Contacting politicians

[Comdessert]

Hey folks,

It's great that people are contacting politician's offices and letting their opinions be known. As I've been told many times, they actually do keep track of the opinions that they hear.

There's a very important feature in this process, though: how you go about contacting the office determines how much weight your opinion gets.

An email is fast and easy to do. Thus, it doesn't rate much. Same thing with those form letters some groups want you to sign and send in.

On the other hand, a handwritten letter is going to demonstrate much more concern on your part, and will rate a much higher emphasis in the office.
As I understand it, a handwritten letter is weighted as demonstrating the opinion of about 10 individuals - 9 of which were too lazy to put pen to paper.

Phone calls to the constituency office also rate highly - again, because it takes time and effort, and so most people can't be bothered.

- CD

 

[Chimo]

Where did you come by this wealth of information? 

 

[3rd Herd]

On the other hand, a handwritten letter is going to demonstrate much more concern on your part, and will rate a much higher emphasis in the office.
As I understand it, a handwritten letter is weighted as demonstrating the opinion of about 10 individuals - 9 of which were too lazy to put pen to paper.

CD

One well written letter equals the opinion of three hundred people. I have had classes sit and write letters, each students sightly different and have the letter closed with "awaitting your reply". The one to three hundred ratio came out of several lobbing groups formula's.

 

[pronto]

As I understand it, a handwritten letter is weighted as demonstrating the opinion of about 10 individuals - 9 of which were too lazy to put pen to paper.

Phone calls to the constituency office also rate highly - again, because it takes time and effort, and so most people can't be bothered.

Visits and Petitions have the highest weight. However, the 1:10 ratio varys from office to office. Some count it higher, some count it lower. For God's sake spell well, and make the letter cogent. The constituency office will also let you know where your representative is. You can see him/her at a function too. Often they will be happy to meet you.

Pronto

 

[career_radio-checker]

Hey something I can actually contribute to because of experience

I volunteered in my MP's office on Parliament Hill for two months (Nov 2005-Jan2006)

I am going to say that a hand written letter is NOT very effective. A well worded email with a return name and address will be more effective and is faster and easier
MP offices get a HUGE volume of mail into their offices, ususally from their party and other MPs. At most MPs only have 1 or 2 assistants who's day in day out job consists of sorting through the mail. If you are like me, you want responses to my correspondence but don't expect any if you write your MP a 5 page hand-written (hard to read some peoples hand writing) letter stating your opinion. It would simply take too much time to read and then type up a letter and then post it at tax-payers expense. Its not the MP who gets your letter it's his/her assistant, and since they spend much of their time at the computer they are likely to read it and respond to it within 24hrs.
Don't expect your opinion to sway your MP's position or own personal opinion but rest assured No one talks more to the MP than the Assistants and often its about constituent opinion.

Phone calls are also a good but they don't give a written record of your statement. If you have a really good point that could be usefull to the MP it will most likely get lost in the roughly 80-100 calls assistants deal with everyday. Also, if you want to be taken serious, be polite! Assistants work harder than the MPs and probably their hardest job is being the Bull Sh!t screen. If you start yelling at them they will hang up. But if you discuss your opposite opinion calmly they will listen. They probably won't say what you want them to say but at least they listened.

I hope this is usefull to anyone who wants to contact their MP. I encourage you to do so -- it's all part of being politically active in a democracy.

 

[RetiredRoyal]

Canadian politicians remind me of those two guys in Scarie Movie 4 in the scene where they are poking fun at 'The Village'.

"I'm for it", "I am against it"

There's no accountability in our political system. If you live in an NDP riding, your MP is not going to stand against his party leader. There is far too much party discipline. It doesn't matter what local politics are, it matters what the party leader is spouting off about in TV.

 

[career_radio-checker]

There's no accountability in our political system. If you live in an NDP riding, your MP is not going to stand against his party leader. There is far too much party discipline. It doesn't matter what local politics are, it matters what the party leader is spouting off about in TV.

