MEP response

[womble]

This is the reply email I received from one of my MEP's, I wrote a personal email I had written, we had a short email discussion, I haven't mentioned Katherine and the others over there atm, as it didn't seem to matter to me, I want to tell MY MEP how I feel.
I am a bit disturbed, seemingly emailing your MEP means nothing these days.
However, they did reply and in person, many times.



Thank you for the message.
I have received quite a few similar ones already.
The proposed EU law is now under scrutiny in a standing committee of the European Parliament. I am not a member of that committee, so will have no say until the committee's recommendations to the full parliament emerge in a few months time when I shall have a vote.
Personally, I have never been a smoker, but the e-cigarette sounds like a good idea.
What you should do now is make sure that whoever is the organiser behind the email campaign (and who triggered you into emailing to me) gets across to the parliament and talks in person to committee members so that they understand or can ask questions. Just sending emails is totally ineffective : I receive several hundred each day.



my reply

Thank you very much for your personal reply.

There is no organiser, just a bunch of very worried people on vaping forums who really can do very little to affect the vote. Emailing our MEP's is all we can do.

You're the ones who are supposed to be representing us in the EU, so if emailing you does nothing, then what on earth are we supposed to do to? How are we supposed to get someone to the parliament?

Again, thank you for your personal written email, I hope when you have your vote it will be easy for you to say you support e-cigarettes.




Their reply

Aha, well that's significant

If there is no organised grouping on this – and I'm slightly surprised you say that because many of the emails have been very similar indeed, paragraph by paragraph, which suggested there was some organisation suggesting a standard message to us – then your voice will not be heard enough.

I receive maybe four hundred emails per day, typical for an MEP. So, emails have little effect any more.

Just as at Westminster, where a few lone voices of the public will not get legislation changed either, it requires somebody to physically come to the parliament and explain the case and answer questions. I can't do that because I don't smoke and have never seen an electronic cigarette.



My response

Well some of the forums have letters posted, which members have written, I'm sure some have just copied and pasted. There is no organised email campaign that I know of, Some members have urged other members to write to their MEP.

This is very difficult for us, as most of us feel we are literally fighting for our lives, no one wants to go back to smoking.

Thanks for your time.



Their reply

Okay. It means you are leaving the decision to MEPs who don't understand your view – so it will be a random decision !




My reply

I'm confused, we are trying to inform the MEP's of our views, that's why the emails, or do you mean the MEP's discussing this in Brussels at the moment?

I have a request, do you mind if I quote your emails on a vaping (using ecigs) forum? I'm happy to leave out your name, or leave it in, depends what you would prefer.

There is some information here I would like to share with others.


Their reply

Yes, I'm trying very hard to help you. I'm explaining how you can best get your arguments across and get what you need put in the legislation.
Ten, even five years ago, emails were effective because they were reasonably unusual. Now everybody emails everybody, MEPs receive hundreds each day and probably MPs do too. So an email no longer carries the importance it used to. Most MPs probably don't even answer them. How many of your five MEPs have answered yours ?
So folks who want electronic cigarettes to remain need to put your arguments in person to some of the members of the parliamentary committee dealing with it. That is not me, as I have previously explained.
Let me know if you are coming and I will help point you in the right direction. But if nobody comes to put your arguments, then you are all taking a major risk.

[fred]

I am not a member of that committee, so will have no say until the committee's recommendations to the full parliament emerge in a few months time when I shall have a vote.
...
I can't do that because I don't smoke and have never seen an electronic cigarette.
...
That is not me, as I have previously explained.

So which way is this MEP going to vote?

With these quotes, they surely can not vote for the proposals?

[womble]

Mar 26, 2013 21:41:40 GMT fred said:

I am not a member of that committee, so will have no say until the committee's recommendations to the full parliament emerge in a few months time when I shall have a vote.
...
I can't do that because I don't smoke and have never seen an electronic cigarette.
...
That is not me, as I have previously explained.

So which way is this MEP going to vote?

With these quotes, they surely can not vote for the proposals?

I don't know, I suppose it depends if the directive is voted on as a whole, or it is broken down, I would hope he would vote against any ecig banning measures.

[MarkS]

Womble do you mind if I cross post this?

Would be helpful to know who the MEP is too?

[womble]

I don't mind if you cross post it, even though I asked, they didn't give me express permission to reveal who they are, so I don't feel comfortable doing that.

[MarkS]

Ok fair enough.

I won't cross post it because the first thing I'll be asked is who the MEP is.

Shame as I think it may have been helpful in getting someone along to the Parliamentary Committee.

[Jen]

What?? I mean...what?!

Call me old-fashioned, I thought the reason we elected MPs and MEPs was to represent us, not so they can tell us to do their jobs for them and go to parliament ourselves. I find this attitude very strange indeed

[Cammy]

Maybe the pompos twits will only start to take notice if we turn up at their gaff.

[Ratfinkz]

What weird replies!!!!!

At least they were personal I suppose - but to be honest they do not appear professional in the slightest - and are just rather......weird!

[womble]

Mar 26, 2013 22:50:14 GMT MarkS said:

Ok fair enough.

I won't cross post it because the first thing I'll be asked is who the MEP is.

Shame as I think it may have been helpful in getting someone along to the Parliamentary Committee.

Ok, he's given me permission to use his name.

It's Bill Newton Dunn from Lincoln.

[Darkginger]

Odd that he says he never takes any notice of emails, and then engages in a discussion with you via email...

[giles]

Interesting dialogue.

If you ask him to pass on your views to his colleagues on the ENVI Committee (The EU body which is negotiating this stuff) then that is at least something that he can do. If you ask if you can tell us who he is he might say yes.

Clive Bates (ex-head of ASH UK) is good on how best to write to MEPs etc www.clivebates.com/?p=739

[AnnaLaw]

Can it be pointed out that we are individuals who have organised ourselves to fight for the right to live and not smoke tobacco, but we do not have a big organisation with a lot of money behind us.
If any MEP is willing to fund a small group (maybe ECCA, which has few members and no money) to meet MEPs and ENVI committee members in Brussels, some will come. Can't these people realise that they are elected by people to represent them and there may be enough vapers already to change the make-up of the EU parliament? We have no rights to see them and have been led to believe that it is pointless to go to Brussels as only industries are listened to, not consumers who want to improve their health and fear that the TPD will drive them back to smoking. If the NCP part of the TPD is passed the EU will have over 7 million extra smokers and the number will remain at 20% smokers at best, apart from Sweden where snus is legal and both smoking and smokers diseases are the lowest in the EU, maybe in the world.

[AnnaLaw]

I read that maybe Sweden will leave the EU if flavours in snus are banned there.

[fred]

Mar 27, 2013 11:50:41 GMT giles said:

Interesting dialogue.

........ If you ask if you can tell us who he is he might say yes.

womble said:

Ok, he's given me permission to use his name.

It's Bill Newton Dunn from Lincoln.