Why blog an MP?

I believe that people should be more involved in politics. Not in the sense of joining a political party, but by being aware of current issues, knowing who their MP is, and knowing what their stance is on these issues. That way, when it comes to an election they can make an informed democratic choice based on the candidates' policies and how much they trust them to appropriately represent their views. Otherwise voting will be based on random chance, tribal loyalty and hearsay.

The web offers an opportunity to be better informed than ever before about what is being done on your behalf. You can find a profile of your MP (ePolitix.com), you can look up what they have said in parliament (theyworkforyou.com)and what they have voted for (publicwhip.org.uk).

What is often missing is a general picture of what your MP thinks - some MPs vote consistently with the party whip and speak rarely. The profile may tell you how many children they have and where they went to school, but to be honest, that's not really all that important. Getting a clear picture of their stance and the issues that they are currently campaigning on is difficult, without piecing it together from dozens of disparate sources. This blog and other blogs in the bloggerheads campaign exist to provide that information in a single place.