Call Your MP- How did it go?

My MP is Nigel Griffiths. He is supporting the bill. I have had an email exchange with him but he is adamant. This is the relevant text of his most recent email to me, Sunday morning:

“You seem to forget that I'm the one who took on the record industry in 1990 over their high CD pricing and ripping off the vast majority of their artists. As to public debate, their has been tons of stuff written about this – and a lot of it badly informed. And you seem to ignore all the evidence I took the trouble to send you on behalf of the little people in this industry. So the notion that I'll be acting on the 'behest of the record industry' is as ludicrous an accusation as it would be to claim I acted on behalf of the arms industry when I resigned over Trident!”

He continues: “Quite simply, unlike you, I've taken a long interest in this matter and I have drawn my own mature conclusions about this legislation and the problem that needs to be tackled. In this I am supported by constituents who have taken a similar interest. Nonetheless, it is always good to have your views and those of others.”

Got through first try. Spoke to Secretary. Helpful and will update me as things progress. The PM being currently at the Palace, the fate of the Bill will be decided depending on the actual dissolution of Parliament.

Got through first try to the switchboard, but the connection to my MP just rang out. Same on the local constitency number.

My MP is Emily Thorberry and she was not in the office. I did speak with her secretary, who assured me that she would pass on the message.

I was put through by the switchboard but got an answering machine.

I have left a detailed message for Barry Gardiner, my MP.

I have repeatedly called my MP, Mr Clive Betts only to listen to his answerphone message time after time – the switchboard at the Houses of Parliament must be getting tired of me by now.

I have already exchanged e-mails with Mr Clive Betts to find that he isn't willing to stand up for me, a young (19 year old), concerned, tax-paying citizen.

Called my MP's (Greg Knight) office this morning and although I was not able to speak to him, I was immediately asked if my inquiry was about the DEB. Plenty of calls so far today apparently. I was told my views will be passed on.

Rang Jim Dowd (Lewisham West) got answering machine, left message. Got another number for Dowd, but was engaged. Will try later.

I called Sandra Gidley today, but her answer phone says that the Office has been closed or Parliament dissolved, and to call her constituency number

My MP is Alan Whitehead (Southampton Test) — I called his office today and voiced my concerns about the bill. It seems that he also has some concerns about the bill and he will endeavour to raise these concerns with the party whip. Fingers crossed!

I called Andrew turners office and had to leave comment on his answering machine, stated that the bill should not be passed through law without proper debate as this is a highly sensitive issue and could hamper britian as an emerging tecnological state.
I urged Andrew turner to question the bill.
Hope this helps!.
Simon King

My MP is Gwyn Prosser; I phoned him, but was only able to speak to Secretary. He's not at his desk, and is supposed to call me back… I'll probably call to obtain an update.
I've previously emailed him and not found him especially helpful.

I wrote to my MP three times via your site, and also to my local councillor, as they are both LibDem and I have been doing campaign work for the LibDems. They actually called me to discuss on Thursday last week, not my MP but his secretary, and were very helpful. My MP is Stephen Williams and I am happy he won't be supporting the bill being rushed through at this stage.

Phoned my MP but he was driving down from Edinburgh to London. Spoke to his assistant who reckoned that he was of a mind not to vote for the DEB but, his assistant thought that there had been no official party line, as yet. Also, he agreed that laws voted through in the 'wash up' did not receive the proper attention and mistakes were often made. He was not sure how my MP would precisely as it also depends on the way the bill is worded. He said he would speak to my MP and phone me later. He thought though that the bill would go through as he thinks that the Tories will support it.

I contacted my MP's office. They were very supportive and sympathetic to this issue. They expressed that part of the problem is that the Torys are also supportive of this bill and that there isn't enough opposition—it kind of sounds like it is already a done deal.

My MP is Margaret Moran who is not currently active due to the MP expenses scandal, but her office said she was part of a larger group of MPs who have expressed concerns about this legislation.

I am very upset that this looks to be passed and will vote for the Lib Dems since they are the only party who has come out against this bill and have promised to repeal it. It's just too bad they won't win the election, but I hope this action of mine at least gives the parties in Luton pause.

It's frustrating that us 'little people' have such little impact on politics. Thanks 38degrees for raising my awareness about this issue!

Did not get through to my MP but had a 30sec opportunity to leave a voicemail

My MP is Tony Baldry (Con Banbury). He spends most of his time looking after his business interests and his supporters in Banbury; rarely seen in the other major Town in his constituency, Bicester. Doesn't involve himself with constituents issues with the local authorities as they are also Tory.

Called Keith Hill, Streatham. Got voicemail, left brief message expressing concern.

Is there a way to contact candidates for MP? I think I might have more influence with them as Moran is a lame duck who will not be running for MP and is generally out of the picture. The Labour candidate is Gavin Shuker….Thanks

My MP is Gavin Strang, who sent not only one letter back to me but two – his comments were:

“Clearly it would be wrong for such a Bill to be rushed through the Parliament without debate or scrutiny” – I'm hoping that means he doesn't fully support this. Called his office this morning and asked him to think twice about voting for this Bill.

He also mentioned in his letter that HH is to make a statement to the House today keep the pressure on peeps.

MP jermery Browne was on the phone, s left a message.

Anne Milton is my MP Con Guildford. I spoke to her assistant. Milton is in the constituency today and has been 'slipped' by the whips. That is she will not be voting on the passage of this Bill. Her assistant seemed very vague. I explained that I qualified as a webmaster at the University of California in 1998 and since returned to the UK. I explained that I was deeply concerned because I believed it was a bill being pushed by Peter Mandelson whom I regard as an Internet 'newbie” who is being influenced by music industry lobbyists. I explained that whilst illegal file sharing is an issue that must be addressed, this Bill was not the solution. It would bring with it the opportunity for Government to become involved in undesirable controls over the freedom of the Internet. They would be able to block websites, etc. and the UK could finish up like China. Milton's assistant took my address and said that Anne Milton would write to me explaining her position. Oh, by the way, her assistant said he had never heard of 38 Degrees so I enlightened him. Keep up the good work!

