5th October, 2001
Dear Mr Younger-Ross,
I have phoned your office three times urging that Parliament be recalled quickly and permanently. On the last occasion (Monday 1st October) I spoke for the second time to Miss Becky Howard, your secretary. I told her that this government had steadily eroded the power of our Parliament and the failure to recall it properly is the last straw. I said that I had never felt so powerless and disenfranchised.
She replied, and of course I paraphrase ...
- Parliamentary debate before the declaration of the first world war proved useless ( what relevance to the search and prosecution of terrorists now?).
- That to recall Parliament permanently would be a poor use of MP’s time.
- She would have to reschedule meetings between yourself and thirteen local charities.
Although there is no worthwhile channel for my opinion I will nevertheless give it to you.
- However difficult, peace must be enforced in Israel and in the Occupied Territories now and by the UN. This should be the central purpose of any world coalition being sought by our messianic PM.
- The Taliban relish war and as George Galloway said “bombing Bin Laden will create 10,000 Bin Ladens”. That is certain.
- Terrorist reprisals in the US and GB are very likely to follow any military action in Afghanistan.
- The speech to the Labour Party conference by Mr Blair was largely humbug. There is much one can say. Terrorists convicted of terrible murders now walk free in Northern Ireland. The PM of Israel was a terrorist himself and was found by a Knesset enquiry to have been deeply implicated in the Sabrah and Shatila massacres of about 1,000 women and children.
Mother of Parliaments - enfeebled crone more likely.
Yours sincerely,
David S. Halpin, MB BS FRCS
