Stoatwobbler Posted August 9, 2010 Share Posted August 9, 2010 Dominic Raab, Conservative MP for Esher & Walton is threatening 38 Degrees that if we don’t take his email address off our “contact your MP system” he’ll report us to the Information Commissioner. We’ve been in touch with the Information Commissioner and they’ve reassured us that because he is an MP and his e-mail address is in the public domain, he has no grounds to report us. We let Mr Raab know this and he responded by having the House of Commons remove his e-mail address from their website. We spoke to the Information Commisioner’s office and again they reassured us that because he is an MP and because his email address is in the public domain we’re in the right by letting his constituents get in touch with him. We want to be totally transparent about this, so we’re publishing a copy of all the e-mails between 38 Degrees and Mr Raab below. http://blog.38degrees.org.uk/2010/08/09/dominic-raab-tells-constituents-dont-email-me/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Berberis Posted August 9, 2010 Share Posted August 9, 2010 This is thinly disguised anti-tory garbage. I listened to the guy talking about this about 30 mins ago on radio 4. In actual fact he said "Lobby groups are becoming a real nuisance". I agree with him. These automated emails are nothing but rubbish. If you want to email your MP, email him/her and write your views on the message. If you use someone else's template or an automated system where you just fill in your name and the rest is done for you, you don't deserve a response. If people just received automated responses from their MP's people would moan like mad! So why should an MP accept automated correspondences Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RosyRat Posted August 9, 2010 Share Posted August 9, 2010 I'm amazed. All sorts of campaigning groups use this facility. I've contacted Angela Smith MP about transport, hunting with dogs and badger culling and always had a swift and courteous reply. This bit from one of 38 Degress replies says exactly what it's about: The only emails you will receive about 38 Degrees campaigns are emails from people who have identified themselves as your constituents, using the postcode-based MP finder system we offer on our web site . Our web site enables anyone to quickly identify and email their MP about issues they care about. It’s a very popular system because it’s quick and easy to use for constituents and provides a useful service to MPs – because it means you hear from your constituents and will be able to engage with their concerns. Our system uses your House of Commons email address which, as an MP, is published online and is in the public domain. The arrogance of the man. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stoatwobbler Posted August 9, 2010 Author Share Posted August 9, 2010 This is thinly disguised anti-tory garbage. I listened to the guy talking about this about 30 mins ago on radio 4. In actual fact he said "Lobby groups are becoming a real nuisance". I agree with him. These automated emails are nothing but rubbish. If you want to email your MP, email him/her and write your views on the message. If you use someone else's template or an automated system where you just fill in your name and the rest is done for you, you don't deserve a response. If people just received automated responses from their MP's people would moan like mad! So why should an MP accept automated correspondences Having actually used 38 Degrees to contact my MP I can tell you that there is ample space to write your own views, or even to delete out the set message entierly on their E-mails. In fact if you don't then you won't leave an address for an MP's reply to be sent to and you therefore won't get a response anyway! Plus there is the whole principle of MP's listening to their constituents which seems to be very unfashionable in some quarters these days. After all, groups like 38 degrees have their campaigns set up so you contact your own MP rather then the whole lot of them. And what we are talking about here is people contacting MP's their of their own free will to ensure that they do their job properly and llok after the people who elected them! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stoatwobbler Posted August 9, 2010 Author Share Posted August 9, 2010 I'm amazed. All sorts of campaigning groups use this facility. I've contacted Angela Smith MP about transport, hunting with dogs and badger culling and always had a swift and courteous reply. This bit from one of 38 Degress replies says exactly what it's about: Depends who your MP is. When I lived down south I had Bob Russell (Lib Dem) as my MP and he was pretty good. However, my current MP is Natascha Engel and she isn't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stoatwobbler Posted August 9, 2010 Author Share Posted August 9, 2010 This is thinly disguised anti-tory garbage. Were this a Labour MP the exact same people who are defending Dominic Raab online would be queueing up to attack him. He's trying to stop his constituents from contacting him to express their views and that is unacceptable behaviour from any elected official. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RonJeremy Posted August 9, 2010 Share Posted August 9, 2010 His complaint was that he was receiving so many emails he couldn't filter out the rubbish from the sensible queries and problems. It was that he was receiving so many cloned emails he was finding it more and more difficult to actually do his job properly. He was being polite and contructive in his wish. I find the spam emails an absolute pain on my PC. On my iphone it makes it nearly impossible to find genuine queries - he must have been receiving thousands of pointless emails otherwise he wouldn't have bothered to contact them. This is far from arrogance on his part Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RonJeremy Posted August 9, 2010 Share Posted August 9, 2010 Were this a Labour MP the exact same people who are defending Dominic Raab online would be queueing up to attack him. He's trying to stop his constituents from contacting him to express their views and that is unacceptable behaviour from any elected official. No we wouldn't Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stoatwobbler Posted August 9, 2010 Author Share Posted August 9, 2010 No we wouldn't Having seen the way Right wingers act on the internet I know that what you are saying is about as untrue as it's possible to get. Of course all sides are guilty of this, but that does not make this sort of hypocrisy acceptable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RonJeremy Posted August 9, 2010 Share Posted August 9, 2010 Having seen the way Right wingers act on the internet I know that what you are saying is about as untrue as it's possible to get. Of course all sides are guilty of this, but that does not make this sort of hypocrisy acceptable. Show me please Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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