Rang my MP Mark Field and spoke to a flunky who said he was out and that my message would be passed on. He will at least be at the debate at 3.30

Phoned my MP (Jacqui Lait – Beckenham) but only got through to her secretary who told me that emailing would probably be best. I still asked her to pass on my message that I was phoning as a concerned constituent to voice my concern that the DEB was being rushed through and to ask her to support pushing it back until the next parliament.

Left a message on his answerphone stating main points – left my contact details so maybe he'll call back….

My MP is Malcolm Rifkind (Kensington & Chelsea). I called, and got through to his secretary about half an hour ago. She promised to pass my sentiments on to Mr. Rifkind. She also recognised my name from the email that I've been sending him. Though this does suggest that he's getting/reading my messages, the fact that my name was recognisable suggests that not enough of my fellow constituents are contacting him.

Geoffery Robinson was in his london office and spoke to me. Clearly I was not his first constituent to call as he knew there was a campaign on. He said he'd wait for Harriet Harman's statement and would prefer an email. We'll see what happens…

My MP is Mr Griffiths too and I received a similar dogmatic and narrow-minded response. Have you seen his constituency office? One would infer that he holds himself in rather high esteem! http://bit.ly/bHqO3x

Just contacted my MP's Office – Mark Hendrick – Preston, they took my message, I highlighted the fact that He (Mark Hendrick) had assured me in a letter regarding this matter that the bill would be properly scrutinised through committee and report stages as well as the 3rd reaading of the bill; the staff at the other end took my details and contact number and assured me that they would pass this on to Mark Hendrick.

My MP Clive Efford will not allow calls to be put through in Parliament – instead you have to phone his constituency office. Constituency office continually engaged for ages.

Just got through and spoke to Chris (who I met at an election count in Dartford) he is passing the message on to Clive that more time should be given for debate.

Just spoke to my MP's (Tim Laughton) secretary. I was assured that they agree with having more debate before the bill gets rushed through.

Meh. Called my MP, Meg Munn, and got her answerphone in Westminster, so I left a message (probably a bit long and rambling) then called her constituency office. I was told that “Meg wasn't really 'up' on the DEBilln as of last week, but they'd been getting alot of emails about it (w00t) but wasn't sure how she was going to vote as she wasn't sure what was in it”. I pointed out that perhaps voting on something of this import without the time to scrutinise it was problematic (*headdesk*) and registered my concern.

I'm now going to go rattle the cages of the Sheffield Geeks I know to get them to call their MPs too.

Got a voicemail, left a message. I'm not convinced Greg Pope will bother to respond, he didn't reply to my email. He's not standing for re-election so I guess his interest is flagging!

My MP, Phillip Dunne, is broadly in agreement with the bill due to his understanding of “pirates” needing to be brought to task for copyright infringement, and believes the debate in the Lords has been sufficient. I have raised my concerns via email, and phoned this morning asking to speak with him. His aid suggested I email (which I have done) and he'll get my message on his Blackberry.

If you can't get through to your MP on the phone, it might be a good idea to email again, as many can get emails even in chamber.

Rang and spoke to Nick Hurd's secretary who asked me to email my points in. Nick Hurd is a reasonable and helpful person in my experience so will likely view and think about.

Just found the email for Gavin Shuker the Labour candidate for Luton South and e-mailed him about this issue. Haven't heard back yet. But he knows now how I feel about it and that his position will affect my vote come May 6th.

Just called David Blunkett, got through to his secretary. Explained the situation, felt as though she understood why I was calling.

Lynne Featherstone MP's office said she was very busy in parliament today and could not return a call. She had received a lot of concern about the Bill and would be taking constituents' concerns into account. They did not know how she would be voting.

Called Eric Joyce (Labour, Falkirk) to express my support for his views on the bill (he sent both myself and my wife letters last week after we wrote to him about it) and he has similar misgivings about the bill and wants a proper debate on it also. His office even remembered my name – I guess Falkirk isn't a very involved constituency!

Just called my MP (Ivan Lewis, Bury South) – helpful Switchboard operator told me it's going to voicemail, so left my name and number and that I was concerned constituent re. lack of debate and rushed DEB bill. Rushed law always makes bad law, imho.

If you want the views of one Labour MP who's very much against the bill, here are a couple from Eric Joyce (Falkirk) – the first is his most recent post:
http://ericjoycemp.wordpress.com/2010/04/03/qui…
http://ericjoycemp.wordpress.com/2010/03/30/one…

Letter to Nick Hurd MP

Dear Nick,

I would again like to ask you for your help and to vote against this bill.

Whilst clearly creative industry needs to be paid for its works there are very unwholesome aspects to the section dealing with reducing online piracy and copyright theft.

The first is the inability to narrow down the person who may be an infringer – the so called software tools results are easily invalidated by technical experts, but the lay person wouldn't have a cue. This threatens public area hotel and cafe wi-fi availability and my business makes extensive use of these facilities.

The second is that a scam company called ACS: Law, under investigation by the SRA and Law Society, is sending out thousands of scam settlement invoices based on the 'technical evidence' yet has never taken anyone to court. They have forced British Telecom to hand over 30,000 IP addresses based on this evidence. There will be a lot more of this.

The third is the 3 strikes and Out. The Internet is incredibly important to Britain, and with people like the Government supported Martha Lane Fox promoting the internet to people doubtful about taking it up, a household denied access because a hacker downloaded files using their machine will truly be hit very hard indeed, particularly so if they have school age children.

We need to find better ways of protecting creative industries but not this.

I look forward to your help.

Chris Clark

Albert Owen tells me the Bill has 'many measures of merit, not least ensuring that the UK has a competitive digital communications infrastructure and ensuring greater support for our creative industries.'

His assistant was very helpful on the telephone this morning. I still hold that this Bill is solving the wrong problem unless. After 40+ years of blindly trusting MPs to act in our best interests it has finally hit home what a self serving lot they are. I get there in the end.

Hi John, that's really interesting that he'd prefer an email. You can email him quickly here: http://www.38degree.org.uk/digital-economy-bill

I sent an email to Glenda Jackson (my MP for Highgate and Hampstead) last week and she replied by letter the very next day. She feels that this has had plenty of time to be read and she said 'we could spend so much time on each comma that it would be pointless in the end'. I asked her to please not let it go through today. My concern was the unusual power the Business Minister would have.
She took my address and will be sending me any revisions that will be discussed this afternoon.

