That Vote Today

My former flatmate, former LibDem-baiter, former video star, former Defence Minister, former NOLS Chairman, former Guardian "Top Toadie of The Year" and current MP for The Baggies Tom "Thicko" Watson makes the case for voting with the Government on Trident replacement with complete clarity and common sense on his website.

In 50 years time when the very submarines being decided on now are still the basis of our national security we may well have cause to thank him and others for having formerly taken a tough political call under a lot of pressure. Tom is well used to making tough, sensible calls. This former letter calling on Tony Blair to resign as Prime Minister is a splendid example.

At least Tom is one former friend who is not deserting me. Mind you, I was a bit p****d off when he formerly suggested on his blog that I might be a tea-leaf intent on purloining his giant "Vote Labour" fridge magnet.

And I was certainly not over-pleased with this former posting in which the silly old fart reported that my wife Councillor Smith was taking surreptitious photographs of our own flat and needed "sorting out".

Looking down the list of MP signatories of the rebel amendment I can see Frank Dobson, my boss in my first real job as an Agent and Doug Naysmith who was my friend and mentor in politics in Bristol when I was a student. Now that the list of signatories has grown significantly, other former friends of mine are appearing on it.

None of them would vote lightly on such an important issue - they all believe they are doing the right thing even though they are so obviously talking through their rear orifices.

Unilateralism vs. multilateralism was the key fight that inspired me to start going to Labour Party meetings in 1988 (I hoped I could help Neil Kinnock get his policy review through against CND by turning up to Canterbury Branch LP, but in the event they all ignored me anyway).

I know that the Labour MPs voting on this later today will all feel they are doing the right thing, which ever way they vote.

I hope the majority of them listen to Thicko's wisdom and make the right call. This one is far too important to get wrong, as several of my professional clients will confirm.