I was pleased to read Chris Flanagan’s article in last Friday’s Watford Observer where he highlighted Watford MP Dean Russell’s peculiar behaviour in repeatedly performing U- turns when voting in Parliament and doing so without, it appears, any shame or embarrassment. Gagan Mohindra in South West Herts also repeatedly adopts the the party line when sucking up to government.

Our MPs are elected to Parliament specifically to represent the interests of their constituents – yet as far as I can see they make little attempt to find out what what their constituents actually think and then act on it. I was speaking to a friend in Watford on Wednesday and he asked me what the point of voting was when they just follow the party line. I told him I couldn’t give him a decent answer because I didn’t know.

But I do know that when ordinary people start losing faith in the political process and don’t vote then this nation really is in trouble.

So well done Chris Flangan for highlighting this issue. If the MPs have any pride in their job they will respond to his article in the next edition of the Observer and tell us all exactly what they DO believe in, what their values are, and in what circumstances they would make up their own minds about one of the many burning issues of the day.

Philip Parry

South-West Herts Labour Party