Summary of messages posted 1-8 March 2004
After just one week Connecting Parliament with the Publicconsultation has had a lot of interest with 108 registered users, and 53 messages so far. If you want to see where we have got so far in the consultation and to have a quick overview of the main points raised please check this week's summary.
To everyone who has posted so far thank you so much and please keep on posting! There are only 3 weeks left for you to have your say in this consultation.
How could the Palace of Westminster be made more visitor-friendly?
“Any glass barrier (between the gallery and the chamber) would only be symbolic of the division that already exists between parliament and public.”
“Plain English speaking is the only way to reach all the public voters”
“Historic terminology is important. Democracy in this country has a long and facinating history and maintaining tradition does validate the actions of members. If too many attempts were made to "modernise" Westminster I think people may question the professionalism of Parliament.”
“Term "stranger" is wrong - why not simply "visitor's gallery".MPs should not be raised above their constituents by being "Right Honourable". There is no secrecy about MPs names, so first name, family name and constituency should be sufficient, and "My friend" or "My colleague" could be used.”
“There should be something formal about the language, and also that it is a mistake to think that the 'average man in the street' is ever likely to be interested in the precise manner in which politicians conduct their business.”
How easy is it to get information about Parliament?
"One possibility would be to publish Member's e-mail addresses and mobile phone numbers and to invite the public to e-mail or text message MPs with any matter that concerns them; this would give MPs a fuller picture of what troubles their constituents and even how they want them to vote on particular issues.”
“BBC Parliament is useful but it could include more detailed information on forthcoming business. It would also help if better subtitles could show the name of the current speaker and could supply better background information on screen during the breaks for voting.”
“Perhaps the answer is to have time-limited web-chat 'virtual surgeries' where MPs are available at certain times of the week/month to read and answer questions posed by the general public on the forum in real-time. “
“What times would such "time limited webchats" operate? During working hours, when 99.99% of the internet-connected business population are prevented from using the 'net under fear of dismissal from their jobs ? Great idea !!“
How could proceedings in Parliament be made easier to follow?
“The website should go beyond being simply a listing of business.”
“The website should not only be a record of what has happened to a bill, but might well include feedback forms (similar to this site) where interested members of the public could add comments to bills under debate.”
“Modern IT requires effective sifting and directing information to where it is most needed and can be best handled. The select committees are the obvious medium for this. Again there could be an additional staffing need, but handling information for a small number of Members on clearly demarcated subjects should be a natural feature of select committee work.”
Does Parliament adequately reflect the concerns of ordinary people?
“Once an MP joins certain select committees or is given greater responsiblity within Parliament then the attitudes of their constituents is of even less concern”
“Perhaps we should think about having a league table for MPs so that we know how they are performing after we have voted them in.”
“Drop the convention that all contact with parliament must go through your local MP ? For issues that are specific to the locality (housing, schools) it is appropriate to go through your local MP. For wider issues (e.g. freedom of information), wouldn't it make sense to approach an "issue champion", who could be anyone in parliament, including MPs from other parts of the country ?”
“How can we tell whether sufficient funding is invested in the running of MPs' offices if there is no definition of 'success' for an MP's responsiveness? No wonder some (very few) MPs get away with sloppy standards when it comes to dealing with correspondance from those they represent.”
“Abolishing the "whipping" system would make MPs more accountable to the voters as they would need to communicate better with them so that they both (MPs and electorate) understood what was wanted and what is being achieved..”
If you experience any technical problems or have forgotten your username/password please email us at: edemocracy@hansard.lse.ac.uk
Many thanks and best wishes.
Milica & Barry
e-Democracy team
Hansard Society