I rang to speak to my MP, Angela Smith Sheffield Hillsborough, she was unavailable. Nobody in her office could give me any idea about her views on the bill and neither could they tell me how she would be voting…I can only assume with the government. I expressed my deep concern over the limited tome to debate the issue in the Commons and was told that there are strong arguments on both sides, which no doubt would be aired during the day. I was fobbed off in other words….the sooner this government goes the better for the UK!

Hi Simon, great to hear the call went well. Now lets wait and see how Mark votes.

Hi Nanci, that's a really good idea. We're working on a system for that now.

I've left a message with the secretary (I presume) of Nick Raynsford [MP for Greenwich and Woolwich] expressing my concerns. He's not in the office today but I'm assured my concerns will be passed on… hopefully quite quickly

A quick google tells me that someone else has also recently been in touch on this issue http://tajasel.org/2010/03/20/deb-nick-raynsfor…

I'm interested to know if the BTFon, a sort of crowdsourced wifi I think, will be affected by this – it's a joint venture between BT and Fon – you make available a little of your own wifi to BTFon subscribers in the area and you, in turn, can log in to the wider BTFon network (apparently worldwide) when you're on the move yourself.

Hi Laura, wow – that's the first time I've heard of an MP calling a constituent about the bill. Great to see our pressure is working! Thanks for sharing.

I can't contact my MP I'm an Expat. You should have some way for us Expats to register our concerns. I'll try Twitter and I'm asking both my sons who live in the UK to make their views felt

Phoned my MP: Charles Hendry (Wealden, Con.). They said that his office had received “considerable” public response about it. Keep it up!

I phoned the number, was redirected to Ann Keen's office, where a voicemail asked me to leave a message, beeped, then said thank you and ended the call before leaving any time for me to speak! I will give it another go a little later.

Great! I'm really glad. In the end I googled him and found his campaign website. I sent him an email and hope to hear back from him.

I let him know that his stand on this issue will affect how I vote in May. So far looks like only the lib dems have a sensible stance on this legislation. Thank you so much for the work you're doing on this at 38degrees. I only became fully aware of the issue today because of your advert in today's Times! Well done!

Got John Grogans assistant (Selby, near York) I was told I would be emailed his official stance, but his assistant told me that he believes the DEB needs more debate and more time and that it shouldn't pass during the wash up period.

just phoned. Didn't speak directly but was told that she had reeceived a few calls against. I laboured the point just to keep her on the phone…

Hi Nancy. Great! Thanks for your positive feedback. Great to hear you saw the advert in The Times. If you ever have any campaign suggestions of feedback please do get in touch.

got through to the very disinterested secretary of Ben Bradshaw, who reiterated it was a second reading and had been discussed – as per the radio4 discussion this morning. Still, worth doing.

Excellent news Tom!

said i was concerned about the implications given that all services are to migrate online – see my gov launch last week!

I phoned to speak to Willie Bain and got his secretary with whom I left a message voicing my concerns. They took my number and apparently I will get a call back. Lets hope something can be done about this!

I spoke to MP Michael Fallon. He has reservations for some of the clauses in the Bill and believes it probably won't pass in its current form. If talks break down he says, they will take it to vote.

The Digital Economy Bill will unsuccessfully and expensively attempt to piggyback an old fashioned business model that is the Music Industry, enable the government to control the Internet in the UK, and influence other countries within the EU to do the same, we must stop it.

Pretty straight forward. I got through quickly to Meg Hillier's (Hackney South & Shoreditch) office, my contact details were taken and was told my concerns would be passed on

My MP is Jonathan Shaw. I called Houses of Parliament, was told that I'd have to call the constituency office, which I did, and I left a message on the answering machine. Jonathan knows me as a frequent communicator and is usually fairly prompt at responding, however he has voted with the Govt on every occasion since getting elected.

Called to speak to Kerry McCarthy (Lab) for Bristol East. Got through to secretary, who said she wasn't in. I pressed the point that there was significant public disquiet against this bill being forced through, and she suggested I email straight away, which I am about to do

Just spoke to a random bloke in Stuart Bell's (Middlesbrough) office, Apparently Miste Bell is in his constituency today, all the chap said was to write a letter and that they would get back to me. I have already written and have had no reply. Not convinced Bell even knows what the hell the DEBill is :/

As ever, my M.P. – Rt. Hon Sir George Young – has responded swiftly and demonstrated great understanding of the subject.

He has reassured me that the Conservatives are very concerned about this governments attempt to 'sneak' this Bill through at the “eleventh hour” and that they are committed to opposing a number of key clauses.

He has also informed me that there has already been “substantial debate” in the House of Lords and believes there should be similar debate in the Commons before any agreement is reached. Only if the House is “confident” enough scrutiny has been given to the details, will there be any support.

my mp's secretary told me to email himat soulsbyp@parliament.uk, anyone livingin the le1 2na area of leicester should email him

Sorry, I meant to say that she asked me to email which I'd done already. I explained that this was more of a blunderbus rather than a rifle…

Mark Fields MP from the Conservative Party just called me back to say they will *not* let this be rushed through without proper scrutiny. He said the bill has some good and some bad points but his party is clear that letting this rush through is not acceptable.

My local MP is David Lammy (Tottenham). He is also Minister for Universities so I was calling him in that capacity as well.

I spoke to his assistant and registered my concern about the Bill. He said that he'd received quite a few calls on the subject today. Left my telephone number. Made a quick point about concern for Open WiFi, and undermining existing copyright infringement policies that work (such as those in force at universities). Not holding out for a call back, but we'll see. I may be pleasantly surprised.

Spoke to an assistant in the office of Emily Thornberry. She promised to pass the message on and said that other people have been in touch and that she is aware that this is something people feel strongly about. I stressed that she is in a competitive race for my vote with the Lib Dem candidate and that I will be weighing up her behaviour on this issue very carefully. Still, I'm not sure some parliamentary offices really know how to deal with these kind of calls at the moment.

Got through to Greg Knight's office (Conservative, E.Yorks). They'd obviously had quite a few calls, and I was told Mr Knight shares the concerns being raised.

