Wrote to my member of parliament last Monday on a topical subject but he hasn’t replied yet. Do they reply to every/most letter or bin em if they don’t like the content?

Maybe your MP is actively finding out about your query and will write back to you, say, sometime next week when they have a considered answer for you.
Or did you just want a standard letter fobbing you off?

They should always reply.

If you copied and pasted a stock letter you will get a stock answer.i think writing rather than emailing is best too.

If you put together a ‘good’ letter then it may take some time for the office staff to find out the answer from the relevant department and get back to you.

MSP and Education Secretary in Scotland emailed us back with clearly personal responses – but it took a couple of weeks.

I wrote to my MP David Rutley in December to tell him about my presentation at the House of Commons an oral inquiry into the quality of headache services in the NHS and to ask for his support but he never bothered to reply.

Wrote it myself to the Email address he supplied on his website, so I’d assume he’s ok with Emails. I wrote a few letters to my MP when I was up in Durham (1990’s) & always got a reply. Dunno why I bothered writing cos I used to service his car!
I’ll wait a bit longer then I might post the Email & name & shame!

I’ve never got a response from mine (but have from MSPs) but then he probably found them impertinent rather than pertinent.

Always had a reply. Recently used Write To Them and they sent to a follow up questionare to ask if I’d had a reply.

Currently dealing with local Tory boy MP. Started off very impressively with a quick response but is now ignoring my irate e-mails. Strangely enough, I’ve just found out that he’s attached to the very Government department that I’ve been bitterly complaining about due to their incompetence, ineptitude etc etc.

As far as I’m concerned, there’s an Election next year, hurrah, so you’d think that would fire them into action.

I’m afraid that the cynical side of me believes that they will only become involved if there’s publicity for them with an opportunity to tweet/photograph etc. to raise their profile.

c-g, I would imagine that being in a safe or marginal seat is a factor too: who needs publicity if even a Playmobil figure would get in if it wore the right colour rosette? One local MP has to work really hard in terms of media/papers and the lambasting he gets from locals, the one in the neighbouring and terribly safe seat has similar ideals (and is in same political party) but however much of a goon he looks in the paper (and it is always them that approach him for an opinion rather than him seeking publicity), it doesn’t matter come election time: in his 20 years as an MP he has always cruised in with 2-3 times the votes of nearest rival.

c-g, have you condsidered going to the local rag with your story? That may prompt him ‘finding’ your emails again!

Perhaps that’s why ?

My MP is the one that gets irate. 😀

I am a frequent pesterer of my local MP and (once I have bounced a couple of emails back and forth between his PA pretending to be him by rather weakly cutting and pasting replies from party memos, and we have all (MP, PA and me) established that I know that he knows that I know that he has neither seen my email nor replied to me with anything that really answers what I asked) I actually get a reply from him. Generally the gist then is “can’t you see I am busy?” But then mine is the one locally with by far the most outstanding majorities each election. Perhaps that is because he works so hard ansewring constituents that aren’t me. 😕

julianwilson – yes, you’re spot on there. He’s only interested in the well-heeled of Winchester types! The genuine people who do have a community spirit are put off going into public service by those who’re only in it for themselves and whatever financial benefits they may accrue along the way.

Seriously considering going to the Daily Wail but this whole business is extremely stressful. Have threatened to go to the millionaire IDS anyway. 🙂

allthepies – nah, irate e-mails are not directed at him. I’m lambasting what I now know is the department where he works! Do you think he’s perhaps frightened of me? 😉

Have you been to one of your MP’s constituent surgeries ? A face to face meeting would be much better than an EMail ping-pong exchange.

I wonder how many emails they get ? Can they actually reply to them all, even the daft/stupid/wrong ones ?

I received a reply from my MP after writing to him about his opposition to the Equal Marriage bill. In it he explained his opposition and how he felt the majority of the country were against it.

As it happens, some weeks later I get chatting to a couple of guys in a café, one of whom who turns out to be his secretary and writes his letters for him to sign. Good chat and afterwards he went back to who clearly appeared to be his partner…

Strange world, politics.

Rachel

Mine wasn’t irate just ‘a bit’ sarcastic, but still very topical & something I want an answer to. If I get no reply by next week I’ll mail him again.

Strange world, politics.

Think illustrates more what people presume, plenty of people who are not homophobic didn’t agree with the Equal Marriage Bill.

I’m still waiting for him to reply.

