Perhaps, with a majority of less than 500, every vote counts.
Has current Rochdale MP Paul Rowen recently discovered Palestine in a conversion on the road to Damascus?
Paul didn't really cut the mustard in a debate about Palestine at Castlemere Community Centre last week. The lacklustre MP's spurious claims, involving incendiary language turned into a damp squib. Some say an anti-Rowen backlash is predicted.
Did Paul tell fibs to the meeting by suggesting he had been advising Fib Dem leader Nick Clogg on matters Palestinian?
Has this man no shame as defenceless women and children die?
The website They Work For You tells the true story about Paul Rowen's Parliamentary commitment to Palestine and Gaza.
The website has a search feature that allows key words to be matched with an MP's speeches and parliamentary activity.
On the Paul Rowen They Work For You page type the words "Gaza" or "Palestine".
Guess what? Absolutely no reference whatsoever can be found for Rochdale's current MP in all of his parliamentary career.
2005, 2006, 2007, 2008- nothing, zip, nada.
He had time to waste on great debates about fake tans, the disgrace of not getting full pint of beer or the desperate need to celebrate St Georges Day. Yet not one single word in Parliament in 4 years about the terrible plight of Palestinians.
Yet Paul Rowen suggests he has advised Nick Clegg on Gaza and Palestine during the current crisis? A very cheeky claim given that he has been on a long holiday to Thailand at the very time when any advice was needed.
MP's deserve holidays and privacy, even if the vacation destination is infamous for ladyboys, dodgy knock-offs and extraordinary uses for table tennis balls.
The moral of this tale is simple- Paul Rowen should not use the terrible deaths of innocent women and children as a cheap tactic to gain votes on a subject that he has absolutely no parliamentary track record on whatsoever.
4 comments:
If Mr Rowen was on the road to Damascus then he would actually have his back to Palestine.
There could be something in that given that his track record shows he is clueless on middle eastern issues.
Shameless, moronic politiking.
He must really think that Muslim voters are stupid.
Or are Rowen's shameless tactics really the work of the alcohol abusing spin doctor Dave Hennegan?
Please see our report on what we are doing about Palestine. We are frankly sick of accusations that we have not supported Palestine and the horrific injustices inflicted by Israeli Forces. We have consistently fought for the Palestinian people and this email is evidence of this. We are shocked at the Israeli aggression and have renounced them at every given occasion.
Paul has signed up to many Parliamentary Motions on the situation in Gaza since being elected in 2005. These are a selection of the motions that Paul has supported including the 2nd ever EDM he ever signed:
http://edmi.parliament.uk/EDMi/EDMDetails.aspx?EDMID=28246&SESSION=875
and:
http://edmi.parliament.uk/EDMi/EDMDetails.aspx?EDMID=28740&SESSION=875
and:
http://edmi.parliament.uk/EDMi/EDMDetails.aspx?EDMID=29436&SESSION=875
and:
http://edmi.parliament.uk/EDMi/EDMDetails.aspx?EDMID=30850&SESSION=875
and:
http://edmi.parliament.uk/EDMi/EDMDetails.aspx?EDMID=31071&SESSION=875
and:
http://edmi.parliament.uk/EDMi/EDMDetails.aspx?EDMID=34416&SESSION=891
and:
http://edmi.parliament.uk/EDMi/EDMDetails.aspx?EDMID=34854&SESSION=891
Paul has been busy speaking on behalf of Palestinians, this includes with the Rochdale and Littleborough Peace Group who he met in 2006. He has supported their work ever since including signing their petitions, and being very vocal in his opposition to Israeli aggression.
Paul Rowen’s first statement on the current crisis was delivered at the end of December and formed part of his letter from Parliament. As this formed part of Paul’s weekly letter for the New Year it appeared online on Paul’s website and Rochdale Online on 31st December. Paul actually issued the statement to me on 28/12/08 by email. This is what he said:
This Christmas was tarnished with Israel launching huge attacks on the people of Gaza. Hundreds of people have already been injured including many innocent children and women as well many more being injured and losing their homes. I hope that these disproportionate attacks will be met by severe pressure from both the British and American Governments.
