Open letter to David Cameron asking him to reinstate Nadine Dorries as a Conservative MP

Posted 6 May 2013 by Walaa Idris

Nadine Dorries

Dear Mr Cameron,

Our party is hurting. We are going through tough times, and like most families during hard times we need harmony and togetherness to keep us strong. To achieve this we must put to one side our personal differences and stand united as one.

Benjamin Disraeli said: “Next to knowing when to seize an opportunity, the most important thing in life is to know when to forego an advantage.”

Nadine Dorries is outspoken and brave. And this can sometimes go against the grain, nonetheless she is a loyal Conservative. Her passion for her believes and views, her constituents and our country though not unique, are what make her approachable and liked by many inside and outside politics.

Going on a TV show while the house is sitting was not her brightest moment, but her intention was good. And although that does not make what she did right however; six month without the Conservative whip, in my opinion is punishment enough.

I completely understand why you and others might be infuriated by her actions, but it’s Nadine. She is what I call a ‘Marmite politician’ – liked and admired by many while at the same time many find her difficult to like and a little irritating.

Her ability to cross the line and shock is as endearing as speaking her mind and saying what everybody else is thinking, even when she shouldn’t have.

Mr Cameron, Nadine might irritate you, and you probably irritate her back, but she is a genuine Tory, one that is very loyal and will stand by her party no matter what. She is a great asset for any leader to have on his side.

I therefore humbly request that you give Ms Dorries back the Conservative whip and bring her home into the Conservative family.

Thank you for your time and enjoy your Bank Holiday

Kindest regards

Walaa Idris

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An open letter to The Right Honourable Sir George Young

Posted 10 Dec 2012 by Walaa Idris

Dear Sir Young,

Subject: Why I think Nadine Dorries MP should return to the Conservative Parliamentary Party!

I am positive, that when you withdrew the whip from Ms Dorries, you did so because of parliamentary and party rules and regulations. I am also confidant that when you asked her to make amends with her association and constituents, it was a decision made as a result of your esteemed wisdom, just and sound experienced leadership.

It is that nature that I am appealing to in this letter.

Particularly, after taking your advice and judging from recent reports, it seems Ms Dorries has her constituents’ and association’s forgiveness, full backing and understanding, and now she deserves yours and the party’s.

Nadine Dorries is a true Tory and a solid Conservative, she is not a ‘Johnny comes lately’ who will cut and run at the first hurdle, she is a conservative who will always fight and support conservative values. I am no feminist but looking around me, I don’t see enough gutsy females publicly fighting for what they want and believe in. Nor do I see an overwhelming number of women sitting on either sides of the house. Feisty strong minded people can be a handful and a chore to manage in organised politics. However, their individuality reflects positively on the party’s diversity and tolerance.

We always say ‘our politicians should be representative, inclusive and mirror our communities’ Nadine Dorries is that. I might not agree with some of her methods but she reflects the thoughts and feelings of a sizeable segment of our voting public. Expelling her from the party will send the absolute wrong message, mainly to this vital block of voters.

Like many people. My initial reaction to her going on the show was ‘what a foolish and reckless thing to do’ but I also felt it was brave, opportune and showed her determination.

It was brave because she took a huge risk to make her point; especially since after the 2009 MPs expenses scandal, most the media chatter would focus, as it did, on her fees. Opportune, well, who knows if she’ll get another opportunity if she turned this one down!? As for her determination it speaks for itself.

I am not versed on parliamentary party rules, but if she did break a rule, then she should be reprimanded for doing so, but not kicked out. Particularly as now everyone is watching and her exclusion from our party will only add fuel to the fire that is Nadine Dorries MP.

My hope is that she becomes reinstated as a Conservative MP and maybe even given a brief! After all it is the season to be compassionate, charitable and forgiving.

Thank you for your time and warm Season’s Greetings

Sincerely yours

Walaa Idris

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Hate to say it, but both Nadine Dories and Louise Mensch are wrong.

Posted 28 Aug 2012 by Walaa Idris

Dorries & Mensch

Nadine is wrong in attacking Louise for supporting the Sun’s decision to publish Prince Harry’s naked photos. One, because the photos were already in the public domain and all the Sun did was make them available for their readers and those who might not have access to Internet but wanted to see them. They (the Sun) did not judge the prince or his actions nor did they force the photos on anyone to see them, they just provided a service by making them publicly available for those who wanted to view them.

And, two, yes Prince Harry is free to live and enjoy his life, but guess what? People are also free to want to stick their nose in his business since he is a public figure! If we go down the line of “Harry did not have a choice on what family he was born into….” Tough! None of us did, but most of us daily deal with whatever our dynasty throws at us.

I am a royalist to no end; I too, was heartbroken by Diana’s death. I never cried for a public figure’s death before (and never since until Michael Jackson’s tragic death) but I wept for Diana and moarned her death for her and the two young princes, and, because it also reminded me of my own mortality, and the possibility of leaving my girls (who are much younger than William and Harry) motherless. As a mother, I too understand that kids need continued guidance and in some cases they need monitored guidance the kind only mothers can do well.

