Marek has sent a letter to his MP about the parliamentary Freedom of Information exemptions up for vote on Thursday.
It’s been covered in numerous places and several causes on whose mailing lists I lurk:
We are writing to ask you to write to or email your MP as a matter of urgency opposing the government’s attempt to remove MPs’ and Peers’ expenses from the scope of the Freedom of Information Act.
The proposal was drawn up in secret with no prior announcement or consultation. It was revealed on the Parliamentary Order paper on Thursday last week and is due to be voted on in the Commons and the Lords on Thursday this week - January 22nd. It will become law the following day, if approved.
— from OurKingdom on OpenDemocracy
My letter:
Dear John Leech MP,
I am writing to you about the Freedom of Information (Parliament) Order 2009, and am sure that many other constituents shall be writing to you too so I shall be brief.
In my previous job I was the FOI officer at the University Hospital of South Manchester and was glad that Parliament had passed such an Act. I believe that public servants (or public sector workers more generally) must be accountable to their customer — the public — and most especially ministers for whom the electorate have voted. I therefore ask that you vote against the FoI Order on Thursday and sign Jo Swinson MP’s EDM against the proposal.
Yours sincerely,
Marek Isalski