How to Lobby your MP

Open Rights Group organised an event at the House of Commons to lobby MPs and discuss our concerns about the Draft Communications Data Bill with our individual MPs to raise the awareness.

Cybersalon joined and learned a lot, as always. We kicked off with a meeting with Tom Brake, Carshalton and Wallington MP (British Liberal Democrats) to discuss the risks and the possible outcomes of the Snooper’s Charter and how to tackle the risks.

As a strategy Tom Brake MP suggested the best way of getting our points across would be to talk to MPs face to face. Email, although a quick way of communication, seems to be generally ignored among MPs and is not given too much thought in terms of the attention that it can bring to a certain subject. Face to face meetings or surgery visits however are thought to be the most effective way. Arranging a meeting or even going into the House of Commons and lobbying your MP to discuss issues that are important to you seems to grab their attention as it gives you an opportunity to discuss every concern you have in depth.

Another point raised was that education and the current lack of it within some of the people involved in the building of the Snooper’s Charter seems to be a core problem. The only way of having a fair commission that would be able to tackle and discuss the issues arising would be to involve people that are in the know and can answer all the questions. Everyone seemed to agree that a commission comprising of people educated in technology and law as well as people that can voice the opinions of the country is the only way of implementing a safe regulation on encryption that would make us feel protected.

Tom Brake MP reassured us that the only way of getting anything done is rising our voices and telling the government what we want, we will be working hard in cooperation with Open Rights Group to tackle all our concerns and make them heard.

By: Karolina Janicka @thissmileyface