UK readers: please fax your MP.

[reddragdiva]

Thanks to Miss Soap for the reminder: Fax your MP registering your concern over the imminent preemptive strike on Iraq. (Or if you're a fan of the idea, write and register that.)

You know why all those Labour MPs voted against the party line last time? It's because constituents bothered contacting them!

Remember to use your own words - politicians ignore form letters, but do pay attention to people who are annoyed enough to raise issues. And be patient, the site is (oddly enough) severely overloaded at present.

Australian readers: most Australian parliamentarians actually do read their email - or at least their staff do it for them. Write it just like a formal letter (include your address and phone number, sign with "yours sincerely") and it will in fact be treated just as a letter or fax would. House emails, Senate emails.

Comments

[juliann.livejournal.com]

Uhm, aren't they in session RIGHT NOW debating Iraq? So isn't this too late?

[reddragdiva]

Their staff will read it. Even complete dumbarses tend to have staff of moderate intelligence.

[reddragdiva]

And the essential point is not necessarily the current debate - it's to indicate numbers of people personally pissed off by the entire thing, and to what degree this is political poison.

[atommickbrane.livejournal.com]

Actually, they're obliged to provide a response and how I know it. Always much better to write to your MP rather than to a Minister directly unless yr a head of organisation etc etc. A form letter will get a response, but as much thought will go into your reply as you put into writing the damn thing. Hmph.

[incy.livejournal.com]

They are nto obliged to, but normally if they ignore a consituent it is a fair bet the constiutent will no tobhter voting for them next time. normally though they will merely send back a standard acknowledgement.

[atommickbrane.livejournal.com]

I thought they had to... *shrugs*

I spend enough time writing replies for them

[zotz]

I don't think there's any legal duty, but one of the ways they keep voters on their side is to look interested, so in practical terms they have to. I think faxyourmp reckon that mine('s staff) replied to about 80% within two weeks.

[reddragdiva]

Yep. Mine is actually basically onside, so I started with "I am writing to register my concern ..."

[incy.livejournal.com]

there are very few legal repsonibilities of an MP. They do not even have to turn up (as Sein Fein do or rather do not do). They only get certain priveleges if they turn up and swear the oath of alleigance. MPs cannot be dismissed except when the PM calls a general election, otherwise unless thye resign or die they are there for the duration of Parliament whatever they do or do not do.

[atommickbrane.livejournal.com]

Where you get this info from?

[incy.livejournal.com]

i used to be a civil servant, you picked up on these things

[atommickbrane.livejournal.com]

Er yes well the office I'm in now is the civil service and we picked up that there *was* a responsibility but I can't find much clarity on this issue - if you saw this information anywhere specific just curiosity alone would like to see it.

[incy.livejournal.com]

there is an obligation for the minister to reply to an MPs letter.

[atommickbrane.livejournal.com]

Yes, but I was interested to see if the MP *has* to provide a response to the constituent or "use their discretion" as occurs with letters written directly to ministers...

[incy.livejournal.com]

No they can use their discretion, or just not been bothered. Ministers tend to find out very quickly which MPs cannot be bothered when the constituent just bypasses and starts writing to the minister directly.

Though like ministers most letters from MPs are not sent from the MP (even if they sign it), but one of his staff, but they probably do read it and will give some sort of indication to the reply. The thing is if they do not reply that there judgement will be received at the election, the problem is MPs in very safe seats or if you are the sort of person the MP decides is not going to vote for them, you are more likely to get ignored.

[thecesspit.livejournal.com]

MPs can't resign directly.

They can however apply for one of two honorary posts, one of which is the Sheriff of the Chiltern 100's (or something similar) which immediatly disbars them from sitting in the House of Commons as its a Lord's position. And then they leave they're posts and a bye-election is called.

I believe Betty Bothroyd 'resigned' in this manner after the last election.

Fax Your MP does have some discussion on the requirements of MPs to reply to constituents. Part of there campaign is to make MPs more accountable, though some seem to have kicked up a fuss because the fax isn't signed...

I note Boris Johnson is too busy writing for his magazine to reply to faxes.

[incy.livejournal.com]

Technically they apply for one of two posts, both of which are in the gift of the chancellor of the exchequer (ironically barring him from resinging from Parliament directly, he has to resign as minister wait for his succesor to be appointed and then apply for the posts). But it rather detail then anything else, they resign.

Betty Boothroyd did not stand in the last election, so did not have to resign AFAIK.

By elections are nto automatically called either, but they have been raised from the house of commons (there is a name for it I cannot remmeber at the moment) and convention says it does by the party who has lost the MP (does not matter if it is through resignation or death) and only has to be done within 6 months of the seat becoming vacant. Resignations are fairly rare these days (one reason being opinion polls so public opinion does not have to be tested) and being an MP is a job in its own right, rather then being unpaid or lowly paid.

[thecesspit.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the clarifications.

I had to look this up at: http://www.parliament.uk/commons/lib/fs34.pdf

The two posts are the Crown Steward and Baliff of the Chiltern Hundreds or The Manor of Northstead. The last person to hold the Stewardship of the Chiltern Hundreds was indeed Betty Bothroyd. I'm guessing there's probably a good reason why she couldn't resign as Speaker at an election... Neil Kinnock is a previous appointee, while Robert Kilroy-Silk was a Steward of Northstead Manor back in 1986, as was the Rev Iain Paisley in 1985, when 15 members of the Ulster Unionists resigned.

Sorry!

[phelyan.livejournal.com]

Hmm, I guess I should've read my MP's last speeches first before I sent a fax starting off with "I came to this country 3 years ago...". He doesn't seem too keen on immigrants...

Thanks for the link, let's see what the reply is. Probably something along the lines of: "You're free to go back where you came from."

[hellsop.livejournal.com]

Go for it, people. I'm giving up on Bush as being a lost cause in the listening department on the home front, but if he has to go it alone, maybe he'll finally realize that he doesn't have a mandate for this.

I'm hiding from news media for at least the rest of the month.

[frou-frou.livejournal.com]

I think it's better to send a letter rather than an email: as far as I know, they're obliged to reply (or at least acknowledge) a letter but as for emails? I've sent lots and never received a skerrick.

A lawyer once told me that it doesn't count unless it's on paper: phone calls can be ignored too. This was pre-email so I can only talk from experience. Emails get ignored.

[reddragdiva]

A paper letter is better, of course. On the principle that it took more work.

Though I've done okay with email to Australian parliamentarians, as long as it's formatted like a proper letter rather than a casual email. You know the only way they'll ever see it personally, of course, being when it gets printed out for them ;-)

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

I'm glad that someone understands that the only way to ensure political change is civil involvement. My hat off to you sir.

[reddragdiva]

The amazing thing with the war issue is that Tony Blair has actually managed to stir the great inert British middle mass to active annoyance. That really does take quite some doing!

If he'd managed to push a war through the UN successfully, there'd be a lot less fuss being made. I'd say a lot of the annoyance is his perceived arrogance and procedural violations, running roughshod over process.