David Taylor MP raises Greenpeace Heathrow Automated Mass Email Campaign in Parliament
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Back in summer 2007 I documented how Greenpeace were using an automated script hosted on their website to send emails to more than 60 Members of the European Parliament when web-visitors filled in a web, and just how much damage that was doing to Greenpeace’s reputation among MEPs.
They have been at it again, sending mass emails to 57 Westminster MPs when any visitor to the Greenpeace website fills in a few fields in a web form and clicks “Go”. The truly bizarre thing is that these are MPs who agree with Greenpeace’s view.
David Taylor MP, who represents North West Leicestershire and is opposed to the Third Runway at Heathrow, had been sent “more than 6,000 emails in a few hours” as part of a campaign organised by Greenpeace. Here’s David on Radio 4’s “Today in Parliament” programme.
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I have not got the foggiest idea why Greenpeace is running a campaign that is alienating precisely those Members of Parliament who agree with them. Anybody who wants to find out had better ask the scintillating intellects at Greenpeace HQ.
Anybody who knows about Parliament knows that you lobby your own MP, and if you lobby any others you will be referred back to your own representative.
These are the MPs targetted by Greenpeace:
Diane Abbott MP (Hackney North), John Austin MP (Erith and Thamesmead ), Hugh Bayley MP (City of York), Roger Berry MP (Kingswood), Colin Burgon MP (Elmet), Martin Caton MP (Gower), Colin Challen MP (Morley and Rothwell), Michael Clapham MP (Barnsley West and Penistone), Ann Clwyd MP (Cynon Valley), Harry Cohen MP (Leyton and Wanstead), Michael Connarty MP (Linlithgow and Falkirk East), Frank Cook MP (Stockton North), Jeremy Corbyn MP (Islington North), Jim Cousins MP (Newcastle Central), Ann Cryer MP (Keighley and Ilkley), John Cummings MP (Easington), Janet Dean MP (Burton), Frank Dobson MP (Holborn and St Pancras), David Drew MP (Stroud), Frank Field MP (Birkenhead), Mark Fisher MP (Stoke-on-Trent Central), Neil Gerrard MP (Walthamstow), Dr Ian Gibson MP (Norwich North), Roger Godsiff MP (Birmingham Sparkbrook and Small Heath), John Heppell MP (Nottingham East), Kate Hoey MP (Vauxhall), Kelvin Hopkins MP (Luton North), Eric Illsey MP (Barnsley Central), Brian Jenkins MP (Tamworth), Lynne Jones MP (Birmingham Selly Oak), Alan Keen MP (Feltham and Heston), Peter Kilfoyle MP (Liverpool Walton), Mark Lazarowicz MP (Edinburgh North and Leith), Martin Linton MP (Battersea), Andrew Mackinlay MP (Thurrock), Bob Marshall-Andrews MP (Medway), Chris McCafferty MP (Calder Valley), Michael Meacher MP (Oldham West and Royton), Chris Mullen MP (Sunderland South), Denis Murphy MP (Wansbeck), Bill Olner MP (Nuneaton), Nick Palmer MP (Broxtowe), Linda Riordan MP (Halifax), Martin Salter MP (Reading West), Virendra Kumar Sharma MP (Ealing Southall), Alan Simpson MP (Nottingham South), Andy Slaughter MP (Ealing, Acton and Shepherd’s Bush), David Taylor MP (North West Leicestershire), Emily Thornberry MP (Islington South and Finsbury), Paul Truswell MP (Pudsey, Horsforth and Aireborough), Desmond Turner MP (Brighton, Kemptown), Rudy Vis MP (Finchley and Golders Green), Joan Walley MP (Stoke-on-Trent North), Robert N Wareing MP (Liverpool, West Derby), Mike Wood MP (Batley and Spen).
Idiots (referring to Greenpeace not the list of MPs).
Categories: All WW, Audio, Internet / Technical, Media, News - Current Affairs, Parliaments
I used the Greenpeace email as a prompt to lobby my own MP who is one of the 57. I didn’t use the mass mailer for the reasons you give.
However I think it would be utterly pathetic for any of the MPs to use criticism of Greenpeace’s tactics as a reason to vote for Heathrow expansion!
Bridget Fox´s last blog post..James Kempton becomes Islington’s Sir Alan….
I can’t imagine them doing it.
My concern here is that Greenpeace will bring online lobbying into disrepute.
Lobbying MPs is a great thing to do… but causing this amount of nuisance and irritation for the MPs who are ALREADY on side is madness. Ministers and those blindly government-loyal MPs would be a far better target for lobbying and, for that matter, nuisance and irritation!
And for what it’s worth I think it’s reasonable to expect these days that the way in which a lobby is conducted would have a bearing on the response of those targetted. The mass mailer is unreasonable. And in this case it tormented anti-expansion MPs. Bizarre decision.