E-Consultation

As part of my commitment to more open democracy and increased representation, I am holding regular E-consultation sessions with contituents.

The way it works is simple - from time to time I will send an e-mail to those who are willing to take part, asking their views on a particular issue. Topics will range from the local to the national, and those who want more detail on the issue in question will be referred to websites where there is balanced information on each side of the argument. Constituents are then invited to vote on the issue, usually with a simple yes/no answer. Those who wish to are also invited to give reasons for their decision. There is no obligation to answer any particular question and you can opt out at any time.

I will send out about one email a month - and of course you can ask to stop receiving such messages at any time and I welcome feedback on frequency and content.

I hope you will be interested in taking part in this experiment in using technology to make democracy more effective.

Results

March 2010: Should the government provide tax breaks for married couples?

August 2009: Should the law be changed to allow doctors and families to assist the terminally ill if they choose to end their life?

June 2009: What can be done to rebuild trust in politics?

April 2009: Should the Government ban promotional offers and fix minimum prices to tackle Scotland's alcohol problems?

January 2009: Should the Government use public money to keep troubled firms in business?

December 2008: Will you be changing your Christmas spending this year?

October 2008: Should energy companies be made to use more of their ETS windfall profits to cut domestic fuel bills and improve energy efficiency?

July 2008: Prime Minister's Questions' Consultation

May 2008: Do you agree with the proposals to update the law on embryonic stem cell research?

February 2008: Should state funding of political parties play a role in cleaning up how our politics is financed?

November 2007: Would a Local Income Tax be fairer than the Council Tax?

September 2007: Should more powers be devolved to the Scottish Parliament?

Sign-up to Jo's econsultation here