I wrote to my MP last week, after being prompted by an article NO2ID released.  Despite being formed by Labour (a traditionally left-wing political party) the UK government seems to have taken on an increasingly authoritarian and Orwellian stance over many issues.

My exposure to politics in the UK has been limited to observing what’s going on, and voting during local and general elections.  Like many people of my generation, I generally feel quite detached from the political process and relatively apathetic.  This was the first time that I’d written to my MP, and after going through the process and receiving a response I thought I’d document the experience here.

Getting in contact with Mr Denham (my elected representative) was surprisingly straightforward.  To help me do so, I used a service provided by an excellent site designed to do all the hard work for people living in the UK (called writetothem.com). After submitting my postcode and clicking on the relevant civil servant, I was able to pen and send the letter in one fell swoop online.

CORONERS AND JUSTICE BILL – CL. 152 (PROPOAL TO AMEND THE DATA PROTECTION ACT)

I’m asking for your attention on a matter that I feel is of great importance to the citizens of Great Britain.  It’s come to my attention that the new Coroners and Justice Bill contains a clause (cl. 152) which proposes to amend the Data protection Act.  If this clause were to come into effect, it would allow ministers to make ‘Information Sharing Orders’, that can alter any Act of Parliament and cancel all rules of confidentiality in order to use information obtained for one purpose to be used for another.

It could be argued that we are living in a world where political turbulence has created a reciprocal need to respond swifty, and that new laws are needed to affect this swift response.  However, I feel it’s far more dangerous to tacitly enable the erosion of civil liberties in times of trouble.  Our government needs firm, just and reliable foundations; without these foundations I fear the country is likely to suffer very dearly.

My recent personal experience of information sharing within a government department has been negative.    It appears that the details of British citizens are now very likely to be stored in databases, and shared digitally.  I’m aware that this trend is set to continue; most notably with the introduction of the National ID card.

I recently applied for my first provisional driving licence.  Unfortunately on arrival, my surname was misspelt on the photocard and the paper counterpart driving licence.  While this was perhaps a minor error, I felt a little disheartened that the error occurred dispite allowing the DVLA access to my Digital Passport Records.

If I can’t trust a government department to preserve the integrity of my personal details, how can I trust it to keep my details secure?  I’m very disheartened and would appreciate a written reply which answers this question in particular.

I have been informed that the Coroners and Justice Bill is due its Second Reading in the Commons on 26th January 2009.  I am writing to request that you read Part 8 (clauses 151 – 154) of the Cornoners and Justice Bill, and oppose this surreptitious reversal of the rights provided by the Data Protection Act.  Please ensure that clause 152 is given proper Parliamentary scrutiny.  While the bill as a whole affects a percentage of your constituency – the aforementioned clauses will effect every single member of the Itchen area, and the country as a whole.

I want to live in a country in a where I can trust and support my government.  I’ve been disenchanted with the progress our country has made for too long, and I want to see positive change.  Your support on this matter would be greatly appreciated.

A week or so later I received a response.  My cynicism leads me to think that this kind of letter is likely to have a similarly inert effect – but I’m glad the systems are in place to allow us to voice our concerns.  Still – it’s not much use if we can’t be more certain that our thoughts are put into action.  Until there’s some indication that the voices of the public are seriously considered – perhaps writing to our MPs is best viewed as an archaic form of political theatre.