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[ Presenting plain-text part of multi-format email ] Our local labour MP, Paul Farrelly (Labour, Newcastle Under Lyme - abstained on the key vote in Parliament March 18th) was scheduled to come and speak at our University, Keele, this Friday. He proposed to speak on both the war and "top-up fees". Yesterday he pulled out, citing "security" concerns. His letter is reproduced below. Have any other members of this list come across MPs suddenly pulling out of engaging with their constituents? Would CASI members like to offer interpretations and speculations about what is really going on here? John Sloboda. Keele University, Staffordshire. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dear John Nice to speak to you again and I am sorry to have to cancel Friday's meeting on security advice. As we discussed, in common with other MPs, my office has received threats over the war with Iraq. It is always difficult to assess whether anonymous callers, faxers or e-mailers are credible or not, but at this unpredictable time Special Branch and the police check everything out. Last week I also received a call from the local police alerting me to the fact that the meeting at Keele had been advertised on a direct action site on the internet (from that, indeed, I first learned that the venue was the Westminster Theatre!). I have no reason to believe that the group behind that advertisment advocates anything but lawful protest. Given the current circumstances and uncertainty, however, the advice I have received here is not to attend and I have informed the police accordingly. I will post you, as promised, the two articles I have written for The Sentinel, which explains my position on the war in Iraq. I will also keep you in touch with the campaign against differential top-up fees and the Higher Education White Paper. Best wishes and sorry again to have to cancel Yours sincerely Paul Farrelly MP for Newcastle-under-Lyme _______________________________________________ Sent via the discussion list of the Campaign Against Sanctions on Iraq. To unsubscribe, visit http://lists.casi.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/casi-discuss To contact the list manager, email casi-discuss-admin@lists.casi.org.uk All postings are archived on CASI's website: http://www.casi.org.uk