ON December 2, 2004 in Jack Straw's weekly LET Diary he proudly stated: "What's important in a democracy is that if people have an injustice they know that it has really been examined -- that's the real satisfaction -- sorry Tony -- that I get from my constituency work."

As a constituency member, I believe Mr Straw, along with 'Tony' et al have perpetrated some gross injustices that have not 'really been examined' fully at all.

For example: Jean Ziegler, the 'Right to Food' expert at the UN revealed that: "As a result of the war led by coalition forces" up to 100,000 more Iraqis, mostly women and children, have died since the invasion than would have been expected to before the war.

Also, acute malnutrition among Iraqi children under five nearly doubled last year (Guardian, March 31, 2005).

In our name, countless thousands of innocent civilians have been slaughtered, maimed and traumatised for life before: "We know that this man (Saddam) has got weapons of mass destruction," as Mr Straw told the pre-war House of Commons.

Tony Blair called the WMD Intelligence "extensive, detailed and authoritative."

In contrast, former defence minister Peter Kilfoyle said: "Jack Straw is trying to re-invent

history.

"All these claims about WMD are built on sand.

"If they do not find these weapons, it takes away the only conceivable justification for conducting this war."

However, the search for WMD has now ceased and none has been found.

What possible justification could there be for such destruction and massive loss of innocent life?

An erstwhile cabinet colleague of Mr Straw, Michael Meacher, Labour's environment minister resigned in disgust in June 2003.

He later said: "The overriding motivation for this political smokescreen is that the US and the UK are beginning to run out of secure hydrocarbon energy supplies.

"By 2010 the Muslim world will control as much as 60 per cent of the world's oil production...." (Guardian, September 6, 2003).

I also consider it an injustice that "we don't do body counts" as one army officer stated. Common British decency should surely extend to counting how many civilians we accidentally slaughter and maim along with the poor soldiers who bear the brunt of our politicians' decision.

If you are going to hold your nose and vote in the coming election, be careful not to slip in the trail of innocent blood leading to Blackburn's polling booths.

IAN HODGSON, Eldon Road, Blackburn.