Iraqi employees campaign latest MP responses
The MPs’ responses so far stand at:
Conservatives (7):
Mark Field
Michael Howard
Anne Milton
Patrick Mercer
James Paice
Ed Vaizey
Theresa Villiers
Labour (19):
Diane Abbott
Charlotte Atkins
Celia Barlow
Hugh Bayley
Alistair Darling
Wayne David
Frank Dobson
Jim Fitzpatrick
Ian Gibson
Helen Goodman
Patricia Hewitt
Sadiq Khan
David Lammy
David Lepper
Tony Lloyd
Chris Mole
Andrew Smith
Dr Rudi Vis
Paul Truswell (via Ian Clenshaw)
Lib Dems (8):
John Barrett
Malcolm Bruce
Lynn Featherstone
David Howarth
Don Foster
Greg Mulholland
Robert Smith
Stephen Williams
If you’d like to help, try the following:
- Watch the video.
- Write to your MP. Ask them to refer your concerns to the Home Office, Foreign Office and Ministry of Defence.
- Let us know in the comments if you get a response.
- Join the list of supporters.
- If you think your MP might be sympathetic, visit their constituency surgery, explain the matter of the Iraqi employees, and ask if your MP would be willing to co-sponsor the meeting at Portcullis House in October.
- Spread the word. If you have a blog, why not help yourself to one of Unity’s lovely blog banners?
- Keep up with latest on the Iraqi employees’ plight with Google News Alerts.
- Sign the petition.
Posted on August 29th, 2007 at 2:00pm under Activism, Iraq, Iraqi interpreters and employees, UK politics
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• 19 Comments |
Patrick Mercer’s office (Conservative, Newark and Retford) emails to ‘express his support for your endeavours’ and request that we keep them posted. Which we shall.
The coming attack on Iran will change everything very soon. Why have the British forces decamped and dug-in at Basra airport?
The Daily Mail et al……… will be covering many days of evacs from Basra and heroic flights by the RAF, our boys, from Iranian attacks (get the drift)………… and some locals forgedaboutit!!!!!!!!!
Retreating armies usually lose a lot of their men………
Roger Berry; Lab. A holding reply while he consults with the home secretary.
Got one! From Greg Mulholland (Lib Dem):
Thank you for contacting my office via email about the Iraqi interpreters
and for taking such an interest in this issue. I share your grave concerns
about their safety and our Government’s response to this situation.
As I am sure you are aware, I have consistently opposed the Iraq War,
attended marches and spoke at events in Leeds about it.
I am appalled that having invaded Iraq, our country is threatening to
abandon Iraqis who have put themselves at risk of murder, working for us
as interpreters.I believe that it is imperative that we do not abandon
Iraqis who have made a choice to put their lives in danger to help
Coalition forces.
I have written to Liam Byrne MP, Home Office Minister of State for
Borders and Immigration, voicing my concerns, which reflect the views of
many of my constituents, including yourself. I will contact you as soon as
I receive a reply.
In the mean time, I hope this information satisfies your queries and ask
that you contact me
with any concerns you have have about this or any other issue.
Yours sincerely
Greg Mulholland MP
Member of Parliament for Leeds North West
Absolutely bugger all from Joan Ruddock.
David Lepper (Labour, Brighton Pavilion) writes to say that he feels we have an obligation, that he is already making representations in the case of an individual constituent and he will be in touch again when he has heard from the Home Secretary.
I received a follow up reply from Robert Smith this morning. It’s here.
Could you add in this one from my MP, Mark Field (Con, Cities of London and Westminster)?
http://unoriginalname38.blogspot.com/2007/09/we-cant-turn-them-away.html
Cheers, Dave. Added.
A reader, who wishes to remain anonymous, wrote to Theresa Villiers (Conservative MP for Chipping Barnet and Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury) and got a very positive reply:
‘I agree that Britain has a moral duty to protect those whose life is in
danger because of service they have given to this country and our armed
forces…It only remains now for the current government to change its position and
adopt a more reasonable position.
‘I have also written to Mr Liam Byrne, Minister of State for Nationality,
Citizenship and Immigration to make him aware of your concerns. I will of
course be in touch again once I have received his response.’
