Oooohhhh! I've received a reply to the letter I wrote to my MP about the situation in Iraq, criticising the conduct of the occupying forces and calling for their withdrawal. Let's see what he had to say...

Thank you very much for your faxed letter of 10th April which I am afraid I only received this morning.

Fair enuff. Apology accepted. His manners are clearly in order.

I share your concern about the deteriorating situation in Iraq - which has become even worse since you wrote your letter. I am very grateful for you drawing your views to my attention and I agree with you that it would be wonderful if the UN and other nations were prepared to send in a peacekeeping force...

Which wasn't really my point. Perhaps I didn't phrase it very well, but my focus was on the need to end the occupation which I emphasised "is not serving to maintain order and prevent a civil war as its supporters claim, but is actively (and perhaps consciously?) inflaming the situation" and could not bring peace and stability to the country by force of arms.

...but, at the moment, there are not many nations that seem particularly keen on taking this course of action.

Which is certainly true, but this merely reflects the fact that they do not want to participate in an illegal, immoral occupation as a proxy for the US. If the US and the UK were to end the occupation, this situation would very likely change.

I would hope that both the American President and Tony Blair will be doing all they can through the UN to try and get an international peacekeeping force in Iraq.

Again this isn't really the point. Bush and Blair shouldn't be doing "all they can through the UN to try and get an international peacekeeping force in Iraq" at all. They just need to get the hell out of there. The Iraqis with help from others not tainted by the occupation can sort out the rest.

However I fear it may be an impossibility...

As I mentioned above, without an end to the occupation, this may very well be the case. The solution then is obvious.

...but I am grateful for you drawing your views to my attention and I will obviously bear those in mind as, and when, this matter is raised in Parliament.

Quite what he means he will bear my views in mind is unclear, given that he neither really understands, nor agrees with them. As for the matter being raised in Parliament, it seems strange that if he accepts the matters importance he is not calling vigorously for the matter to be discussed, at length, but there you go.