Political Communication
Adam Boulton has an interesting post on his blog on how MPs communicate with constituents:
Conversation really perked up when one of [the MPs] said he replies to emails from constituents with a “proper” posted letter in an envelope. It turns out that others all did the same…
The MPs felt that constituents felt that their issue was being treated more seriously if they got a typed reply on crested and headed paper…
Of course free postage for MPs may also help to keep the letter alive.
If I send an email, I expect to receive an email in return. If I send a letter, I expect to receive a letter in return. If I make a phone call, I expect to receive a phone call in return if I cannot speak to whoever I am calling there and then.
It’s pretty simple - the mode of communication you use tends to be the one you prefer.
So why are MPs wasting our money on sending letters to us when all we want in reply is a - compeltely free - email? And why are they wasting paper by sending totally unnecessary letters? According to Adam Boulton, because MPs think that constituents see something written on headed parliamentary paper is “treated more seriously” than an email reply.
What a load of bollocks. To start with, we are not little children who are impressed by a pretty picture on heavy paper. And, secondly, in the modern age, emails can be modified just as much to make them look “official”, with crests and everything too!
This is the 21st century. News is 24/7. No longer is a letter a fast, or even nowadays necessarily a secure or reliable service. Email, however, is all of the above and, indeed, allow instant communication between constituent and elected representative. They say they want to listen… well, if they reply by letter to emails, they really don’t seem to want to do so all that much!
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Well put. Letters take way too long to respond. I can certainly understand that some correspondence needs to go on letters, but what you suggest makes great sense. Send to all politicians world wide.