A LEADING Women's Institute member from North Yorkshire told today why she joined in the slow-handclap protest against Tony Blair.
The Prime Minister received some of the worst headlines of his tenure at Number 10 after being heckled and slow-handclapped by normally polite WI members at the organisation's national conference yesterday.
The WI complained that Mr Blair had ignored warnings that he should avoid making an overtly party political speech in front of what is a traditionally non-partisan audience.
Dorothy Pedley, from Sowerby, near Thirsk, was reported to have joined in the slow handclap because he was "giving us a Labour pat on the back."
She said: "He should have found somewhere else to make a political speech."
Pat Shotton, from York, who is chairwoman of the North Yorkshire East federation of the WI, also joined in the slow handclap. "We all did a bit of that," she told the Evening Press today.
She said Mr Blair had asked to come to speak to the WI but had definitely been warned not to be party political.
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