Chapter 7: The U.S. Election

The Guardian newspaper have just run a great project whereby they have legally obtained a list of the unafiliated voters in the 'too close to call' Clark County in the States and are encouraging Guardian readers who feel the US election is important to the whole World, to write to an individual voter in Clark County.

This is our family letter:


19th October 2004

Dear Delcie Fent,

My wife and I are writing to you from London, England in response to a project put together by one of our daily newspapers, The Guardian. They and we, feel your upcoming US election is of such importance to us in the UK and the World as a whole that they (legally I believe) accessed public records of unaffiliated voters in your very close to call, Clark County and provided one name and address to each reader of the Guardian who would like to write to you US voters.

We in no way can pretend to understand all the issues that will influence the decision you have to make as to who to vote for but we would just like to briefly introduce ourselves and give you a Londoners view. We hope you receive this letter with the goodwill with which it is intended. We have our own important general election next year so we are simply writing to you as one human being to another, who both have a chance to have our say in the way the World is being managed on our behalf.

We are Chris & Helen, married with three young kids: Molly 8, Bob 5 and Rose who is 3 tomorrow! We live in West London, where we have been for twelve years. I am (hopefully!) a bit of an entrepreneur and started a couple of marketing companies that have done us OK. So much so, that Helen is able to stay at home and look after the kids - and the house!

I am actually coming to the States the day after your election, to run in the New York Marathon. I have recently cycled the length of the UK (Lands End to John O'Groats) but this will be my first marathon. I am doing it for the bike racer Lance Armstrong's cancer fund, as Lance is such a hero of mine and my sister, who was recently diagnosed with breast cancer, although only in her 30's.

I am coming to run in New York as I love the city and the parts of the US we have previously visited. We have many friends there and I know I will receive fantastic support during the run.

The only message we wanted to get to you from London regarding your important election is that the majority of Britain's do not support our Prime Minister Tony Blair's decision to make Britain part of the invasion of Iraq. I see George Bush often defend his decision to attack Iraq by saying that he had the full support of Tony Blair - this is true - but only of Tony Blair, normal people like us in Britain now hate Tony Blair for taking us into an illegal war that did not need to be considered until NATO weapons inspectors had finished their work.

At my marketing company we helped Tony Blair get elected by encouraging student Labour supporters to make sure they voted for him in 1997. By taking our young men and women to war and helping create a World of such uncertainty we could not bring ourselves to vote for him again.

Our whole family took part in the biggest ever demonstration in Britain against the invasion. Molly and Bob even made their own anti-war posters.

So now we live crazy times and its horrible. As I said I do not know enough of what is involved in deciding who is best to run your country but I did want you to know that the majority of British people did not, and do not, support George Bush and Tony Blair taking us to this illegal war.

We hope the election result is what you want and that post November 3rd the whole World can all wake up in a safer and more stable place.

All our best wishes and good luck.

Chris & Helen.