"KotF" writes:

Well I got the warning banner for the first time last night (Solus
card) - although only on 6.30 ITV regional news - it never appeared
again after that. Still, good enough for me to now put pen to paper
to my MP...

Here's how to email your MP:

1. You should only email your *own* MP, otherwise they won't read it.

2. You should write your *own* letter, not simply copy someone else's,
or a template. Repeated emails will not be read.

3. If you don't know your MP's name or constituency, go to:

http://www.faxyourmp.com

and type in your post code. This will give you the MP's name and
constituency. Don't bother faxing your MP for now, as the site
seems to be having technical difficulties with faxing at the
moment.

4. Now that you have your MP's name or constituency, visit:

http://www.parliament.uk/directories/directories.cfm

and if they have an email address, you can send them an email from
the website.

Now, one important thing we need to ensure is that all our emails are
clear and include all relevant points.

Here are some example points. I'd like to invite others to comment on
these, so that we can put together a definitive list of points we need
to get across.

1. Tell your MP that you are very concerned with the plan to remove
ITV1, C4 and C5 from Digital Satellite for Free-to-View viewers.

2. Say that this may affect up to 700,000 viewers in the UK.

3. Say that your only options a

(a) Pay Sky £150 per year to continue watching ITV1, C4 and C5.
Don't see why should have to pay Sky a monthly fee to watch
channels that should be free.


(b) [IF FREEVIEW IS AVAILABLE IN YOUR AREA] Buy a Freeview box for
about £100. Having spent money on getting a Sky dish installed,
why should you have to now also buy a Freeview box to continue
watching ITV1, C4 and C5 on digital?

(c) Go back to using the old analogue signal. Backwards step
compared to the government's stated wish to get everyone to switch
from analogue to digital by 2010.

4. [IF YOU GET BAD TERRESTRIAL RECEPTION WHERE YOU LIVE] Give details
(e.g. can't get C5 at all, or C4 is really fuzzy), so you have
relied on your Free-to-View card just to watch the standard 5
channels.

5. [IF FREEVIEW IS NOT AVAILABLE IN YOUR AREA] Say so, and explain
that this is depriving you of the digital TV which the government
is encouraging you to switch to.

I think we should also be putting forward a solution to the problem
(rather than just complaining). How about something like this:

(a) People with Free-to-View cards should be able to continue using
them to watch ITV1, C4 and C5. If older cards (Series 1) need to
be updated, then replacements (Series 2) should be provided for
free.

(b) People who do not yet have a Free-to-View card, but wish to
obtain one, should be able to request one, ideally for free, or
possibly for a nominal one-off fee such as £5.

(c) In the longer term, ITV1, C4 and C5 should follow the BBC's
example and broadcast in the clear, thus removing the need for a
Free-to-View card altogether.

If you decide to email your MP, please don't just copy-and-paste any
of the above, because as soon as they read two similar emails, they
won't read any more. Use your own words and make the details specific
to yourself and your area.

What suggestions would you all make about the above points? Anything
you think is incorrect, or are there any extra points you think should
be included?

--
Geoff Rimmer www.sillyfish.com

On Thu, 17 Jul 2003 06:55:40 GMT, Geoff Rimmer
wrote:

"KotF" writes:

Well I got the warning banner for the first time last night (Solus
card) - although only on 6.30 ITV regional news - it never appeared
again after that. Still, good enough for me to now put pen to paper
to my MP...

Here's how to email your MP:

hack
And don't hold your breath waiting for a reply.
I've emailed my MP and my Assembly Member hah three times over the
last month. Not a whisper from either of the over expense funded
layabouts.

Alf wrote:
| On Thu, 17 Jul 2003 06:55:40 GMT, Geoff Rimmer
| wrote:
|
|| "KotF" writes:
|||
||| Well I got the warning banner for the first time last night (Solus
||| card) - although only on 6.30 ITV regional news - it never appeared
||| again after that. Still, good enough for me to now put pen to paper
||| to my MP...
||
|| Here's how to email your MP:
||
| hack
| And don't hold your breath waiting for a reply.
| I've emailed my MP and my Assembly Member hah three times over the
| last month. Not a whisper from either of the over expense funded
| layabouts.

