Labour MP Martin Linton is a vocal opponent of a third runway at Heathrow, yet last night he voted in favour of it. He explains on his website that he didn't really mean to but got confused. I ask you. Still, he is a former Guardian journalist, so we must be forgiving.
But I wonder if his LibDem and Tory opponents will be quite so forgiving when they come to write their next Focus and In Touch leaflets. I think not.
Conservative Gain.
I'm sure that the good people of Battersea will be reassured that they have such a clued up person as their MP!
ReplyDeleteI used to be in quite a novel position. Checking on theyworkforyou.com to see which MP I least agreed with, I found it was Linton. As I was living in Battersea at the time I found this somewhat irritating.
ReplyDeleteI've since moved to another Labour marginal where the MP is in some ways even more infuriating than Linton.
Taking ACL Blair's advice that you shouldn't just moan about something but try and do something about it etc I decided to become a Conservative activist. I have to thank Tony for this advice.
Martin, I feel I have to tell you that some things are quite complicated. That's why you shouldn't be an MP.
"I'm sure that the good people of Battersea will be reassured that they have such a clued up person as their MP!"
ReplyDeleteYou think they didn't know whatthey were getting when they originally voted for him...?
Perhaps Brown's tears unbalanced Mr Linton. Pathetic drivel explanation.I think the voters will unseat him.
ReplyDeleteThat apart would you vote for a man who dyes his hair.
It was a reasonable assumption that there would be a division both on whether to retain the Conservative motion and then on whether to make the Government amendment; that's what normally happens when opposition day debates end at the moment of interruption.
ReplyDeleteAs the effect of carrying the Conservative motion would not have been to stop the third runway, perhaps the Conservatives should not get ahead of themselves.
I suspect this is just a complicated way of avoiding having to vote against it, whilst he personally is in favour of it. Lots of MPs are in that position, including many Tories, particularly their Dear Leader and His Team.
ReplyDeleteIsn't that the sort of mistake Baldrick made in a episode of Blackadder III?
ReplyDeleteHa, ha, ha...
ReplyDeleteWhat a typically p*sspoor excuse from Linton.
I bet Jane Ellison connot believe her luck!...
FB
If you wish to accuse Martin Linton of not voting against the third runway, then it would be perfectly acceptable also to say that no Conservative MP objected. Not one Conservative MP opposed a motion supporting Government policy allowing expansion of Heathrow.
ReplyDeleteSee the bottom of http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200809/cmhansrd/cm090128/debtext/90128-0022.htm
David Boothroyd
ReplyDeleteAnd exactly how many of those claimed to have voted the wrong way by accident?
There are several possible reasons for voting against your own opinion in the House. As a representative of constituents an MP might feel it is right to vote with an overwhelming local opinion, even if he disagrees with it. Party whipping and other political reasons might also be good reasons. Accidentally walking into the wrong lobby is not a good reason. Either he is dishonest or stupid, and either way deserves to be taken at his word and humiliated for it. Only because that's funnier than calling him a liar, which is more likely.
It worries me how often simple points have to be explained to those who support the political left. It shouldn't surprise me considering the things they have to believe in order to support the left, but it does.
Linton is/was an ardent supporter of Hain. When the initial troubles about Hain's interesting financial affairs came to light, Linton told me that he was certain that Hain had done no wrong.
ReplyDeleteIn the light of that monumental failure of judgement it's hardly surprising that he somehow managed to find his way into the wrong lobby.
Still, it gets pretty noisy in Battersea as the aircraft lumber overhead, virtually one a minute. Maybe it's had some sort of permanent mental effect.
Notional result:
ReplyDeleteLab 16,615 (40.67%)
C 16,283 (39.85%)
LD 5,906 (14.45%)
Green 1,720 (4.21%)
UKIP 334 (0.82%)
Lab maj 332 (0.81%)
If this isn't a C gain, you have a *real* problem!
I don't think Linton did 'vote the wrong way by accident'. He was opposed to Heathrow expansion but not for the precise reasons given in the motion the Conservatives put down. Hence he voted against their wording, but did not get an opportunity to register his opposition to the Government motion.
ReplyDeleteIf sites like Theyworkforyou don't understand Parliamentary procedure that's no excuse for anyone else.
He sounds just as ridiculous as the Shrewsbury MP!
ReplyDeleteThey make the case for an age limit for candidates. i.e. No person under 40 and over 70.
@ David Boothroyd
ReplyDeleteIs this what you think may have happened or did you get it from Linton? He's not particularly competent then, is he?
Is he some sort of new boy?
Dammit. Now getting a 404 so I guess he's taken the page down.
ReplyDeleteSeems he may have finally worked out why he was getting so many hits all of a sudden....
I suspect I was not the only visitor to this Blog to follow the link in Iain's post to Linton's website and offer up a helpful comment on his recent 'confused' moment.
ReplyDeleteNeedless to say it did not apprear and now even the explanation is nowhere to be found - what a waste of space he is...
The item has indeed been deleted but its ghost lingers one: a search on 'Heathrow' returns its first sentence: ' . . This is a mix-up for which I am entirely responsible. I was expecting two votes and instead of voting for an Opposition motion on the.. ' and a link to the deleted item.
ReplyDeleteLinton's confession has been preserved for posterity [and the next election, no doubt] at: http://conservativehome.blogs.com/centreright/2009/01/how-can-an-mp-o.html
ReplyDeleteTry here for the next few days:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.martinlinton.org.uk/?PageId=211df269-7115-8264-c17e-509c7940caba
Sorry: here
ReplyDeletehttp://tinyurl.com/d6hftk
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