The Romsey Advertiser 28 March 2008

Written by Sandra Gidley MP on Fri 28th Mar 2008

The end of last week took a surprising turn. I had a question to the Solicitor General on data loss but whilst awaiting my turn I noticed a question about the use of bottled water in the House of Commons. This raised alarm bells as the water is supplied by the local firm, Hildon Water. The review has been prompted by an aggressive campaign by the Evening Standard and I felt uneasy that a knee jerk decision could be made and that it might affect jobs in the constituency. I was able to make a point and will be keeping an eye on this matter for the foreseeable future.

After a relatively quiet and relaxing Easter it was time to return to Westminster and the first item on the agenda was a debate on Iraq. This was part of a Conservative Opposition Day and the debate called for an Inquiry into the Iraq war. We supported the general call for such an inquiry but it did seem somewhat odd that some of those calling for an inquiry had offered such enthusiastic support to the war in the first place. The about-face by the Conservative Party, on this issue, smacks of opportunism. The result was fairly predictable. There were some Labour rebels but not enough to cause the Government embarrassment.

At the start of the day I had a question to the Foreign Secretary on the treatment of women human rights activists in Iran. The Minister's reply was high on rhetoric and low on information so this is a subject I shall pursue in the future.

A large chunk of the evening was spent listening to briefings on the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill. The subject was prominent on the news over the Easter Weekend as various religious leaders expressed a view on the subject. For some of us the issues are not quite so black and white and we are mindful that, for some people, research may lead to a cure for a debilitating illness. The balance has to be struck between a potential life and the potential to provide a greater benefit for the living. Each of us will have a different view about what is right and what is what wrong and where we draw the line. What is clearly wrong is that some of these matters are whipped. Conscience cannot be whipped and it seems wrong to try.

Wednesday had the potential to be interesting. The good news was that I was on the list for a question to the Prime Minister. The bad news was that it was number 14 which meant that there was a reduced chance of being called unless proceedings moved along pretty sharply. In the end I wasn't called so the question will have to wait for another day.

Such is the way things work in the world of politics but I had hoped that I might be lucky on my birthday at least.

Published with kind permission of the Romsey Advertiser