IN DEFENCE of Mark Harper MP or perhaps not. Our

Honourable Member of Parliament has, as have many

before him, rightly or wrongly been vilified and accused of

betrayal. In truth the situation is far simpler in that he has,

(again, as have many before him), been afflicted by that

peculiar form of amnesia to which all public servants are

susceptible: He has forgotten:

Firstly, that by offering himself as a candidate for MP

he has implicitly made a commitment to the electorate to

be their representative and servant.

Secondly, that in doing so, his duty is first and

foremost to his constituents, and not to his party.

Thirdly, to take into account the needs and interests

of those constituents and to represent them, no matter

how they vote, to the best of his ability.

Finally, that those constituents (to paraphrase

Lincoln) cannot be fooled all of the time and do have long

memories.

The price we accept paying in this great nation for a

free vote and true democracy is that we do not always get

the party or the policies we want and vote for; we have to

live with compromise and disappointment. If it were not

so there would never be a "Loyal Opposition" let alone a

coalition such as we now have.

However, public servants at all levels and of all

shades of colour and opinion should remember that the

electorate ultimately pay the bills and that there may

come a time (metaphorically speaking) when the Tumbrils

that rolled through Paris in the 1790s might one day roll

through Whitehall and the Forest of Dean.

In conclusion, I suspect that Mr Harper's career path

in the Forest of Dean is now more dimly lit than the

galleys at the end of the drift...

– Andrew Bluett, Gloucester.