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		Rebuttal - Letter to the Editor Tuesday 20th September 2005 Dear Sir, David Pollard (Mailbox, September 20) says we need MEPs who will campaign for the benefit of the people of the East Midlands. Chris Heaton-Harris and I have been doing just that since we were first elected in 1999. But in drawing attention to the poor record of Robert Kilroy-Silk in the European parliament, we are not, as Mr. Pollard suggests, "wasting time in petty squabbles". Kilroy was elected in June 2004 as the second out of six MEPs -- indeed; he was very close to coming top of the poll. East Midlands voters trusted him when he said he would protect their interests against the Brussels machine. They have been badly let down. In the euro-elections a clear majority voted for Eurosceptic parties and eurosceptic MEPs. But whereas the other five regional MEPs have a good record of attendance and voting, Kilroy is going for the record as "The Seldom-Seen Kid". He is rarely in the parliament, and so far no one has claimed the bottle of champagne which Chris and I have offered for the next confirmed sighting in the East Midlands. I understand that Kilroy has a home in Spain, and has decided to spend more time with his family. This is not a petty squabble. It is a serious matter, which the region's voters are entitled to know about. Yours faithfully Roger Helmer East Midlands Conservative MEP