I'LL accept Citizen Smith's 'compliment' that I'm 'illustrious' because just as he was publishing it an Agricultural Minister was telling the Commons that it was worth coming in just to hear me speak about Lancaster. Our charming friend is therefore in excellent company.

Citizen Smith could help me do the job I'm elected to do even better if he...

accurately reported my views on racism. After repeated requests and explanations from me he still hasn't managed this.

Told his readers the whole truth. It is simply outrageous to claim that I have 'gone silent' on any issue when during that period we have exchanged four private letters or to say that I have 'refrained from comment' without explaining the reason for that is that I feel I can't trust him to report me properly.

Showed some interest in the local pensioners TV license campaign, marketing Lancaster or the opportunity to create jobs here on the back of University research.

All issues which I've raised nationally during the past fortnight, all of which have been press released to him, all containing information which he simply hasn't reported.

Actually, I don't aspire to be 'illustrious' however I honestly do try to do a decent job for Lancaster. Moreover, I'm extremely willing to join in debate and respond to issues or the most vigorous and searching criticism as long as that relates to what I've said or done rather than something made up by the Citizen Smith. I would hope that everyone could agree that it's a poor thing when the editor of Lancaster's widest circulation newspaper seems so keen to hinder the city's Member of Parliament. Fortunately there is still time for Citizen Smith to repent. Citizen readers have an opportunity to gauge his commitment to honest journalism themselves by judging whether this letter appears: Without misleading headline or footnote.

With Citizen Smith's serious and straightforward attempt to respond to the three concerns I've raised above.

I look forward to a decent reply and the opportunity to build a much more constructive, though never uncritical working relationship.

Go for it Citizen Smith; show us all whether you run a responsible, critical newspaper or a nasty, scurrilous comic.

Hilton Dawson MP

House of Commons

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.