Well I've just sent my third email to my MP Andrew Gwynne about the Digital Economy Bill.

He 'replied' to my first email by ignoring everything I wrote about the actual bill, describing the stages through which a bill has to go before it becomes law, and saying that of course the Digital Economy Bill would have to go through all these stages before it became law, and if it hadn't done so before the end of this Parliament, then it would fall.  Unless, he went on to say, it was included in the 'wash-up' which he described as "an informal agreement between the House of Commons and the House of Lords on non-contentious issues".

I already knew all this of course, so emailed back and told him that it was the government's intention to include the Digital Economy Bill in the 'wash-up' that worried me, and ask for his assurance that he'd do everything he could to make sure this didn't happen.

My elected representative ignored this second email.

Now that the Labour MP Austin Mitchell has tabled an Early Day Motion (EDM) calling for the bill to be shelved until after the General Election when it can be properly debated and scrutinised, I have emailed Andrew Gwynne again to ask him to sign the EDM.  I have also asked him to let me know whether he signs it or not as this will help me to decide how to vote in the next few weeks.  Let's just say I'm not holding my breath...

If you live in the UK, please write and ask your MP to sign the EDM too.  Pressure is mounting over the Digital Economy Bill.  The Liberal Democrats have already changed their position and now support the bill being scrapped and re-introduced in the next Parliament.  More MPs signing the EDM will continue to bring pressure on the government to withdraw this ill-conceived bill.

You can easily contact your MP through WriteToThem.