Forum Topic

Fax your MP

After trying yet another avenue for my MP to reply to a simple qustion i posed to her i took the suggestion of using the Faxyour Mp service.As i of course had not had a reply after three weeks i was invited to submit my feedback.Mr Sheerings,can you help me get my question answered or is Ann Keen just plain rude in responding to the general public?Unlike most other workers in the public sector, the performance of MPsis not measured and published. With your help, we'd like to fix thiscurious anomaly.Your feedback will allow us to publish performance tables of theresponsiveness of all the politicians in the UK. The majority of MPsrespond promptly and diligently to the needs and views of theirconstituents. They deserve credit and respect for theirconscientiousness.Likewise, we're keen to expose the minority of MPs who don't seem togive a damn.Rest assured that we will not store ANY data that could be used toidentify you. We do not keep a copy of the letter you sent to your MP.-- the WriteToThem.com team

Paul Fisher ● 7397d30 Comments

And logically if she answered letters from constituents, the constituents would at least know what Mrs Keen can and cannot do for them. To ignore correspondence from constituents isn't a very sensible move I'd say.Far better for Mrs Keen's office to report that 1,000 letters were received, 98% of which were answered within 10 working days than for Mrs Keen's office not be in a position to defend itself. This is exactly what other public sector bodies have to do, I can't see why Mrs Keen and her office can't adopt best practice from elsewhere in the public sector.

Gareth Evans ● 7387d

but if she replies to all letters, then she needs more staff, boosting her expenses.  Which generates more letters, which needs more staff....ad infinitum :)

Steve Peake ● 7388d

But if she doesn't reply to letters, how can she justify her stationery and postage allowance?

Phil Andrews ● 7389d

PaulFollowing the logic, you can only assume that Ann Keen doesn’t consider that your issue is worthy of a response, let alone the price of a stamp. 

Gareth Evans ● 7390d

Chis-wick, Phil?  PUH-LEESE!  they are but kittens! ... it is Paul I am worried about when he gets in ...

Sarah Felstead ● 7392d

All I can say is it's a good job you're not on the Chiswick forum....

Phil Andrews ● 7392d

Sorry, but I have to go and have a sit down now......

Sarah Felstead ● 7392d

Fax your MP with a drawing of a pretty flower and a personal poem.

Sarah Felstead ● 7392d

Fax your MP with a nice joke and a hapy saying - to make her smile!

Sarah Felstead ● 7392d

Fax your MP and let her feel wanted  :-)

Sarah Felstead ● 7392d

Keith You’ve hit it on the head. The rest of us have to achieve standards against which we as individuals and the services we provide are measured, yet Mrs Keen and many other MP’s seem not to have to achieve any measurable standard because no standards have been set for them to achieve. If the MP’s cannot set their own standards by which they can be measured, what hope is there for us because you can bet your very last pound that no MP is going to want to be set standards by anyone other than their fellow MP’s.  But of course the Keen's have support staff because how else could the Keen's justify such expense claims?

Gareth Evans ● 7393d

Steve, Don't know how you can in one sentence acknowledge her responsibility to constituents and then condone her lack of action in answering what I for one see as a perfectly legitimate question.This is just the sort of lack of respect and duty to constituents that persuades them to vote against her.I agree with Gareth here. I too have worked in public service and have met the quality promise in terms of replying to queries within ten days,answering the phone within 5 rings etc.Why should Paul accept any less?If he were to phone a local authority or write to them,they would be expected to reply promptly.                            The idea that she would 'sit around answering every ....email'is a non starter. Surely she and her husband have a secretary and support staff,paid for by the public purse,to field such matters.

Keith Iddon ● 7393d

SteveAs a public sector worker I have to respond to every letter and e-mail I receive within 10 working day and respond to every telephone message within 24 hours, standard across many public sector organisations these days. A standard that Mr Keen and her staff would do well to comply with.