Do you really think that a change of government will make any difference. Very few of the self seeking expense padding clowns on either side give a damn and whoever is in power next time will only listen to those paying them to listen

Clive also doesn't like responding to email from constituents. I wonder if he's even listening?

Spoke to the secretary /assistant to Celia Barlow (Lab, Hove). I expressed my concern – particularly about cutting off an individuals internet connection and the fact that cutting any means of connection / communication is a humanitarian issue and a particularly draconian measure (all things considered) in this day and age. I wanted to pin him down on Celia Barlows position. He assured me that she shared my concerns and particularly about restricting an individuals access to the internet. He said that she was pursuing a much more rigorous appeal process should ones connection be severed. It was not exactly clear what this meant in practical terms.

I got through but no one picked up. I left a message asking Hugh Bayley to call me back.

Got through to Susan Karmer's office (LibDem, Richmond & Kingston). Was told that she opposed the bill in its current form, but that she was not allowed to attend the debate due to wash-up rules. She said that the shadow minister (Don Foster) would be attending and opposing. Looks like really, we have to now email the minister and shadow ministers:
don@donfoster.co.uk bradshawb@parliament.uk jeremyhuntmp@parliament.uk

So that's what I did….

I phoned and got through to Alan Williams Swansea MP and ended up on an answer phone where I left my phone number and details and added a message asking that he oppose the rushing through of the said bill and requesting he call me back before 3.30 with his response. This was at 1.15pm.
Brian.

What you will generally find is that the replies given by MPs are generic – I discovered this when the Tories held Dartford and peter Bottomley was Eltham's MP. I got identical replies from two MPs to two different letters on similar subject matter! The same happens under Labour.

I have had some personal replies from Clive and had tea and biscuits with him at parliament re the lack of a referendum on the Lisbon treaty.

What I do know, is that even if they do not reply to every letter, e-mail of telephone call, the MPs are kept informed about the number of people contacting them on specific Bills or subjects.

Sometimes he does not get all the post – whether that is Royal Mail or Parliamentry Mail I don't know – I had sent him a petition that had about 1,400 pro referendum signatures. At the time of our meeting he had no knowledge of what I had sent but was able to state how many letters he had received on police pay.

We tend to agree to disagree on many subjects (mainly the EU) but I do find that he will discuss matters when the opportunity arises.

What is amusing is when our MP holds to the party line to justify their stance only to find that within the day or by the end of the week their party has changed it's mind!

Talked to Michael Foster's office who said I was the first person to call about this today. Mr Foster wasn't available but they took my details and concerns and promised to pass them on.

I called Mr.Miliband at the house. He wasn't there. I was given his South Shields number and apparently he wasn't there either, he was giving an interview outside no 10.
I was told Mr. Miliband is awae of his constituients concerns as they had received many emails. He will be passing those concerns on to the relevant departments.
I asked when it came to a vote how would Miliband be voting and was told that was entirely up to him.
When pressed the gentleman admitted that as a minister he would be a yes vote.
No less than I expected of him!!!

Good idea. I've written to Jeremy Hunt too.

Previous correspondence from my representative makes it clear he'll be voting 'yes' for the Bill based on acceptance of the party whip.

And with it being a safe Tory seat with a majority of 14% over the next party it's not as if my protest vote against him is going to achieve anything as he's a shoo-in next month and knows it.

Bring on proportional representation.

H

I called Parliament and reached the office of my MP, Alan Whitehead. They quickly recognised me from my earlier correspondence. I once again had to explain that my concern is less disconnection and more that on the back of a populist move (“protecting Cliff's pension”) the Bill will harm my photography business, open WiFi and allow the chilling of online protest. I was told my views will be passed to Alan.

I've written to Clive on a few occasions, and not even had a stock response. It hasn't stopped me writing to him, and from what you say at least he has some idea of what opinions are being expressed so I shall continue to do so. I just hope enough of us have got through to get the message across that toeing the party line this time isn't acceptable.

Spoke to Sally Clark as I could not reach Hilary Benn, she said being the secretary of state he is likely to vote with the government. She did not know much about the bill and didn't think Hilary did either but asked me to send through my objections again via email and she said she would put them in front of Hilary for comment.

No answer so I left a voicemail for Meg Hillier MP (Labour) – Hackney South & Shoreditch.

I telephoned Karen Buck of Regent's Park and Kensington North. I've previously emailed her on the matter, and had a positive and concerned-seeming response. Her calls are going through to her constituency office today, which is not live-answered on a Tuesday, so I left a short message expressing my concern.

No answer – left a voicemail for Paul Murphy (Torfaen)

East Lothian is a no working MP area, where little Miss Moffat has only time to hide from the world because of her £30000-a-year-pension (on grounds of ill health???) plus her one off payment £32000.
She answered my email with: “Due to my recent de-selection I am unable to take on any new cases.”
So no real sense in phoning her, as she would may feel bullied.
What a democratic country we live in!

My MP is stephen timms, Labour MP and minster for Digital Britain, No, i didn't bother phoning him up. since it doesn't take a genius to figure what he's going to vote. for my last 4 elections I've voted labour, but the despicable and underhand way this bill has been passed with thanks to the unelected peter mandelson ( how many times can you leave and return to a job without being thought of as incompetent?) that the the general incompetence of labour though this economic crisis has made me re-evaluate my vote.

We'll see just how safe your seat is stephen

In the case of an MP going delinquent (OK, not the right word but you know what I mean) isn't someone else supposed to cover for them rather than a “I'm off, you're out of luck” response?

H

As far as I know she is still “working” but deselected so she isn't bothered (she wouldn't be bothered anyway).

I couldn't get through to John Hutton so instead I e-mailed him First time I've ever done this, so apologies if it's not great!

Dear Mr Hutton

As a lifelong resident of your constituency I am writing to you today due to my concerns that Parliament is about to force through the Digital Economy Bill.

I am by no means an expert in this field, however clauses 11 to 18 seem deeply disturbing and draconian in parts, even to someone like myself.

I am not speaking as someone who is a file sharer. In fact I still take great pleasure in buying CDs (very 90’s, I know) and I fully understand the size of the figures mentioned in regards to the cost piracy and the impact this will have on the creative industries. However, surely with intelligent debate and with the help of the ISPs (who have been clear in their stance against the bill) there could be a better solution than the ‘three strikes rule’. I believe that education regarding alternatives would be a far wiser alternative than the temporary suspension of service.

