New rules for lobbyists

[T_i_B]

We often feel like government doesn't listen enough to us, and listens too much to paid lobbyists working for special interests. Whether it's tobacco advertising, arms deals, GM food, or airport expansion, companies pay people to try to influence government. Currently we've no right to know what these lobbyists are up to.

We have a chance right now to stop this secrecy. A powerful committee of MPs has told the government it's time to force lobbyists to register their activities<1>. This would mean we could see who's lobbying whom, and why. The government has just said it will make a decision on whether or not to act this month. The minister in charge says she hasn't made her mind up yet. That means we've got a chance in the next two weeks to persuade the government to put a stop to secret lobbying.

Please sign the petition here to tell the government minister it's time to rein lobbyists in.

http://38degrees.org.uk/page/s/lobbytransp

We'll be delivering our petition to the minister in charge, Angela Smith, as she starts her last week at work before her summer break. We know that this is when she'll be deciding whether or not to introduce a register for lobbyists. We also know that behind closed doors paid lobbyists will be asking her to let them stay in the shadows. Let's make sure we drown their voices out with a powerful public demand for change.

A month ago we ran a poll on where we should focus to tackle the crisis in politics. Over 80% of us said tackling lobbyists should be a priority. So we've teamed up with the Alliance For Lobbying Transparency <2>. Many different organisations who've seen the bad effects of secret lobbying are coming together to demand the government acts now. With politicians desperate to start to regain public trust, and influential groups of MPs on our side, now is our chance to clean up lobbying for good.

[ikri]

1. Until they can get a grip on 2nd jobs

It won't make much of a difference anyway.

Whilst any large company can simply offer a place on the board of directors to an MP or civil servant as a second (or third or fourth) job, or offer them a guaranteed job at the company after a year's worth of manipulating legislation and contracts towards "favoured" suppliers, simply making a few rules to rein in lobbyists won't make much of an impact.

What's going to sway an MP's opinion more? A nice dinner at a posh restaurant or a non-executive directorship with BT?

[T_i_B]

2. My advice would be...

to sign the petition and also add your views on 2nd jobs in the space for personal comments.

To be honest 38 Degrees are good people to take that one up with. They were formed in the aftermath of the expenses scandal, firstly to campaign for the introduction of recall elections (which is how I came across them).

They've since gone on to do other campaigns such as campaigning for a public inquiry into the Iraq war, and in favour of action to prevent further home repossessions.

http://www.38degrees.org.uk/page/s/IraqInquiry
http://38degrees.org.uk/page/s/repossessions
http://38degrees.org.uk/page/s/banklessons

http://38degrees.org.uk/pages/about/

38 Degrees are inspired by how organisations like GetUp.org.au in Australia, Avaaz.org globally and MoveOn.org and BarackObama.com in the USA have made a real impact by providing easy ways for people to take action on the issues they care about.

38 Degrees brings this model of campaigning to the UK and uses the latest technologies to enable people to take action, sometimes online, like a petition or sending an email to your MP or the editor of a local paper; or sometimes offline actions like calling or visiting your MP.

[T_i_B]

3. And here's the latest 38 Degrees campaign

Not too sure about this one myself. I think most people are likely to think that it might be for the best if they are all on holiday rather then screwing things up. Nonetheless you can make of this what you will and I might even post some more links about this.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/mps-expenses/5863699/Voters-urged-to-keep-track-of-MPs-during-summer-break.html

Campaign group 38 Degrees - named for the "tipping point" at which avalanches are triggered - is conducting an MP Holiday Watch survey to establish how much work gets done during the 12-week recess.

The group will ask MPs directly how much time they are spending running surgeries, carrying out constituency work or political activities, undertaking second jobs or taking holidays over the summer.

And members are being invited to send in photographs of holidaying MPs they encounter during their summer travels. The group aims to produce a league table of MPs who spend most and least days out of their constituencies, as well as a holiday hotspot map showing their vacation destinations.

David Babbs, 38 Degrees executive director, said: "People's trust in politicians is lower now than ever. "With summer holidays longer than school children's, 38 Degrees members are making sure that our MPs aren't spending the break topping up their tans or their bank balances.

"Good hard-working MPs have nothing to fear. This is an opportunity for them to demonstrate to their constituents that they are doing the job they were elected to.