THE election in Iraq at the weekend was a triumph of democracy over terror.

The commitment of the Iraqi people to vote despite the blood- curdling threats from terror groups was very moving to see.

To introduce democracy from scratch in a war zone and to end up with such a high turnout in a national election was a testament to bravery but also of organisation and hard work.

The high turnout showed Iraqis are eager to take their future into their own hands.

We must encourage them and support them to take control of their destiny.

That is the quickest way for Iraq to take its rightful place in the international community and to bring our forces home.

What good news that St Augustine's School achieved a place in the top 25 per cent of secondary schools in the country for ''value added'' to their pupils between key stage 2 and GCSE.

However, I am not surprised to see St Augustine's inclusion in this roll of honour.

I have always been impressed by the commitment of staff and pupils alike to getting the most out of education.

New buses are now on the road in Redditch. Money from the Government, matched by investment from First, paid for the new fleet.

They are certainly an improvement on the old buses and they come only a month after free bus passes returned for older and disabled people in the town.

Both these improvements were achieved because voters chose to put investment in our public services first.

Jacqui Smith MP