I am a great believer in bringing internet to the wider population and have often thought how incredible it would be if somewhere like Barrow had wireless internet access for all, as some American cities now have. As a relatively small community it could be a fantastic boon for us, however something like the ‘three strikes rule’ would make this an impossibility.

Considering the ISPs admittance that they can have difficulty pin pointing the person responsible for the infringement I believe this could hamper the government’s desire to have a ‘connected Britain’. Who would want to be attached to a system that may land you with a court date for something your never did?

I believe that pushing this bill through would be a mistake. I believe that proper debate is needed and as such should not be included in the ‘wash up’. I am in no doubt that the potential disconnection of internet users would be a terrible mistake. I believe that this bill will harm business growth in the UK. This bill would end any plans for open WiFi.

Please ensure that this bill is given the full debate it deserves.

Matt Jones

I posted it up on my blog too, hoping to get some comments from the local people, but no luck so far…sigh.. http://munkimatt.com/2010/04/06/my-e-mail-to-jo…

Just called up Kate Hoey (Labour) MP for Vauxhall. Spoke to a caseworker who said she wasn't aware of it, and that I should email. I said there wasn't time, since it's being voted on in an hour, and hasn't been debated in parliament. She listened to the concerns, took my name and number, and promised to get back to me. We'll see if she does!

Spoke to Michael Howards office, he wasn't available. I was told he wasn't in a position to make much difference as he was only a back bencher in opposition and the government had a majority. I was also told that he had had a lot of correspondence on the matter both in favour of the bill and against the bill (it was implied that this would be based on whether you were in the music industry or a downloader!) and that he was very aware of what his constituents thought.
Couldn't get an answer as to which way he would vote. (Mind you the person I spoke to wasn't even sure if there was a vote to be taken).
I got the impression it was all already decided and there was little that could be done.

Called my MP, Ian Davidson MP, at his Westminster Office. Only got his voice mail. Left a message asking for his opinions on the Digital Economy Bill and urged him not to support it as it leaves private companies policing the internet and the three strike rule does not follow the innocent until proven guilty principal. Also that there seems to be the provision for passing of further law without due process.

Spoke to Russell Brown's secretary. He wasn't available at the moment, but she told me he doesn't believe the Bill is going anywhere, and that it will be one of these bills that will wait until after the election. She also said that Russell thinks the Bill is unlikely to be passed, and he is against it.

This would all work if the majority of MPS were not corrupt fckers and we did actually live in a democracy where the peoples voice is heard. Which we don't so your either writing to people who have little influence/power or talking to a brick wall to the ones in on it with the big music corporations. It''s not for the people its for the cash get used to it minions.

Got through but they did n't know who David Kidney was. Had to spell it and tell them he was the MP for Stafford…

Eventually got his office and left a message asking for his assurance that he would vote against the Bill.
(he had acknowledged my earlier comments by letter but not gone so far as to promise not to vote for the bill)

Hope it goes well

But I suspect David who? probably sums it up.

I have just rung my MP to ask if he is voting in the D E Bill and been informed that he is in constituency today.I then asked about the likelihood of the Bill being voted through without due and proper debate and was informed that he had received many phone calls concerning the Bill.The only comment that I received was that he,my MP, had made his representation to the appropriate Minister.My MP is Roger Berry( Labour), Kingswood

Spoke to people at both Sadiq Khan's Tooting constituency office and his parliamentary office (as far as I could tell). He was busy (being interviewed by BBC World Service according to the guy I spoke to in his parliamentary office).

Constituency office noted my opinion and said they'd pass it on.

The parliamentary office had a bit more info and the guy seemed genuinely interested that I'd bothered to phone – he told me that they knew that a number of people had contacted Sadiq about the issue and that he'd spent some of the weekend working through them and drafting a response. I would have had it by now but apparently they put it on hold because they knew Harriet Harman would today be announcing the plan for winding up parliament business including whether this gets discussed this afternoon or not. He'll then apparently update his response accordingly but he's aware of the issues and of constituents opinions.

Dear Paul,

Thank you for your letter regarding the progression of the Digital Economy Bill through Parliament.

I understand that there are still numerous concerns surrounding many aspects of the Bill, and I am personally in favour of making sure that the Bill is fully debated before being passed through Parliament. Therefore I can assure you I will do all within my power to ensure that the Digital Economy Bill faces sufficient scrutiny before its passing.

Thank you once again for your letter highlighting this issue, in the meantime you may also be interested to find out more about the work I do in Parliament for the people of Hackney North and Stoke Newington, please visit http://www.dianeabbott.org.uk to find out more.

Yours sincerely,

Diane Abbott MP

I got Mike Gapes answerphone and left concerns, urging him to vote against the bill.

Let's see what happens May 6 :/

Rang Nick Griffin for Stapleford/Notts left concerns on answer phone then rang local office. On a train to london so asked to contact him later.

Oh, just been phoned back. “He share my concerns and will vote against it”

Rang John Barrett's Westminster office (Edinburgh West – Lib Dem). John's travelling on plane from Edinburgh to Parliment when we spoke at 2PM but spoke with his parlimentary secretary. He said they've have had several hundred calls from constituents over past couple of days (could hear other staff speaking in background to other callers on same topic actually…)

He asked about how I found out about it and I said “Twitter feeds from Darren Graham Smith / PC Pro”. So Twitter is actually useful for something

He has said that John is already planning to vote against the bil since he agrees that its being rammed through without any thought.

Let's hope John sticks to his guns….

Spoke to my MP – Dr Richard Taylor.

He will be voting against it and im apparently not the first person to have spoken to him regarding DEB.

Remarked to me about how they can possibly consider rushing it through like this.

Left a message to Kevin Breenan, MP for Cardiff West, letting him know that brand new powers should be debated at length and not rush through Parliament. Kevin Brennan seems to always follow the Labour whip when it comes to voting – which I feel is a waste of an elected representative. Hopes he gets enough of us voicing their concerns.

Got told by the switchboard that my MP – Vernon Coaker, Gedling – does not take calls from constituents. Fantastic.

Just phoned…got the answer phone…but left a message with address and phone no…

Anyone any news?