Gareth Evans ● 7393d

"As an M.P. the lady is there to represent *all* her constituents regardless of which party political persuasion he/she adheres to."100% correct, but she isn't there to sit around answering every moaning email that comes her way, why should her office waste time on that when real issues might need her time?(Don't misunderstand me, I would de-select her in an instant, spending all your time sucking upp to Gordon Brown isn't what I think an MP should be doing)Do we know if the LD or Tory is any good this time round?, I would hate to think we have become an easy labour seat.

Steve Peake ● 7393d

And you're surprised? The expression'thick as thieves'comes to mind.....

Keith Iddon ● 7394d

The frustrating thing Keith is that the Vice Chair of the Local Labour Party(Alan Sheerins) and two local Labour Cllrs Ms Cadbury and Ms Smart post on this forum quite often and obviously have contact with Ann Keen but completely ignore any posts on this subject for some reason

Paul Fisher ● 7394d

Paul, she is obviuosly treating you with the same contrempt a lot of govn. mps (the tories did it too)have done for years. It's the same sort of 'let them eat cake'mentality that they show when they refuse to go on programmes like Newsnight to explain policies and participate in discussions. How many times have you heard a presenter say'The ministry of defence/home office/foriegn office have declined to send a minister to participate in this programme..'?.They only want enough votes to be elected onto the gravy train,they don't want to be accountable to the likes of us,except when they butter us up come election time.Can't you take this lack of response up with the parliamentary Labour party,is there an parliamentary ombudsman of some sort?I hope you get satisfaction from this.It doesn't sound like Ms. Keen is very keen to account for herself .

Keith Iddon ● 7394d

I was under the impression the beast (shredding machine)only comes into play on a ""good day"" when it is absolutely imperative to hide the truth about some monumental foul-up that the general public needs protection from, purely in there own interests of course?

Angus James ● 7394d

Tsk, tsk, Angus.  A Bin? if such an ancient mode of waste management is used it leaves a trail for somebody to use, to possibly, find out what is going on.  Isn't there a shredding department?

Sarah Felstead ● 7394d

That is nice to know, the lady can well afford it. So there will be no excuse in the future for improper filing (into the usual receptical on the floor by her private secretary's desk?)LOL

Angus James ● 7394d

I understand Angus that there is a stamp and stationery budget, just for, such a frivolous activity ...

Sarah Felstead ● 7394d

...the answer is over on your Chis-wick thread.  :-)(these sorts of answers don't bode well for the rest of the week, do they?!)

Sarah Felstead ● 7394d

[What a real issue that you needed help from your MP to solve, or just a party political point you were trying to make?]Surely this is beside the point. As an M.P. the lady is there to represent *all* her constituents regardless of which party political persuasion he/she adheres to.In my personal opinion he/she should be sent some sort of reply acknowledging the fact that his/her letter or e-mail was received and is at least pending?

Angus James ● 7394d

My question to her was about the claims both herself and her Husband are making for expenses for her flat in Covent Garden and how she can justify this when living only nine miles from "work".Regardless of her being a Labour MP,i would have asked this what ever Party she belonged to.A black cab home together on the very few late sittings she attends would save the public purse many many thousands per annum.

Paul Fisher ● 7394d

"I believe my question to her is a serious issue and i fully expected an answer."What a real issue that you needed help from your MP to solve, or just a party political point you were trying to make?

Steve Peake ● 7395d

[With respect Steve,i have posted a letter to Ann Keen and also sent at least 12 emails to her which she has not replied to.]Did you try lobbying her at Westminster or more to the point at Whitehall?

Angus James ● 7395d

TEST for posting

Angus James ● 7395d

With respect Steve,i have posted a letter to Ann Keen and also sent at least 12 emails to her which she has not replied to.I believe my question to her is a serious issue and i fully expected an answer.This is now approx eleven weeks since i have tried getting in touch with her.

Paul Fisher ● 7395d

I'm not her greatest fan, but faxyourmp has always been closer to spam than to a letter.  Its the favourite tool of every loon and campaign group to stream endless reams of rubbish to MPs.If the question isn't worth the cost of a stamp then it isn't worth asking.Of course this assumes this was a serious issue that your MP could help you with, if you were just moaning then did you really expect a response?

Steve Peake ● 7396d

she is just plain rude mate!!!!

Simon Anderson ● 7396d