The worm turns!

My MP, Rob Marris, is an excellent constituency MP. He answers letters, fights for his constituents and works hard. He's also an ultra-loyalist New Labour clone. He voted to cut benefits, go to war, to introduce ID cards and all the other terrible ideas introduced by the clique which captured the Labour Party.

Until now. He takes an interest in educational affairs, and is mightily (and rightly) infuriated with the government's decision to cut funding to institutions like mine. This is his letter to the Minister of State (who is also a local MP):

Dear Pat,

Funding for Universities

I understand that the government is proposing to cut funding for universities by £135 million. I do not have the details because, it seems, the Secretary of State rudely chose to make the announcement at a time when Parliament is not in session, apparently thereby seeking to evade Parliamentary scrutiny. That will not do, and it will not succeed. 

Realistically, our economy and our society cannot compete with low wage, low skills economies such as China and India. We must compete in an increasingly globalised world as a high wage, high skills economy. For the development of those skills, we rely massively on universities. Similarly with the funding of research, without discoveries and innovation, we will be in a weakened position in the world economy. 

We need those skills, and that research, to help us out of the recession, and to build for the future. The Prime Minister has repeatedly stressed this point, yet your department seems to be going in the opposite direction. I should be grateful if you, or one of your colleagues could explain to me what on earth is going on.

Yours,

Rob.

Basically, this is the parliamentary equivalent of calling the minister a wanker and inviting him outside. Well done Rob.