THE reasons given by Hugh Bayley for not attending the hustings organised by York Against The War are groundless.

They include the public not being "able to choose to raise whatever issues they think are important" at our hustings which they could, and did, as he will recall from other hustings we have held. He said we only encouraged our supporters to attend, which is also untrue. We put posters in libraries, shops, and handed out leaflets on the street and pushed them through doors.

Should we assume Hugh is now unable to defend his position on Iraq?

Now that the UN has revealed that acute malnutrition among Iraqi children has doubled under US/UK occupation, and Amnesty International has reported increases in human rights abuses after the invasion, he cannot claim war was necessary on humanitarian and human rights grounds.

The next time politicans say war is necessary, and Oxfam and Amnesty International argue otherwise, I know who I'll believe.

Tracy Shippey,

Danum Road, York.

Updated: 10:38 Thursday, April 28, 2005