Sir - You report (Oxford Mail, December 21) that Blairite MP Andrew Smith has voted in 68 per cent of divisions in the House of Commons over the past year.
But it is quality, not quantity, that counts when an MP makes voting decisions in Parliament.
During the past year, Mr Smith has voted in favour of new hurdles obstructing people from poor backgrounds seeking to enter higher education, and for wasting vast amounts of money on PFI projects calculated to undermine the National Health Service.
As a minister until recently at the Department for Work and Pensions, Mr Smith oversaw cruel means-testing for pensioners.
Since the Blair Government was elected, there has not been a single occasion when Mr Smith's conscience has compelled him to vote against the Blairite party line. His decisions have benefited neither his constituency, nor the country.
JACOB SANDERS
Green Party Prospective
Parliamentary Candidate
Oxford East
Divinity Road
Oxford
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