Working 9 till 5, what a way to make a living...

...if only. I was out at 8.30am and back at 9.45pm. I did have 2 hours at home from 4.15-6.15 but I guess I could call that a lunch and tea break all rolled into one! I don't know how far I've driven in total today but from 1pm I've done 50 miles so it's probably 70ish.

Here is a copy of a response I got to my letter to Charles Clarke via Fax Your MP.com

Dear Helen Bouttell

Thank you for your fax to the Rt Hon Charles Clarke MP concerning the Make Poverty History campaign. As I am sure you can imagine Charles has had lots of contact from concerned constituents regarding this subject.

Charles is very sympathetic to the cause and has been requested by many of his constituents to sign EDM 9. Unfortunately, as Charles is a member of the Cabinet he is not permitted to sign EDM's but he is, of course, fully versed on the subject and takes part in discussions at Cabinet level.

Sally Maclaine
Senior Caseworker
Rt Hon Charles Clarke MP
Norwich South

I've been waiting to see if this is my response or whether there's anything else to follow. I have come to the conclusion that this is it. Fax Your MP.com send you an email to ask whether your MP has responded. They then publish the results in a league table. I'm unclear as to whether I have received a reply from him but I'm guessing that as my MP is Charles Clarke and not Sally Maclaine then I haven't. I wrote to Sally this evening:

I thank you for responding to my fax so promptly. I am unclear whether your reply means that I have actually had a reply from my MP but I do understand that he is busy.

I’m also unclear as to whether Mr Clarke supports the campaign for dropping the debt, trade justice and having more and better aid. Does he believe we should drop the debt and will he be supporting Mr Blair in leading this topic at the G8 agenda?

Knowing that he is fully versed and takes part in high level discussions on the subject I had rather taken for granted. Please would it be possible for me to know in fairly simple terms whether Mr Clarke supports dropping third world debt? It has to be simple because it may pass me by otherwise but I’m confident that you won’t let me down!

Many thanks,

Helen Bouttell

It is rather a relief that my MP, the home secretary, is "fully versed in the subject" and that he "takes part in discussions at Cabinet level". I would rather worry if he did not.
If being patronised by political staff is your thing have a look at Paul's post about a round robin response to his wife's letter to Tony Blair about the MPH campaign.