I back MP’s decision

12:00am Wednesday 1st August 2012 in Your Letters

I MUST totally disagree with the letter from Adrian Waters criticising Steve Baker MP for voting against the government.

Although I understand the concept of ‘party politics’, I prefer my Member of Parliament to follow his conscience whilst representing the majority of his constituency and NOT just the 32 per cent of the electorate who voted for him at the last election.

I believe they call this DEMOCRACY.

Colin Helps, Hazlemere

Comments (1)

12:18am Sun 5 Aug 12

ImpeturbableLawrence says...

In Chapter one of ‘Bugles and a Tiger’ John Masters describes how in 1937, new to the army, as a very young infantry officer before the Second World War, he made a private complaint about misbehaviour by another officer to the Adjutant of his regiment, a man called Burbury.

‘I was truly upset about what was happening, and I had asked him because I didn’t know what to do. Also it was not for myself that I had spoken but because I thought the officer was doing harm to the company and the regiment’.

Masters realises he has angered Burbury, for speaking in an underhand manner on the subject; however Burbury relaxes and starts to give some fatherly advice to Masters.

‘I in my turn relaxed … Eagerly I explained my position. Burbury said “Loyalty means backing up a man even when he’s in the wrong … That’s why it’s so hard to be loyal” … But I couldn’t agree with Burbury’s argument. … I said that to be loyal to the man we were talking about meant being disloyal to the soldiers, for he was a bad officer. … We stayed there drinking and chatting for some time longer, while I wrestled with my doubts. Loyalty was going to be a difficult subject.’

Eventually Masters concluded, ‘… I am sure if I had pressed the point Burbury would have told me what I found out for myself in due course: that a man must act by his lights and take the consequences good or bad.’

John Sergeant in ‘Maggie’ describes how Tory MPs suspected of disloyalty or having the potential to be rebels would have pressure brought on them by, amongst other things; ‘ …getting their constituency chairman to ring up and say how worrying it was that they appeared to be ready to join a revolt.’


John Profumo, an outstandingly talented Conservative MP, cabinet minister and army officer, until his premature end in 1963, earned immortal glory by voting against his own party in 1940 in the Norway debate and was told by the Chief Whip, David Margesson, in a letter containing the following: '… you utterly contemptible little ****. On every morning that you wake up for the rest of your life you will be ashamed of what you did last night.'


In 2012 I’m not sure why Colin Helps thinks it is DEMOCRACY if an MP elected by just under one in three electors follows his own conscience ‘whilst representing the majority of his constituency’ – how can anyone be certain he is representing the majority? Nor is it clear why Mr Baker is giving the incorrect order of fast food to Adrian Waters if he votes against party policy with 90 other MPs of his party, including former Thatcherite Cabinet Ministers. (Conservative home suggested almost half of Tory backbenchers voted against the proposed House of Lords reform and a further number that takes that to more than half may have opposed the bill by abstaining.

Mr Baker has refused to back up Mr Cameron over House of Lords reform. As an ex services person Mr Baker has probably considered his actions and their consequences from all directions and it looks as though he has reached similar conclusions to John Masters in 1937 and John Profumo in 1940.
In Chapter one of ‘Bugles and a Tiger’ John Masters describes how in 1937, new to the army, as a very young infantry officer before the Second World War, he made a private complaint about misbehaviour by another officer to the Adjutant of his regiment, a man called Burbury. ‘I was truly upset about what was happening, and I had asked him because I didn’t know what to do. Also it was not for myself that I had spoken but because I thought the officer was doing harm to the company and the regiment’. Masters realises he has angered Burbury, for speaking in an underhand manner on the subject; however Burbury relaxes and starts to give some fatherly advice to Masters. ‘I in my turn relaxed … Eagerly I explained my position. Burbury said “Loyalty means backing up a man even when he’s in the wrong … That’s why it’s so hard to be loyal” … But I couldn’t agree with Burbury’s argument. … I said that to be loyal to the man we were talking about meant being disloyal to the soldiers, for he was a bad officer. … We stayed there drinking and chatting for some time longer, while I wrestled with my doubts. Loyalty was going to be a difficult subject.’ Eventually Masters concluded, ‘… I am sure if I had pressed the point Burbury would have told me what I found out for myself in due course: that a man must act by his lights and take the consequences good or bad.’ John Sergeant in ‘Maggie’ describes how Tory MPs suspected of disloyalty or having the potential to be rebels would have pressure brought on them by, amongst other things; ‘ …getting their constituency chairman to ring up and say how worrying it was that they appeared to be ready to join a revolt.’ John Profumo, an outstandingly talented Conservative MP, cabinet minister and army officer, until his premature end in 1963, earned immortal glory by voting against his own party in 1940 in the Norway debate and was told by the Chief Whip, David Margesson, in a letter containing the following: '… you utterly contemptible little ****. On every morning that you wake up for the rest of your life you will be ashamed of what you did last night.' In 2012 I’m not sure why Colin Helps thinks it is DEMOCRACY if an MP elected by just under one in three electors follows his own conscience ‘whilst representing the majority of his constituency’ – how can anyone be certain he is representing the majority? Nor is it clear why Mr Baker is giving the incorrect order of fast food to Adrian Waters if he votes against party policy with 90 other MPs of his party, including former Thatcherite Cabinet Ministers. (Conservative home suggested almost half of Tory backbenchers voted against the proposed House of Lords reform and a further number that takes that to more than half may have opposed the bill by abstaining. Mr Baker has refused to back up Mr Cameron over House of Lords reform. As an ex services person Mr Baker has probably considered his actions and their consequences from all directions and it looks as though he has reached similar conclusions to John Masters in 1937 and John Profumo in 1940. ImpeturbableLawrence

Comments are closed on this article.

click2find

About cookies

We want you to enjoy your visit to our website. That's why we use cookies to enhance your experience. By staying on our website you agree to our use of cookies. Find out more about the cookies we use.

I agree