For a full version go to: http://www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/news-features/2/community-news/18141/paul-rowen-mp:-letter-from-parliament-happy-new-year
The following was then sent out to a full media list on January 7th on the resumption of Parliament:
http://www.paulrowen.co.uk/news/66/rowen-pleas-for-ceasefire
As an advisor to Nick Clegg MP, he worked with him on the strongest statement issued by a leader of a British mainstream political party and then himself issued the following open letter on January 9th.
http://www.paulrowen.co.uk/news/67/an-open-letter-from-paul-rowen-mp-on-gaza
On the same day Paul wrote to Foreign Secretary David Milliband MP demanding action and published it on his website on the same day:
http://www.paulrowen.co.uk/news/68/letter-from-paul-rowen-mp-to-david-milliband
On the 10th January, Paul was proud and privileged to speak at the rally at Hyde Park in front of tens of thousands. You can find the full speech and story here:
http://www.paulrowen.co.uk/news/70/rowen-speaks-at-gaza-rally
http://www.theasiannews.co.uk/news/s/1089967_rochdale_mp_speaks_at_gaza_rally
http://www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/news-features/2/community-news/18467/peace-group-takes-israeli-protest-to-london
Watch it here:
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=n4eI_HZhoao
Since Parliament returned, we have been busy putting pressure on the Government. This includes writing another letter to David Milliband which you can see here:
http://www.paulrowen.co.uk/news/71/israel-must-be-called-to-account-says-rochdale-mp
Paul has been active since Parliament has resumed. This includes writing and co-sponsoring the following motion:
http://edmi.parliament.uk/EDMi/EDMDetails.aspx?EDMID=37394&SESSION=899
That being:
That this House believes that war crimes have been committed as part of the conflict in the Gaza Strip; and calls on the Government to refer the conflict to the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court for formal investigation.
And:
http://edmi.parliament.uk/EDMi/EDMDetails.aspx?EDMID=37385&SESSION=899
We have written another motion and we’ll let you know when it reaches the order paper
Dave Hennigan has been working on this feeble defence of Paul Rowen’s paper thin credibility on Palestinian matters for some time.
Do not be fooled into thinking for one moment that Paul is a hard-working campaigner for Palestine. He is not and never has been.
What we have here is effectively a list of petitions that Paul has signed. It means very little. I signed a petition recently to help save the Alaskan Eskimos who are fighting a losing battle against global warming. This does not make me a credible Eskimo campaigner.
It takes two seconds to sign someone else’s EDM. It takes a bit longer to prepare and table one yourself. How many EDMs has Paul Rowen tabled on Palestine? Absolutely none.
Paul has not been busy speaking on behalf of Palestinians either. He has been busy ignoring this issue, despite promising the Muslim community that he would champion this cause when he was elected in 2005. He’s scraping the barrel if he thinks that meeting the Rochdale and Littleborough Peace Group, who are fully signed up Lib Dem supporters, gives him any kind of meaningful track record in this area.
Paul Rowen is not an advisor to Nick Clegg either. In Nick Clegg’s recent reshuffle his name wasn’t even mentioned. Even though they are a tiny party, Paul Rowen is on the outer fringe of the Liberal Democrats, not even remotely near to any position of influence. He is an obscure, do-nothing backbencher who is constantly playing catch-up on every big issue that hits Rochdale.
Anyone who has read Paul’s lightweight and positively soporific letters from Parliament will realise that he would never have been asked to contribute to any statement issued by Nick Clegg.
Paul Rowen did not write the war crimes EDM either. John Hemming did.
So overall, what we have is an astonishing tissue of lies and a hopeless smokescreen to try and hide Paul’s lack of action in this area.
Does Paul sit on the Palestine All Party Parliamentary Group? No
Has Paul ever made one speech in nearly four years as an MP on Palestine? No
Had Paul ever mentioned the Palestinian cause in the local media or leafleted residents on what work he was carrying out in this area before the Gaza invasion? No
The sorry truth is that Paul HAS been busy speaking up for Uganda in Parliament; a country where he has vested property interests. But he has been completely ignoring Palestine.
He has devoted more time to press releasing his fight to save the froth on a pint of beer than he has on saving lives in Gaza. http://www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/news-features/2/community/123/make-mine-a-full-pint-of-ale
George Galloway is supposed to be speaking in Rochdale soon.
Lets hope he turns up this time.
If not, the audience could be treated to a breathtaking speech from Paul Rowen that displays his depth of knowledge on Palestine.
That shouldn't take long but given his pisspoor performance speaking last week it could be a painful experience.
Think Miss Teen South Carolina on a bad day.
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=lj3iNxZ8DwwMiss
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