UKIP is well known for championing the voice of ordinary people. We stand for direct democracy. And one social media phenomenon that parliamentary candidates will be familiar with is the growth of democracy sites (is that the right term?) making it easier for ordinary people to get in touch with MPs and with candidates, often hosting petitions on topic of interest.
I promise always to try to be responsive to interactions like that, even when I can’t give the petitioners the answers they really want to hear. I want to take my cue from people like Audrey Wise, with whom I rarely agreed but who in my recollection was always polite and forthcoming in correspondence, and John Redwood, who provides an excellent example of two-way communication with constituents and others.
It seems a good idea, especially when standard emails come in from several sources, to draft standard responses and post them here, in addition to replying to the petitioners directly. So that is what I will do, using a new post category “Response to petitions”.
Standing Up 