David Davies MP and 38 Degrees members in Monmouth

Earlier this month David T.C. Davies MP stood up in parliament – at an important debate about the future of NHS hospitals in England – to criticise 38 Degrees members.

He said that 38 Degrees members were a “completely unreliable group of left-wingers.” Then he said we masquerade as “happy-go-lucky students”. He said that MPs shouldn’t listen to us, all 2.5 million of us. And that they should “take dangerously large pinches of salt with anything that comes out of that organisation”.

Following these comments, hundreds of 38 Degrees members in David Davies’ constituency, Monmouth, filled out a poll – to decide how we should respond. Here are some of the results:

• Members of 38 Degrees in Monmouth said they wanted to hold David Davies MP to account for his comments and tell him about 38 Degrees.
• 38 Degrees members also voted overwhelmingly to hold a public meeting in Monmouth with Mr Davies MP, and to write to their local papers.

Here are what some 38 Degrees members have been saying:
“Try to make him understand and to say sorry. We are not all students and not all lefties.”

“I shall email him personally – I confess that I do not recognise myself in his description!!”

“He is taring us all with the same brush, I am middle of the road in my politics and I just want people like him to listen to our voice, as he should being a representative of our community.”

“Email all 6,000 38 Degrees members in Monmouthshire to find out ages, employment status, level of education etc etc and demonstrate that they are not all “unreliable left-wingers” and “happy-go-lucky students”, but serious and thoughtful voters. Policy should be made according to the arguments not according to the person.”