Perhaps he needs a prod Essel? Send him/her a gentle reminder.

Glad we got our MP involved now, letter now received from Government Department with an apology. I’m not however satisfied with some issues that have been ignored so pen will be put to paper again. 😐

It was 17th March when I mailed him & I do understand that MP’s are under a lot of pressure/dead busy & stuff. Shall I wait a week or so before giving him a nudge?

Yes, I would. Election next year is getting them moving!

If your MP are much like the bunch of yahoo’s we elect here in the US, about all I have ever gotten (if anything) in the way of a response to emails/letters written on a specific subject/legislation is a form letter spouting their official party’s line on whatever the subject might be.

You should always get a reply of some description – but it is likely to be a stock vaguely supportive standard party lines type stuff, especially if the MP is in Or aspires to a Ministerial post It will not be written by the MP, it will be written by an aide, but will be read and signed (corrected, re-drafted perhaps – unless it’s really standard) by the MP

The problem MPs have is that (a) the get loads of correspondence so they will need to sort into stuff they want to deal with (because it fits with a bigger point they want to make, it makes good local press – or sometimes because they actually want to help and think they can do some good) and stuff for a stock reply (b) They have to be careful to hold the party line in what they reply as it is in the public domain – you could just as easily be a newspaper or a political rival on a fishing trip as a genuine constituent – or as a genuine member of the public could share the letter with media etc, especially if voice in letter opposes the party line in any way or is a bit rebellious/radical.

Ultimately, they are risk averse political animals. They may pick the odd local cause to champion, but generally I think they will give you the standard line-to-take brush-off.

Well he replied by letter this morning so now I’m gonna show what I wrote in my letter to him. Please bear in mind that I’ve learned my lesson & won’t write to anyone after I’ve had a drink. (I felt a tiny bit stupid the next day)

Hello Mr Jones, thank you for your recent newsletter. It was interesting to read that you run ‘surveys’., It’s nice to see that you are passionate about our environment, just as I am.

May I make a suggestion in that you run a survey with your constituents to see how they feel about the latest pay award to both prison officers (me) & nurses (my wife) & to how they compare with the latest pay award to members of parliament (you). I mean ‘we’re all in this together’, are we not, so shouldn’t we all have the same benefits? I’m not saying you shouldn’t have a pay rise now & again, and I really don’t know how you manage on over 70K (plus expenses) a year especially when your’e on the front line just like my wife & myself.

Another suggestion of mine is that you spend a day as a prison officer at one of your local prisons or at the A&E dept of Leeds General Infirmary, although on second thought’s your’e probably a bit busy sitting on those comfy green seats in the houses of parliament for all that.

I’m not even a little bit apologetic about the sarcastic undertones of this Email, but I think you’ll agree that It’s rather understandable in the circumstances.

I have little doubt that you’ll mention the fact that the aforementioned pay awards were all decided by an independent body but surely you’d agree that if any politician of this country had any morals at all then he/she would dismiss the pay award to MP’s as unfair?

I look forward to your response.

& his reply is this,

Dear Mr G, thank you for your recent email regarding various issues in response to my regular update mail.
You say ‘I’m not even a little bit apologetic about the sarcastic undertones of this email, but I think you’ll agree that it’s rather understandable in the circumstances’
‘Sarcastic undertones’ seems a bit of a mild description for the tone of your email. If I wrote to a constituent with the same level of ‘sarcastic undertones’ I am sure that a copy would quickly appear in the local paper with some very unfavourable comments in the editorial about my behaviour. However, I realise that we al have different standards in the way we speak to others.
Some of the ‘facts’ you quote regarding pay and pay rises for MP’s are wrong and you can find the real situation on the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) website at http/parliamentarystandards.org.uk
For your information I regularly volunteer with local public services to see firsthand what is happening on the front line.
Many thanks again for your email.

Andrew Jones, MP

Now what the **** do I reply with!

I know, I know, I shouldn’t have been sarcy in the 1st place. (or should I?)

You could always apologise for your pissed up rant 🙂

on second thought’s your’e

I think we all know why he ignored you 😉

I think we all know why he ignored you

He hasn’t, he sent the reply I posted earlier. So I was sarcastic, he was patronising of one of his constituents, touche maybe but Isn’t that what MP’s are (not only)for? He’s in Harrogate mind, so he’s probably not used to a bit of lip.
Anyway, typical pollytician stylee & avoided the subjects mainly.
Do you think I should apologise & ask him properly?