GUILDFORD CONSTITUENTS SUPPORT MP IN ANTI WAR STANCE

12.00.00am UTC (GMT +0000) Thu 23rd Jan 2003

Sue Doughty MP met yesterday with constituents who had travelled up to Westminster to lobby parliament and express their opposition to an invasion of Iraq. They were among thousands of people from around the country who attended the lobby organised by the Stop the War Coalition.

Sue said:

"I have received dozens of letters, phone calls and emails from constituents who are opposed to the invasion of Iraq. I was very pleased to have the opportunity to listen to the concerns of constituents who came to parliament yesterday to make their opposition to war known."

"I was asked when the decision was taken to go to war. With thousands of troops now sent to the Gulf, it does look increasingly like a decision has been made without parliament being consulted. Other questions remain unanswered about the cost of the action to date, and what else could be done with the money."

"One constituent from Bramley saw me later. He brought the support of his church group with him."

Yesterday evening Sue spoke at a rally for the parliament based No War on Iraq Liaison Group, sharing a platform in the Grand Committee Room with prominent anti-war campaigners including Tony Benn and Harold Pinter.

Sue said:

"There are too many unanswered questions about this war, too many reasons why an attack on Iraq would be wrong. The weapons inspections are by no means complete and yet we don't seem to be waiting. We don't know how many people would die, but there is no sense in saving people from a tyrant if we are going to kill them anyway. No one wants Saddam Hussein, but there are many other unresolved issues such as rebuilding the Balkans and rebuilding Afghanistan.

"We are in a crazy situation where the American people seem to think that Saddam is capable of firing missiles at them and are not given all the information. But when Mugabe in Zimbabwe is starving his own people, the only action we take is to tell the Cricket Team to stay away and put up with the financial costs.