Bingo.
[...] an impact. So: 1) Look up your MP. 2) Write to them. (draft letter) 3) Tell us about your MP’s response. 4) Spread the [...]
Two more, by email.
Michael Howard (Conservative, Folkestone and Hythe): ‘I am extremely sympathetic to your cause.’ He will attend the meeting if he is in the country.
Malcolm Bruce (Lib Dem, Gordon) ‘is fully supportive of the aims of the ‘We can’t turn them away’ campaign, and will be seeking to consult with colleagues regarding this matter on his return.’
He’s no longer an MP, but I should also add that Paddy Ashdown has emailed me several times- he strongly supports the campaign. He would speak at the meeting but is, alas, out of the country on the 9th October- he will be seeking to raise the matter in other ways. Good news.
[...] Let us know in the comments if you get a response. [...]
Don’t know if anyone else has picked her up but got this from Charoltte Atkins, LAB, Staffordshire Moorlands…
“I entirely agree. We must protect and look after the Iraqi interpreters and others who worked with our troops. I have already written to the Foreign Secretary on this issue but am happy to take this issue up again as I focussed more particularly on the interpreters before.“
Charlotte, even.
One has to say that this procrastination is all of a piece with what the British Legion describes as the government having boken the covenant with ‘our’ armed forces…
As an interviewee on Five Live hinted, there’s a cold blooded common sense reason for dong everything we can to protect those who have rendered signal service to assist our forces in their work – which is what interpreters do, after all.
I would like to think that there is still a sufficient ability to conceive of the moral standing, as well as the debt of honour that we owe to these interpreters [and their families, come to that]
In other words, I contend that for our own continuing self respect as a nation in the world, we should acknowledge and pay our debts of honour- and do so promptly.
Yes, if government paper pushers analyse and procrastinate long enough, the majority will be dead, which will solve what is perceived purely as a problem by the paper people. To allow this to happen would be to undermine any good purpose which might currently be claimed in our presence in that beleaguered country.
Yes, I am writing to my MP to this effect.
Thank you, to those who began and are sustaining this campaign.
Chris Bertram’s had a response from Stephen Williams (Bristol West)
http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=3699020&postID=9163607531550605283&isPopup=true
I have had the following response from Tom Harris, who is my constituency MP for Glasgow South.
“Dear Mr Clark,
Thank you for contacting me on the matter of Iraqi civillians working for British Forces in Southern Iraq.
I think it is important to establish that many thousands of Iraqis have volunteered to work for and with British forces in the post-war period and that their contribution has been invaluable. It is estimated that some 15,000 civillians have in some capacity worked in support of or in tandem with our troops and agencies in the region.
As you know, it has recently been reported that thos civillians employed in an Interpretation capacity have unfortunately become subject to higher than average risk of harm as they are seen by some factions as ‘collaborators’. These people have provided an essential service and this has not gone unnoticed.They are held in the highest esteem by the people with whom they work and are credited with wanting to do the best for their country in it’s troubled infancy.
Obviously the security situation in Iraq is volatile and involves frequent tragic losses and casulaties in all quarters. Although the wellbeing of those interpreterss is not taken lightly they are subject to the same risks as the troops with whom they patrol.
Recent reports suggest that th interpreters and their families would be in gerat danger upon the withdrawal of British troops and that they would receiv no special treatment in their requests for asylum in the UK. It is my understanding that this initial position was based upon the potential volume of asylum applications from those thousands of Iraqis mentined above and that individual cases of the interpreters would be considered on their merits and in conjunction with the many glowing reports and recommendations from senior armed service Officers.
The Secretaries of State for Defence and Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs are currently preparing reports that will be presented to ministers in the autumn. The Prime Minister Gordon Brown has also said that cases of 91 Iraqi interpreters will be looked at again.
I will of course write to both the Rt Hon Des Browne MP and the Rt Hon David Milibrand MP to ask for an update on the current situation and to convey your concerns and will write to you again as soon as I receive a response.
Thank you again for contacting me on this issue.
Best wishes
Tom Harris MP.”
Which, I think is a reasonable response. Any typing errors are mine and were not in the original.