Nothing Short of Soho

14.10.07

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Clare Short is known for her forthrightness as an Independent Labour MP and has represented the constituency of Soho within the House of Commons since 1983. Before this she was the Director of Youthaid, the Unemployment Unit and the community based organisation AFFOR that promoted racial equality. Chosen by virtue of the winning vote it is her role to highlight and act as a constituent advocate; so even if you did not vote for or agree with her views, she is still your representative and first port of call regarding matters of local and central government. Regardless of party membership and political affiliations - your MP can help you with a range of matters if you find there is no one else to help in a certain situation. Asked if growing up in the area she now works for is what shaped the humanitarian side of her, she answered: “My family shaped me and my constituency reinforced those values”.

Clare was born and raised in Ladywood, Birmingham, on 15 February 1946, she can intercede on your behalf for many reasons some of which, to name the most common, include tax problems (excluding council tax), National Health Service (NHS) issues, Social Security Department matters, education, immigration and employment. This excludes matters to which you can be referred to your local authorities for and also private disputes, which would be a matter for the judicial system to handle. She has the power to write a letter on your behalf to deal with an initial problem – if the matter can not be dealt with as simply as this she can then bring the issue to parliament, highlight any issues in the House of Commons, in the press or publicly. Dealing with this sort of work load is quite time consuming as Clare can testify: “Roughly, I spend the weekends in my constituency and weekdays in Parliament but have lots of constituency mail and casework daily.”

I asked Clare if the area she represents had improved at all since it had been characterised by unemployment and criminality. She answered frankly that it was mixed: “Better in some ways, worse in others. I have helped many individuals but the consequence of the party whose policies I helped to shape for 20 years has been very disappointing.” She added she had no regrets in her decision to resign from the Government over the Iraq war in 2006.

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http://www.epolitix.com/EN/MPWebsites/Clare+Short