Jo

It's on BBC Parliament right now: http://www.tvcatchup.com/watch.html?c=31

Rang up the office of “James Paice MP (Conservative) – South East Cambridgeshire”. His position is not black or white his assistant says. However they have a document which explains their position about various parts of the bill. I informed the assistant that I was not completely happy with the bill.

Live on TV now. Very Empty house.
Few MPs seem to have bothered to turn up.

Tony Lloyd MP says that there's nothing to be worried about since no controversial measures are ever passed through wash up. He promises to have a quiet word with the whips. He sees unconcerned about the lack of debate. Did his best to get rid of me as soon as possible.

EALING MP
Got through very quickly to Mr Sharma's office. Said I was against it and why (no proof of the real of losses of revenues and the three strikes and you are off the 'net)
I was told that the government (Mendacious Mendalson) have put a three line whip on it.
Asked if Mr Sharma has ever voted against a three line whip and was pleased to be told he had (the Heathrow expansion plans which are very much on our doorstep).
They have promised to ring me back later tonight and let me know how he voted

update:
…well, more of a non-update. No reply from David Lammy. Can't see him in the House. Not voting for him.

All three front benches stating that there is such importance in some areas of the bill that it must be passed now.

So, shall we start finding a way to work around this now?

E-mailed my MP Geraldine Smith last week re the DEB. She got back to me the following day, to say the Bill would not go through as there would be objections to it, and there wouldn't be enough time for it to proceed through Parliament before the Election.

Called my MP John Robertson this morning. I got through to one of his researchers, who spoke about “controversial vs non-controversial” parts of the bill. He tried to allay my fears by stating that the “controversial” parts probably would not make it through parliament whereas the “non-controversial” parts probably would – especially this close to the election. I argued that it's quite hard to make that distinction, and he invited me to continue the discussion over email…

Just phoned the switchboard — my MP (Tim Yeo) was “not available”. Typical tory…

EALING MP
Phoned back a few minutes ago and citing the amendment made to clause 18 Mr Sharma is going to vote in favour of the bill.

Clause 18 just means certain orders bring the law into into effect are not immediate but 60 days notice has to be given and “consideration” given to representations.

The law is passed. Government with a three line whip triumphs.

It will end in tears unless there is change in government and the law is repealed and repeals just do not happen (unless it is fox hunting).

Shame really

I got thru -straight away – to “The Houses of Parliament” and lodged my complaint to be passed to Joan Ruddock ! Hope it did some good !

Is 38 Degrees keeping count of how many calls have been made, apart from keeping track of the comments on this blog post? I would be very interested to find out. Keep up the good work, guys. Cheers!

Got through to Emily Thornberry's answerphone and left my opinions on there. Hopefully she will have to wade through many messages and get the idea that we are not happy about the state of affairs.

Let's keep the pressure up…x

Rang midday yesterday, got through straight away and left a detailed message on Richard Caborn's (Sheffield Central) voicemail.

The Digital Economy Bill was debated for some hours in the House of Commons yesterday until quite late into the evening. A coalition of MPs ranging from Tom Watson from the Labour Party to John Redwood from the Conservatives challenged the front benches of the three main parties to drop plans to implement content blocking or other 'technical measures' to deal with connections which are found to be used for unlawful downloading of copyrighted content.

The bill completed its second reading and will proceed to the report stage today and it is expected to be passed into law prior to the dissolution of the parliament, as part of wash-up negotiations between the front benches.

Yesterday evening, rumours were circulating that the government would be dropping plans for its 'broadband tax', a 50 pence per month levy on phone lines, which forms part of the Finance Bill, in order to seek opposition support.

Thanks for this update, I've not been able to find news of this anywhere, not even the Guardian who've been pretty good on the DEB. Why the cloak and dagger secrecy?

The guy on the end of the phone at parliament asked me to call my MP on his constituency line, which I did. I spoke to an assistant who assured me he would communicate my concerns to my MP today. He listened and didn't come back to me on any of the points I was making – not really surprising. My top level argument was that this close to an election, it would be in MPs' interests to listen to voters, not lobbyists. My MP is a frontbencher, so I said that if he didn't want to reject clauses 11-18, he should at least tell the Whips they were making a mistake.

called Lynne Featherstone, Hornsey and Wood Green. Assistant said she had had many calls on the Bill and would do her best to make the changes causing people concerns.

Made the call for Ben Wallace (Lancaster & Wyre) and was asked to contact by email instead.
Tried again half an hour later with same results. Disappointed. But have emailed again anyway.

Having emailed my MP, John BERCOW, Speaker of the House and spoken to his office it seems clear that despite mass outrage at the lack of due consideration of this bill it will go through as a deal has been done between the Government and the Opposition.

As my MP is also Speaker he played no part in the debates yesterday and will not today, his office assures me that he has contacted Ms Hammond. I feel very let down by the process caused by the wash-up and complete lack of representation of the views of the voters.

If the two main parties can gang together with back room deals, on an issue as serious as this maybe we would be better off without them.

Also maybe the Speaker of the House should not be a serving MP then my MP might be able to represent my views in debates in the chamber.

Apparently my MP (Humfrey Malins) isn't planning on attending the debate nor voting. Might get a call back from him later. Unlikely as he's standing down.

I just rang my MP Philip Davies. I couldn't talk to him because apparently he's in his constituency at the moment. His constituency is in Shipley West Yorkshire… Hmm. I don't think he'll be voting today… Sad that he's decided to come home and start campaigning for his seat in the next parliament instead of staying and voting against the bill. Especially as in an email he sent to me on the 19th of March re my concerns about the digital economy bill, he stated that “I agree with you about this wholeheartedly which I hope reassures you. It would certainly be scandalous if the Government rushed through this legislation without proper and effective scrutiny.” So why is Mr Davies not in London about to vote against this bill? I certainly do not find his behaviour reassuring.

Just phoned my MP and left a very direct message, saying this bill is bad in theory and in practice, and will be very bad for them in the upcoming election

Further to my previous post I decided to use my democratic right to create a petition on the Number 10 site in a last ditch attempt to show the strength of felling on the lack of consideration of the Digital Economy Bill. Guess what the option has be closed as we are moving into a general election.