I will not go into the private room scenario, or talk about cameras /phones, or an army officer prince letting his hair down or even the security aspect of it all, because none of them are the issue. The only issue here is, those photos were already out all over the world and therefore became of interest for the UK public. They wanted to see them and deserved to. The Sun, as I mentioned before, did not force them on anyone. Plus judging from the number of official complaints (in the region of 150,000) verses newspaper sales (millions of copies) we can safely say the Sun was right to publish them.

That puts me and Louise on the same page, siding with the Sun publishing Prince Harry’s Photos. Where I disagree with Louise is first in the timing of her resignation. She could not have picked a worst time to quit her seat and trigger a by – election. An intelligent media savvy woman, she, should have known, especially as an A’Listers that resigning mid cycle, was never going to go down well. The A’List and A’Listers are still a hot topic and in some party circles they are looked at suspiciously by members and grassroots. Plus Louise is already accused by some for being an attention seeking, limelight grabbing opportunist. Don’t get me wrong as a mother myself I support and even applaud her decision, to admit she could not cope and put her family first is nothing but admirable. My problem is with the timing of it. Especially as both Louise and her family have already endured the hardships of the job for over two years, therefore, why not just wait a few more months and resign in Christmas (I know it looks like a long time and her kids will miss the start of the school year) but resigning at the end of 2012, after the Police Commissioners elections are out of the way, and hopefully the party is polling better and CCHQ has a fuller list of possible candidates and is preparing for the 2015 general election would have been a much more considerate timing.

Secondly and here is where I am most puzzled. Prime Minster David Cameron, in Louise’s own words has been extremely gracious, supportive and accommodating to her and her family’s needs. According to her, he allowed her to work from home on Thursdays and she was permitted to excuse herself for the school run during a nationally televised Select Committee hearing…

Won’t waiting until Christmas have been a better way to reciprocate his kindness and indulgence? I mean it is not hard for anyone to see he is under extreme pressure now and one less problem might have help ease it just a little.

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Behind every successful female there is a Denis.

Posted 29 Feb 2012 by Walaa Idris

Nadine Dorries HERE spoke the truth and nailed it on the head regarding women in politics and why it is more difficult for even the most determined female to pursue with gusto a life in politics. Becoming an MP is a demanding pursuit, however, what holds women back is not their ability to do the job but other capabilities and responsibilities mainly family commitments and money.

Everybody knows the latter can buy just about anything; it buys time, notoriety and opens many impossible doors. But, family will always be the main issue that gets in the way of many women and their political and professional aspirations. For most mothers, their children are the number one priority and the wise ones know it. Some fathers and many childless women cannot sometimes genuinely comprehend that importance. A lot of people tend to make all the right noises about how they ‘understand what being a mom is’ but the despair a mother feels when she has to choice between being readily available for her child verses any personal ambition is profound.

Most of us (mothers) are riddled with guilt, guilt if we go out and do our best for others we might let down our own and our home life might suffer as a result of it, guilt that we are not setting the best examples for our kids specially daughters, nieces and young female relatives by being and doing our best on all fronts. And let’s not forget the biggest guilt of all ‘pursuing our own dreams at the expenses of the family’

A few months ago, when Louise Mensch MP, after finishing questioning James Murdoch at the televised Culture, Media and Sports Committee session, excused herself so she can pick her children up from school. Some complained that a male MP will not do this or worst that as a wealthy woman she should hire someone to pick up her kids. Most men don’t need to do it because nine times out of ten their wives will, and why hire someone to be the first to see the joy of your child ending their school week when you can do it yourself!?

If we truly want our politics and other professional institutions to be fully representative of our communities, we need to trust people and allow them to be the best they can be. Let’s not forget, for us mothers, no matter how high we reach in our professional lives we’ll always be mothers first, and that is why every politician mammy needs a rock like Denis Thatcher.

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It’s unfair how Nadine Dorries was treated for her opinion!

Posted 8 Sep 2011 by Walaa Idris

Twice before I blogged on the ‘essential’ advice proposed for women considering a termination. My take was and still remains – in principle, Dorries’s proposal was a good idea that was executed badly. Because giving people (pregnant women in this case) a choice and allowing them to make an informed decision is at the heart of Conservatism. Therefore, it was not a surprise that it came from a Tory Member of Parliament – and because of that Nadine Dorries deserves our respect and support. But where her project fell apart was on the details and its implementation – her proposal wasn’t tight and precise enough to keep at bay those with their own agenda from hijacking it, then twist and confuse it into something else.

That type of thing, especially in sensitive polarizing issues such as abortion, is expected and the Dorries Field team should have been better prepared for it with strong counter responses and tireless rebuttals.

However, what I found disturbingly appalling and never at all expected to see in this day and age, is the furious, aggressive and personal abuse thrown at Ms. Dorries! That’s not us, and should never have happened. We are still a civilised and tolerant nation – threats, hate mail, irrational tweets and personal hostile blogposts are all uncalled for.

People don’t always see eye to eye on everything and that’s just life, but treating those we disagree with as pariahs, is uncivil and short sighted. In a diverse, liberal and open society like ours, the expected thing to do is to use every opportunity to learn something new and different about the other side. And what can be more different than opposite views to ours? We must also, always respect others opinions regardless of how we think or feel about them. Those kind of barbaric narrow minded attacks like the ones Ms. Dorries was showered with in the past weeks are unacceptable regardless of why. Scare tactics might temporarily stifle debate but only briefly!

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