I emailed mine last week on Saturday, and got a reply on SUNDAY!!! How's that for service

On Thu, 17 Jul 2003 07:49:17 GMT, "artnada"
wrote:

Alf wrote:
| On Thu, 17 Jul 2003 06:55:40 GMT, Geoff Rimmer
| wrote:
|
|| "KotF" writes:
|||
||| Well I got the warning banner for the first time last night (Solus
||| card) - although only on 6.30 ITV regional news - it never appeared
||| again after that. Still, good enough for me to now put pen to paper
||| to my MP...
||
|| Here's how to email your MP:
||
| hack
| And don't hold your breath waiting for a reply.
| I've emailed my MP and my Assembly Member hah three times over the
| last month. Not a whisper from either of the over expense funded
| layabouts.

I emailed mine last week on Saturday, and got a reply on SUNDAY!!! How's that for service

Impressive, even more so if the response included any itent to
actually do something for you about the loss of channels.

Alf wrote:
| On Thu, 17 Jul 2003 07:49:17 GMT, "artnada"
| wrote:
|
|| Alf wrote:
||| On Thu, 17 Jul 2003 06:55:40 GMT, Geoff Rimmer
||| wrote:
|||
|||| "KotF" writes:
|||||
||||| Well I got the warning banner for the first time last night (Solus
||||| card) - although only on 6.30 ITV regional news - it never
||||| appeared
||||| again after that. Still, good enough for me to now put pen to
||||| paper
||||| to my MP...
||||
|||| Here's how to email your MP:
||||
||| hack
||| And don't hold your breath waiting for a reply.
||| I've emailed my MP and my Assembly Member hah three times over the
||| last month. Not a whisper from either of the over expense funded
||| layabouts.
||
|| I emailed mine last week on Saturday, and got a reply on SUNDAY!!!
|| How's that for service
||
| Impressive, even more so if the response included any itent to
| actually do something for you about the loss of channels.

Yep, not an auto-reply!!!

Dear ....
Thank you for your email about the Communications Bill. As you probably
know the House of Lords have changed certain parts of the Bill so it will
have to come back to the Commons again. In the end the Government will
get its way and the changes you fear may well come about. That's the
problem with a majority of 170! I will look at the options and get back
to you with a fuller reply.

Yours sincerely,

Nigel Jones
MP for Cheltenham

On Thu, 17 Jul 2003 16:25:16 +0100, "Joss Hyde"
wrote:


"Alf" wrote in message
.. .
On Thu, 17 Jul 2003 06:55:40 GMT, Geoff Rimmer
wrote:

"KotF" writes:

Well I got the warning banner for the first time last night (Solus
card) - although only on 6.30 ITV regional news - it never appeared
again after that. Still, good enough for me to now put pen to paper
to my MP...

Here's how to email your MP:

hack
And don't hold your breath waiting for a reply.
I've emailed my MP and my Assembly Member hah three times over the
last month. Not a whisper from either of the over expense funded
layabouts.

You don't need to be so cynical.

I can be as cynical about my non responsive MP and Assembly Members as
I wish, I voted for both of them. Especially when a tentative shot
across the bows of a politico from a neighbouring area brought an
almost immediate reply that he while couldn't help, perpahs my own AM
could.....


It is worth campaigning to test the pluralistic democratic political model -
we might even have some effect!

Lucky us in Wales then, we get pluralistic political dummies, a lot
like models, they both stand around and do naff all.

"Alf" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 17 Jul 2003 16:25:16 +0100, "Joss Hyde"
wrote:


"Alf" wrote in message
.. .
On Thu, 17 Jul 2003 06:55:40 GMT, Geoff Rimmer
wrote:

"KotF" writes:

Well I got the warning banner for the first time last night (Solus
card) - although only on 6.30 ITV regional news - it never appeared
again after that. Still, good enough for me to now put pen to paper
to my MP...

Here's how to email your MP:

hack
And don't hold your breath waiting for a reply.
I've emailed my MP and my Assembly Member hah three times over the
last month. Not a whisper from either of the over expense funded
layabouts.

You don't need to be so cynical.

I can be as cynical about my non responsive MP and Assembly Members as
I wish, I voted for both of them. Especially when a tentative shot
across the bows of a politico from a neighbouring area brought an
almost immediate reply that he while couldn't help, perpahs my own AM
could.....


It is worth campaigning to test the pluralistic democratic political
model -
we might even have some effect!

Lucky us in Wales then, we get pluralistic political dummies, a lot
like models, they both stand around and do naff all.


That's a shame. However, at least Tessa Jowell is Secretary of State for the
whole of UK and NI, so you are being represented.