This. Boilerplate reply and a permanent filing in the cylindrical filing cabinet awaits. If you're lucky, they'll use it to lean on whilst writing a cheque to the guy who just installed a duck house in their pond at your expense...
I gave my local MP my opinion on extending the copyright law in the UK a few years back. The response was along the lines of "Our party believes this. You are in our constituency".
I wrote back explaining that I didn't believe that was the way democracy was supposed to work, the politicians are there to represent the people, not the other way around. The next reply was sympathetic to my view, but I have my doubt that my opinion was actually represented there.
I'm actually sorry to hear that. What topics were you contacting them about, if you don't mind my asking? I wrote about private issues, copyright and digital rights issues, and various local council issues (fences and paths). I got a good response every time.
It would be cool to compile a list of responsive and unresponsive MPs…
So was I at the time. It dented my confidence in politicians. This was then immediately followed by the expenses scandals in which one of the MPs I contacted was implicated.
Three different MPs. The issues were about planning permission being denied for a structure that everyone else down the road has, an issue I had with the CPS who lost the evidence after I was stabbed and refused to formally charge the person and the reduction of the number of parking spaces in my area by 50% resulting in people fighting in the streets over spaces (literally!).
Privacy, copyright and digital rights issues, I vote with my feet.
With other issues, I wield a solicitor now. It's a much better use of time and money and that is saying something.
