Dear Stephen Williams MP,

I recently wrote to Vodafone in outrage at the news I had heard that in this economic climate they had the audacity to avoid paying huge sums of taxation. I received a rebuttal from them that pointed me towards a HMRC statement that dismissed this as an "urban myth". I am unable to verify any of what I am told but I hope that my cynicism regarding the relationship between the treasury and big business is misplaced.

I also hope that you agree that by closing the gaps of corporate tax avoidance generally the burden of spending cuts and tax increases will be felt less strongly by ordinary citizens. I do however recognise that some changes are necessary but hope that the Lib Dem influence on the coalition can make these into genuinely progressive changes.

I receive Monbiot's blog posts by email and he tackled the corporate tax issue in his post today.

I wonder if you would like to respond to the points he and I make?

I have been an unpaid-up member of the Lib Dems since the 2001 election. I moved to Bristol in the spring and I volunteered on two occasions stuffing envelopes etc for your campaign. I hope you can understand why I and many others who would generally support the Lib Dems are now feeling rather underwhelmed. I hope that the party will be able to turn this around.

Normally my main focus is climate change related. This is why I have recently signed up to UKYCC's adopt an MP campaign and hence why you will be hearing from me more on climate issues in future.

To start with I notice you don't seem to have signed up for Fair Shares Fair Choice, like your colleague, local MP Steve Webb. It is a campaign to promote the introduction of individual carbon rationing being ran by the Bristol based charity; Sustainability South 
West. They ask you to support the statement "I sign up to the principle of a globally fair and safe carbon share for everyone". I believe strongly in carbon rationing as one of the key elements to bringing down our society's emissions in an equitable fashion.

Will you sign up?

Many Thanks

Joe Short

BS2 9LD