Setting the PO record straight

Published on 31st January 2008 in Letters

Sir - Well, it is interesting to see that now local Tory attacks on Ian Cawsey's record on post offices have been shown to be bogus they now seek throw a smokescreen around their inaccuracies with further spin and deceptions.

So at least on a positive note they do now accept that Ian spoke in the House in December on the subject and that he couldn't vote in the January debate as he was one of the tellers counting the vote. It's all in Hansard. It was always going to be found out - it's just a bit surprising they thought they could say something else!

You might think that when in a hole they would stop digging, but on they go. They complain about Ian's vote on April 15, 2002 - when he voted for "preventing avoidable closures of rural post offices". I'm a bit surprised the Tories are against that.

They complain about his vote on January 29, 2002 - when Ian voted to condemn post office closures, to condemn the previous Tory Government for not giving greater commercial freedoms to the post office and to welcome the enshrining in law of the universal service obligation, i.e. sending letters across the country for the cost a stamp.

They complain about his vote in April, 2000 – when Ian voted for £500 million of investment in the post office and for the right to get benefits paid in cash at a post office. So we can only assume the Tories are against that - they don't sound like much of a friend to the post office to me!

There's more on this on Ian's website at www.iancawsey.co.uk and click on the story 'Tory Spin Turns Into Own Goal'. For those who prefer a more satirical view, you can read his blog at http://blog.myspace.com/iancawseymp

Happy to set the record straight.

Rita Patterson

(Office of Ian Cawsey, MP)