Oh dear, once again Labour have got themselves in a tiz over the local Labour MPs voting record on Post Office closures. This time we have two statements from Labour in two different local papers claiming that the local MP has never really voted for Post Office closures. Why they bother fibbing is beyond me, these things are public record after all. So for clarity here is the current Labour MPs full voting record!
29th November 2007- There was a debate on Post Office closures at Westminster. Our MP, despite claiming to be so concerned locally, never bothered to take part. He has tried to defend this in one of the papers by saying he was a whip so couldn't vote. Again, another fib, he was sacked (I mean offered another job) as a whip on June 28th 2007.
January 10th 2007- As a Government whip, our local MP not only pledged his support for the Government's Post Office closures by acting as a teller, his job was to actually make sure that Labour MPs voted for a Government motion saying we had too many Post Offices. He has tried to defend this by mis-leading people by saying he was just a vote counter. No, he was a teller for the Government side meaning that he supported the Government motion. He must think people are stupid if they are going to fall for that one.
May 15th 2002- A motion was put before the House of Commons condemning the loss of pension books and the move to automatic credit transfer at Post Offices. Mr Cawsey voted to support the Government's policy of scrapping pension books instead.
January 29th 2002 - Mr Cawsey voted against a motion in Parliament which condemned the closure of hundreds of Post Offices and the loss of pension books. The decision to scrap pension books alone meant that thousands of sub-Post Offices were closed.
April 2000 - Our Labour MP voted AGAINST a motion in Parliament calling for more to be done to help protect our sub-Post Offices
The spin being generated by Mr Cawsey's minions locally on this issue demonstrates exactly the sort of politics we need an end to. It's about time our politicians stood on their record and had the guts to actually defend it.