Letter to the Hackney Gazette

A response to Diane Abbott's column this week, which expressed both innocence and shock at the expenses revelations. I'll be intrigued to see if it is published.

Dear Sir,

In her latest column, Diane Abbott is very keen to let her constituents know that she does not have a second home. She does, however, have a second job. Her work in the media from May 2008 to March 2009 appears to have netted her over £27,000, more than the average Hackney resident in full-time employment earns in a year. Surely either Diane is working very hard at a job other than being an MP, or she is being paid very large amounts of money for doing nothing much. If the latter, she lives in a totally different world from those who have to work hard to make ends meet. If the former, she should leave being an MP to someone who is willing to do it full-time.

Yours sincerely,

Matt Sellwood
Hackney Green Party