turn again Denham...

think about it...

It is a shame that John Denham's decision to rejoin the Labour government has meant that he feels forced to defend it at every opportunity, whatever the cost to Southampton's residents. Some would say it is strange that he rejoined the government at all given that he resigned due to his opposition to the war in Iraq, a war Gordon Brown's government are committed to continuing.Be that as it may, his absurd attempts to defend the inadequate revenue support grant given to Southampton by central government are deeply irresponsible as the authority is clearly underfunded. The hard-pressed council taxpayer locally cannot be expected to contribute any more as Labour continues to divert funds from the South to councils in the North East & North West. This view is accepted by all three political parties on Southampton city council, including Labour who voted for my council motion asking for adequate funding as recently as September. On this issue Mr Denham is at odds with even his local partySadly this is not the first example of Mr Denham defending the indefensible. As the respected BBC journalist Nick Robinson has pointed out, as a backbencher and indeed Chairman of the influential Home Affairs select committee, Mr Denham pronounced that ' any new legislation should not propose longer than 28 days detention' without trial. Now legislation proposed in the Queen's speech proposes exactly that and Mr Denham has been given a job miraculously he is in now favour!

An MP who supports underfunding of his local council and an undermining of Southampton citizen's civil liberties, how long will it be until the charge is made that John Denham is simply a new Labour careerist rather than fighting for our interests in government?