I recieved a reply to my 24th Feb rant from my MP, Gisela Stuart.
It included a printed copy of the statement by Tony Blair to the House of Commons on Iraq and the European Council, made on the 25th of Feb., and the speech made by Ann Clwyd in the big dabate on the 26th Feb.
Anyway, here’s the Junior Health Minister’s reply, (dated 5th March):
Dear Joseph Jabbar
Thank you for your E Mail.
I have received many letters and E Mails from quite a number of constituents some of them agreeing with me, others making quite the opposite case. At the vote last week I did what I think every M.P has to do on such occasions and that is to listen to all the arguments and then arrive at what they think the right thing to do is.
If the last 100 years have taught us anything – or at least should have taught us anything – it is that appeasement does not work.
I thought you might be interested to see a copy of a Statement which the Prime Minister made to the House of Commons on the 25th February 2003 and I particularly ask you to have a good look at the speech Ann Clwyd M.P gave in the debate on the 26th February 2003 and may be you will see from her speech why I voted the way I did.
Yours sincerely,
Gisela Stuart M.P.
Labour M.P for Birmingham Edgbaston
Given that my rant included a reference to one of Edgbaston’s previous MP’s, Neville (the appeaser) Chamberlain – I can only conclude that either she didn’t read it, had one of her constituency workers categorise it and send off a standard reply or perhaps she just doesn’t see any irony in her position given Blair’s suicidal appeasement of Bush.
On second thoughts, I’ll credit her with enough cynicism to know on which side her bread is buttered. Afterall the good people of Edgbaston aren’t your usual bunch of Labour supporting peaceniks. The well-healed constituents only turned New Labour recently and although these conservative leopards did change their spots, they’re still leopards. Ms Stuart is clearly no fool.