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I've been in Parliament since 1983, and I've been involved in many issues over the time.

To me, a politician's job is to listen to constituents' problems and try to sort them out.

Being an MP is not a desperately hard life, like going down the pit or working in the steelworks - with which I am all too familiar, having been brought up in the city of Sheffield; and it certainly isn't badly paid compared with any of my constituents.

In the end, I think part of my problem was that I was a better legislator than I was a politician.

I always try to keep my constituents as up-to-date as possible with what's going on here in Washington.

Having an understanding of what's possible also makes me redouble my efforts to fight those who stand in the way of doing the things that my constituents and the country would want to get done.

It is true that I entered parliament at the age of 23, and have now been representing the people of my constituency for over twenty years.

My focus has been on being a good congressman, and there is so much other work to do.

If I started worrying about how my constituents are going to react to every move I make, I wouldn't be able to do my job here. I'll do what I think is right and explain it later.