

Jeremy Corbyn's recent appearance at the Stop the War Coalition Christmas fundraiser caused controversy for the Labour Party. His long support for the organisation and previous position as chairman has come under heavy scrutiny after controversial comments by the group. But in 2006 and then again in 2010 he praised their hard work for organising protests first against sending British troops to Afghanistan and then later calling on them to be withdrawn.

Arming the police

Another controversial area where Mr Corbyn and the Parliamentary Labour Party have had differences is on armed police in the UK. In 1994 he was against increasing the number of armed police vehicles in London. The Early Day Motion said the move would "lead to a spiral of violence with criminals seeking to further arm themselves in response" and warned it about a substantial risk of "wrongful or accidental shootings".

The calming effect of beards

As a proud six times winner of the Parliamentary Beard of the Year contest, Mr Corbyn was always going to sign an Early Day Motion opposing a ban on British Rail workers wearing facial hair. But so outraged was he by the idea that he inserted an extra line into Lib Dem MP Alex Carlile's 1991 motion, pointing out that "beards are healthy and create the sympathetic image necessary for staff dealing with deeply distressed passengers".

A love of composting

And finally... it seems Jeremy Corbyn is an advocate of composting. In 2002 his Early Day Motion stated it was "a good, effective and wholly natural way of dealing with organic waste". He called on the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to publish free advice to tell people "how to make the best of compost heaps."

How much do Early Day Motions cost?

During 2012-13 there were 1,139 early day motions and it cost approximately £374,500 to print them, £3,500 in IT support costs and £33,500 in staff costs. The government said the cost "has fallen considerably" after they reduced the amount of printing. In 2009-10 the total cost was approximately £1,000,000. We've also done a rough check here and reckon it would take at least 15 hours going at full pelt to sign your name 19,485 times...