That's why I quit after 2 months. I wanted to volunteer in my MPs office because I would be doing my community a service. I wanted to help constituents with their problems since the MPs office has direct lines to all Ministries. And I loved it for the fact that I was doing it on my own accord and not being paid. I even managed to get a Veteran's wife a Peace Tower Flag. The veteran was dying and it looked like his wife was going to get racked up in the bureaucracy of Veteran's Affairs. I felt sorry for this woman and I felt that I should do something even if it was a symbolic nature, so I made calls to Public Works, sent them emails and on Christmas Eve finally got a Peace Tower Flag (if you didn't know there is a 10 year waiting list for those flags.

I tell you this not to be boastfull, I am genuine when I say I support my veterans -- I will do anything for them for they have done everything for us, I tell you this to understand my devastation when my MPs office said that because the flag had been acquired through their office they were going to hold on to it, just in case something more important came up. Getting that flag was one of the single most proudest accomplishments of my adult life and they had dashed it, so I quit in protest.

 

[Comdessert]

Where did you come by this wealth of information? 

Hey Chimo,

In my misspent years as a left-wing moonbat (thankfully I was healed of that particular disease ).

We'd discuss the reasons why these sorts of contacts were important, and how best to go about it.

[quote author=career_radio-checker]I am going to say that a hand written letter is NOT very effective. A well worded email with a return name and address will be more effective and is faster and easier
MP offices get a HUGE volume of mail into their offices, ususally from their party and other MPs. At most MPs only have 1 or 2 assistants who's day in day out job consists of sorting through the mail. If you are like me, you want responses to my correspondence but don't expect any if you write your MP a 5 page hand-written (hard to read some peoples hand writing) letter stating your opinion. It would simply take too much time to read and then type up a letter and then post it at tax-payers expense.[/quote]

Strange, IIRC I always received a typed letter in response to my letter ??? Maybe things have changed as emails have become the communication medium of choice for discerning young people

- CD

 

[cplcaldwell]

In the past little while (over the last couple of years) I have written a few letters to MP's and other pols.

Not always on military or foreign affairs, sometimes on domestic issues like health care, sometimes on local issues like 'how come the flashing green at the corner or Spruce and Goose is so short'.

Local councillors will often call to acknowledge. A letter is always received in reply.

I have always received a response, whether the note was sent by email or snail mail.

When I write the PM I usually get back a form response. I am not too worried about this. I expect that there is some harried junior staffer in PMO weeding through a bazillion emails a day ... "2462 for, 2433 against" , "2463 for, 2433 against"... and somehow that finds it's way onto someone's desk.

When I write my local MP, the inestimable Belinda Stronach, I always get a response. Usually this is from a staffer who has taken the time to read my note and assure me that the opinions will be passed on.

What I do note is that a couple of times I have written to Mr Bill Graham, Interim Leader of the Liberal Party. Once on a domestic issue, once on his decision to allow party members to vote conscience on the extension of the Afghan Mission. Both times I received a (snail mail) letter back from Mr Graham, the content of the note indicating clearly my opinions had been heard, signed by Mr Graham.

Now perhaps I got lucky, perhaps Mr Graham's office had three or four form letters composed (to deal with possible opinions), perhaps the signature was a rubber stamp. At any rate I got a response.

A short note outlining the issue and one's own opinion, does (IMHO), go some way to making a voice heard, don't expect Steve to drop by for a cup of tea and a word of clarification, but be thankful when a guy like Bill Graham at least delegates someone to the task.

As for Belinda, maybe I'll catch her next time she drops in for a pint at the "Grey Goat"

 

[pronto]

You didn't just get lucky... Mr. Graham is a class act, in my opinion. He actually reads his stuff as much as I have ever seen or heard of any MP doing so. He actually cares, and is genuinely fond of the military.