IT STINKS, what next a deal to bring back hanging included in the wash-up

His twitter feed last night: “@felix_cohen Will only get one speech before dissolution, am saving it to speak on voting reform. Main job was to push for vote.”

When I called his office yesterday afternoon his office assured me that he was preparing his speech for the DEB. Very disappointing, but I guess it's fair enough if he can only speak once. Just wonder if this is democratic…?

I have contacted my MPs office today at 12=40, my MP was in the chamber, however his Secretary informed me that he had received 400 Emails today alone on the subject matter,
The lady said my MP was against this bill proceeding without due debate in the house or where ever and she would pass on my comments to him when he returned to his office.

tried to sepak to my MP Tessa Jowell but got her gate guard (assistant) and she took my point that this too rushed there is an election and and it needs far more scrutiny.

Nick Ainger is sick today therefore not in Westminster,but I complained loud and long to the nice woman in the office. I also pointed out that working in IT, I work with a *lot* of pretty apolitical young men for whom this bill appears to be politicizing. She said that usually only uncontested bills would be subject to 'wash-up' and that these seemed to be some amount of contention.

I emailed my MP about this today, and got a letter setting out the Conservative Position on the Bill, but he said that if certain amendments are made, the bill will pass.

The letter is from Jeremy Hunt.

Dear Colleague,

I know that a great many of you have been contacted about the Digital Economy Bill. I wanted to get in touch to set out our position on a number of its different aspects as I realise many of them are controversial.

Firstly I share a number of concerns about the constitutional aspects of rushing this Bill through in wash up. It is deeply regrettable that the Government was unable to prioritise Parliamentary time in the House of Commons. It says a great deal about their support for the creative industries that despite considering many of these issues as far back as 2006 they have only now just brought this piece of legislation forward.

Despite these concerns there are a number of very important aspects of this Bill that are needed as soon as possible. Online piracy is a rapidly growing problem for our creative industries and one that we need to tackle. The measures within the Bill designed to block access to websites promoting illegal downloading and tackle illegal peer to peer file sharing set up a relatively weak regime that could, following repeated warnings and due process, lead to people having their internet connection temporarily suspended. It will not, as many have suggested, lead to people being disconnected without an appeal. Even if people are disconnected they will be able to sign up to another ISP immediately without penalty.

Blocking these measures in their entirety would have risked hundreds of thousands of jobs in the TV, film, music and sports industries and therefore not something we are willing to do. However the substantive point to make to your constituents is that widespread concern over these measures would have been assuaged if a committee stage had been allowed for this Bill prior to wash up. I have no doubt such scrutiny would have improved these measures, a point I made strongly in this afternoon’s debate on the Bill.

There are a number of other aspects of the Bill that we do not find acceptable and we will be doing all we can to remove these during the wash up process. Clause 1 adds an unnecessary duty to the regulator Ofcom which will make little difference to the way they operate. Clause 29 will prop up regional news with tax payer subsidy when we should be looking at long term financially sustainable measures to support local news. Finally, clause 43 tries to create a system that would unlock a large amount of digital content primarily held by the BBC and the British Library whose ownership is unknown. Unfortunately this has been drafted so badly that many rights holders would find their content automatically defined as an orphan work – as such they would lose control over their content. We cannot support these provisions but will return to this issue after the General Election.

Yours sincerely,

Jeremy Hunt
Member of Parliament

Phone the office of John Battle MP (Lab. Leeds West) was told he was in a meeting but asked his secretary to pass on the message that as a concerned constituent I think he should oppose the bill at third reading today.

The secretary told me that there are no votes happening today and that even if there were Mr Battle would not be able to oppose them.

Tried to call Christine Russell (City of Chester – Labour), but got no answer. Followed up with an e-mail linking to the Open letter that's been making the rounds (http://nevali.net/post/501647501/an-open-letter…).

Will try again later

I just tried to phone my MP Sir George Young, but was told he was out of the office. I was told however that I can contact him by email which I shall now be doing.

Kenneth Clark (Con, Rushcliffe) was unable to take my call, or attend parliament to vote on the Digital Economy Bill, as he is “touring the country”.

Having left a voicemail for Nick Brown yesterday, I tried calling today and spoke to someone from his staff. The person I spoke to recognised my name (I've been writing to Nick Brown repeatedly over the last few months re the Digital Economy Bill) and apologised for Nick Brown not having got back to me yet but did not seem to have any understanding whatsoever of the Bill, the issues behind it or the timescale involved (i.e. today!!). Filled with confidence I am not.

Called the office of John Austin (Erith & Thamesmead).

1) My first call (13:30 or thereabouts) went through to an answering service so I left a brief message outlining my concerns.

2) My second call about 10 minutes later was answered by Daniel Francis, who runs John's office.
Salient points from that conversation:

a) John is retiring on the 12th

b) The office in Westminster has been closed and they have moved to Erith, where the phone is being answered

c) John is at the House today.

d) Daniel will attempt to contact him today to pass on the concerns

e) They have had numerous emails on the topic but believe it be part of a concerted internet campaign and they will all get a reply this week or next (my feeling is that they believed they were all to be lumped together and all but ignored apart from a standard formal response)

f) I was the only person to call up about this.

g) In response to my concern that the bill is being pushed through against the will of the people,, without proper debate I was told:
i) it's not guaranteed to pass, but it's one of the Bills in the wash up
ii) there is cross-party support (which seems to hint towards there not being a need for a debate in Parliament if all the parties support it, regardless of constituent concerns)

fh In response to my question as to whether he was allowed to oppose the bill, or at least request the removal of the most controversial parts of the Bill
i) the question was not answered at all
ii) I was told that John has been told by the whip's office to expect to be in the House until midnight

Personally I feel that he's retiring soon, doesn't want to rock the party boat, and that the email campaign is seen as a single complaint and not the views of multiple constituents.
Additionally, the fact I couldn't speak to my MP directly meant it was very difficult to properly vocalise my concerns.

I have left my name, address and phone number, although I feel it's far more likely I'll get on a list of troublemakers than that I'll get a response whilst it's still relevant.

