Unwarranted abuse

How dare he? Just how dare Jack Straw tell Muslims not to vote Lib Dem, calling us 'fairweather friends' who only just discovered them?

If he bothered to come down to Tower Hamlets, he would see a growing party, with many in the Bangladeshi community not only joining the Lib Dems, but also being candidates and councillors for the area.

During this campaign I've found that perhaps the most pertinent issue has been British foreign policy, and especially in relation to Iraq. People are angry that Blair has allied himself so closely with a reactionary, right-wing administration such as Bush's, to the extent that we have almost given up any distance between them.

Blair is the one causing harm to the Labour party by his refusal to countenance dissent from his and his clique's view. And as for Mr Straw - well, if he really listened to his constituents last year, he would have known that they were unhappy about going to war before the UN route was complete. One of his Government's most loyal supporters, Oona King, the Labour MP for Bethnal Green and Bow, was nearly deselected this year for her stance over the war.

But then, maybe Jack Straw's just scared - and preparing his party for electoral meltdown next month.