No im not really a Liberal per say

[osymandus]

But this has got me a little miffed (sorry if its not correct here)

Sir Menzies Campbell
Liberal Democrats ​

This Friday the Freedom of Information (Amendment) Bill will once again be debated on the floor of the House of Commons.
Liberal Democrat MPs at Westminster, spearheaded by Norman Baker and Simon Hughes, are working hard to stop it. You can help us by contacting your MP - via www.writetothem.com - and asking them to publicly declare their opposition to the Bill.
The proposal is a private member's bill, introduced by David Maclean, a Conservative MP. If passed, it would exempt both Houses of Parliament and all communications between MPs and public authorities from the scope of the Freedom of Information Act.
The effect would be to remove any obligation for details of MPs' expenses to be made public. However, the expenses of other public figures and senior officials such as judges, councillors and civil servants would remain accessible under FOI legislation.
It would also mean that members of the public would not be able to find out the advice or policy opinions that their own MP had expressed to public bodies. For example, responses to public consultation exercises, representations to planning authorities and letters to NHS professionals on the provision of local health services would no longer be publicly accessible under the Freedom of Information Act.
Supporters of the amendment say that they are concerned about preventing constituents' correspondence from being disclosed.
However, correspondence about constituents' personal affairs which contains personal data is already exempt from the Act and also protected by the provisions of the Data Protection Act.
An unholy alliance of Conservative and Labour MPs is backing this attempt to water down public access to freedom of information. They have the clear support of the government, which, unusually, did not block the Bill at Second Reading and therefore seems happy to see its own Freedom of Information Act watered down.
This is unacceptable. Of all public servants, MPs have least right to be exempt from public scrutiny. We are elected to represent our constituents' interests and to maintain high standards in public life.
The Freedom of Information Act is a vital tool for allowing members of the public to assess whether their MPs are doing so.
We must not allow it to be compromised.
Please contact your MP before Friday to make clear your support for the Freedom of Information Act and your wish to see David Maclean's proposed Bill rejected for the reasons that I have mentioned. You can access your MP's contact details at www.writetothem.com
With best wishes

Sir Menzies Campbell
www.mingcampbell.org.uk

The bloody swines are trying to hide their expense from us , and what they say and do with local buisness !!!!!!!! :( Grrrrr


MODS :Please take down if not appropriate

 

[A Century United]

Quite appropriate. No way should they be allowed to hide their expenses - in fact since their expenses have been open to scrutiny there has been a change in the "League Table" of travel expenses with those MP's with furthest to travel now at the top which they weren't previously.

 

[osymandus]

I'm thinking Lib Dems might not be a bad choice next election ;)

 

[A Century United]

I have problems with all the parties to be honest, but I vote Lib Dem here because our MP is Charles Kennedy, who has been good for this constituency. I firmly believe that it is everone's duty to vote - democracy is very precious, just check out China, Nigeria, Zimbabwe etc etc to see the truth of that.

But I also believe that there should be an additional box on every ballot paper which says "None of the above". That would give people the opportunity to abstain in a meanigful and countable way, while removing the excuse of the "I don't want to vote for none of 'em, mate" group.

 

[MK Shrimper]

You can do that by spoiling the paper ACU....

 

[osymandus]

You can do that by spoiling the paper ACU....

Was going to say exactly same thing plus you can also put your objections on it as well . They want to know why !

 

[MK Shrimper]

I doubt they're read. The votes are counted and kept somewhere safe for a year and then destroyed.

 

[osymandus]

I doubt they're read. The votes are counted and kept somewhere safe for a year and then destroyed.

Nope their chekce and those that are "spoiled" are noted and read

 

[MK Shrimper]

Take your word for it Ozy, I'm often a poll clerk but never done the count.

 

[A Century United]

I know, MK, and I have done that in the past. But this would put it on an official basis, make it clear to people that they can abstain, and seperate out the "positive abstensions" from the "I'm too dumb to fill in a ballot paper"'s. The Returning officer would announce "None of the Above" at it's appropriate place in the vote, rather than lumping them all in with the Spoilt Papers, which everyone assumes is mostly dumbo's.

 

[MK Shrimper]

Very good point ACU.... I wonder how many people do actually get off their butts to do their democratic duty AND then choose to abstain? The turn out at our local elections was barely 45% this year...which is higher than usual.

 

[Mad Cyril]

But I also believe that there should be an additional box on every ballot paper which says "None of the above". That would give people the opportunity to abstain in a meanigful and countable way, while removing the excuse of the "I don't want to vote for none of 'em, mate" group.

I remember this clearly clearly from 80's comedy 'Brewsters Millions' staring Richard Pior.

 

[canveyshrimper]

I have problems with all the parties to be honest, but I vote Lib Dem here because our MP is Charles Kennedy, who has been good for this constituency. I firmly believe that it is everone's duty to vote - democracy is very precious, just check out China, Nigeria, Zimbabwe etc etc to see the truth of that.

But I also believe that there should be an additional box on every ballot paper which says "None of the above". That would give people the opportunity to abstain in a meanigful and countable way, while removing the excuse of the "I don't want to vote for none of 'em, mate" group.

I couldn't agree more with you ACU, like you I have problems with differentiating between all 3 main parties, and could not contemplate voting for the facists of both right & left. Therefor a none of the above option could be a good idea. I just wonder what would happen if every constituency would return a none of the above majority.

Going back to the original post, I thought this had been talked out by Norman Baker & Simon Hughes a few weeks ago, but I see now that this has somehow been bought back for debate, oddly enough I believe by Jack Straw who made the legislation for the Freedom of Information act in the first place, when he was Home Secretary. More power to the elbows of the MP's who can talk this one out.

 

[osymandus]

Take your word for it Ozy, I'm often a poll clerk but never done the count.

Odd , i have friends who are also polling clarks who have to note them and well also inform people of their right to do so ;)

 

[MK Shrimper]

We have to follow tight guidelines: Can't wear any clothes of any particular colour (ie, no blue/red/green/purple T-shirts), can't leave the polling station, have to say "Vote for one candidate and place your vote in the box" to each person (which can get VERY monontonous).

We have no right to tell people that they can spoil their papers if they so choose to though.

 

[Mad Cyril]

We have to follow tight guidelines: Can't wear any clothes of any particular colour (ie, no blue/red/green/purple T-shirts), can't leave the polling station, have to say "Vote for one candidate and place your vote in the box" to each person (which can get VERY monontonous).

We have no right to tell people that they can spoil their papers if they so choose to though.

Can you have a cheeky can of lager on the go to make the day pass a bit quicker?

 

[MK Shrimper]

Lol, I wish.

TBH it is a long day 7am - 10pm (plus setting up / taking down) but it goes really fast, especially if you get a steady flow of punters. This year had some nice people to chat to as well - last year had a Brentford supporter so the football banter was there.

Also the £120 makes a nice sweetener as well :D

 

[osymandus]

We have to follow tight guidelines: Can't wear any clothes of any particular colour (ie, no blue/red/green/purple T-shirts), can't leave the polling station, have to say "Vote for one candidate and place your vote in the box" to each person (which can get VERY monontonous).

We have no right to tell people that they can spoil their papers if they so choose to though.

Odd seems to be breaching your human rights there on freedom of speech :D . My firends only do so if asked mind its not an overt active thing . Their the crazy types who read all teh rules for elections and what peopel can and can't do , so tend to know more then teh local organisers and MP's :D

 

[MK Shrimper]

Not really. There's enough signs to tell people what to do. What I had to say are just guidelines - some people really don't know what to do, especially newbie voters dragged down by their parents.