Thanks Michael following your experience I too have now emailed Ben Wllace. For anyone else his contact details are here: http://www.benwallacemp.co.uk/contact.php

Speaking now to Tim Farron's office (South Lakes). A more marginal seat where Tim is for obvious reasons committing his time rather than being in London. Their spokesman stated that Lib Dem's were opposed to the bill and that representatives in the house would be voting against it. We will watch and see.

Called Edward Timpson MP for Crewe and Nantwich. He is out in the constituency and I've been told that I should go and see him in his surgery on Saturday. Receptionist not willing to take a message. Will have to email.

I emailed my MP, and got what looks to be a standard response.

“I refer to your recent email to Jim Murphy MP which will be brought to his attention
A response will be sent in due course.”

However he is standing in a different constituency, so will no longer by my MP whatever happens at the election.

After a few calls I got through to Dominic Grieve's private secretary. She was very helpful and asked me to meet with him to discuss the issue.

Is the fight over? This was the reply from my local MP to the phone call

Thank you for calling me yesterday about the digital economy bill. I am sorry that I was unable to speak with you at the time but your concerns were passed on to me.

I share your concerns about the timing of this bill. I would always be in support of legislation having time for proper scrutiny. I am disappointed that this particular bill has fallen into the wash-up period especially as it affects so many of my constituents.

I am not against the bill on the whole but as I mentioned previously, I am concerned about how certain elements will work in practice.

I attach some information that may be of interest if you haven’t already seen it.

I raised the issue of the timing of this bill and spoke to the minister about the proposals. You will have seen however that the bill received its second reading yesterday and there was no vote. The second reading is a vote on the general principles of a bill and most bills pass second reading even with a vote. The bill looks likely therefore to be agreed during wash up.

Should I be returned to Parliament after the election, I will be taking this up again with the Department for Business to press my concerns and those raised with me in the last few weeks.

I am sorry that this is a disappointing response but please be assured that I will not let this drop. Thank you for taking the time to raise these issues with me.

Yours sincerely

Meg Hillier MP

My replies from MP Paul Murphy (Torfaen, S. Wales):

1). Dear Jane,

Thank you for writing to me about the Digital Economy Bill. This is something I take a close interest in, especially since I am a former Minister for Digital Inclusion.

The second Commons reading is taking place next week with full agenda of scrutiny having taken place whilst it went through the Lords. You may find details of the debates which took place at each stage here: http://services.parliament.uk/bills/2009-10/dig…
But further scrutiny is necessary, as this is only the second reading, and I intend to speak in the Chamber next week, and I will certainly take into consideration the points you have raised to me.
With all best wishes,
Paul
2). Dear Jane,
Thank you for your recent correspondence on the Digital Economy Bill.
Unfortunately, due to events yesterday, I did not speak in the Commons on the second reading of the Bill. You will, however, be pleased to note that the Leader of the House, Harriet Harman, addressed the criticism about controversial clauses in the bill by announcing that after the General Election, an affirmative process, which includes a full public consultation, would be undertaken to address any issues before the bill passes into law. Draft regulations will sit in the House for 60 days and, at the same time, Committees of both Houses will consider them. That is the critical part of the super-affirmative procedure. It allows Committees, including Members of this House, to consider the provisions even though there will not be Committee stage in the normal way. Final regulations that take into account the recommendations of the Committees will be laid in Parliament and will be subject to the normal affirmative procedure.
Ben Bradshaw, Secretary of State for culture, added: “If [the digital economy bill] gets on to the statute books it will be with the co-operation of the opposition party and hopefully the Liberal Democrats and others too. Most of the bill enjoys good cross-party support. It is not true, as some have claimed, that the provisions of this bill have not been subject to considerable discussions.”

I will also make strong representations to the Ministers in question accordingly and ensure that your views are taken into consideration in this important matter.
I hope this is reassuring.
Yours sincerely,
Paul

My 2 replies from MP Paul Murphy (Torfaen, S Wales)
1). Dear Jane,
Thank you for writing to me about the Digital Economy Bill. This is something I take a close interest in, especially since I am a former Minister for Digital Inclusion.

The second Commons reading is taking place next week with full agenda of scrutiny having taken place whilst it went through the Lords. You may find details of the debates which took place at each stage here: http://services.parliament.uk/bills/2009-10/dig…
But further scrutiny is necessary, as this is only the second reading, and I intend to speak in the Chamber next week, and I will certainly take into consideration the points you have raised to me.
With all best wishes,
Paul
Paul Murphy
MP for Torfaen

2). Dear Jane,
Thank you for your recent correspondence on the Digital Economy Bill.

Unfortunately, due to events yesterday, I did not speak in the Commons on the second reading of the Bill. You will, however, be pleased to note that the Leader of the House, Harriet Harman, addressed the criticism about controversial clauses in the bill by announcing that after the General Election, an affirmative process, which includes a full public consultation, would be undertaken to address any issues before the bill passes into law. Draft regulations will sit in the House for 60 days and, at the same time, Committees of both Houses will consider them. That is the critical part of the super-affirmative procedure. It allows Committees, including Members of this House, to consider the provisions even though there will not be Committee stage in the normal way. Final regulations that take into account the recommendations of the Committees will be laid in Parliament and will be subject to the normal affirmative procedure.

Ben Bradshaw, Secretary of State for culture, added: “If [the digital economy bill] gets on to the statute books it will be with the co-operation of the opposition party and hopefully the Liberal Democrats and others too. Most of the bill enjoys good cross-party support. It is not true, as some have claimed, that the provisions of this bill have not been subject to considerable discussions.”

I will also make strong representations to the Ministers in question accordingly and ensure that your views are taken into consideration in this important matter.
I hope this is reassuring.
Yours sincerely,
Paul

For more on what JohnV6 was saying…

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00rzjy8/T…

Commons discuss' the bill from 9 minutes onwards

As a follow-up, John Austin voted with the Liberal Democrats on the amendments, and abstained from the final vote. Which is probably about as best as can be hoped for.

Thank you for the info : )

Well much to my complete lack of delight Angela Browning MP could not be bothered to respond to my email on the bill nor could she be bothered to respond to my phone call ….. now there is an MP who doesn't want my vote!!

Well much to my complete lack of delight Angela Browning MP could not be bothered to respond to my email on the bill nor could she be bothered to respond to my phone call ….. now there is an MP who doesn't want my vote!!