Can your MP use their email once parliament is dissolved?
Once an election is called and Parliament is dissolved our MPs (and their staff) have to contend with some significant changes to the way they can use IT (and other parliamentary services). From the day of dissolution, their status changes and they can longer do many of the things that, since being elected, MPs have taken for granted. Traditionally (and fairly obviously) this includes using House emblems on stationery and free postage (although postage for existing case-work can be claimed back).
This time around, restrictions will apply to IT. From 5pm on the day of dissolution, members who are seeking re-election won’t be accessible via email or be able to access their files through the parliamentary network (members standing down have access until the day before the election). This presents an obvious challenge but one that can be easily got around by nominating a forwarding email address, to which email is automatically redirected until after the election.
It’s made clear that the cost of this new email account can’t be claimed on expenses.
Assuming re-election, everything returns to normal post-election, so MPs need to make sure that email accounts that will be restored don’t include any staff who might leave during this time. If you don’t get re-elected then network access gets turned back on for ten days… then it’s gone for good!
Remote access to the parliamentary network goes west at 5pm too. MPs need to backup anything that they need ahead of this. Forget to do this and, once the network goes off, you’ll have to wait until after the election to get at your files and contacts. Given that all but emergency IT support services are also withdrawn at this time, there’s not much else an MP can do.
During the campaign, MPs and their staff don’t have access to their Westminster offices, so they have to take their own computers back to their constituencies. If they’re seeking re-election and intend to carry on with constituency work during the campaign, then they can make use of parliamentary supplied laptops but not desktops. These can’t be used for election-based activities – or if they are they must be ‘rented’ from Parliament for the duration of the campaign!
The guidelines are clear about it being OK to carry on with case work but make it clear that you can’t identify yourself as an MP during this time. The same rules apply to electronic communication. So websites, blogs and social networking profiles must be changed and so must email addresses, Twitter accounts and anything else that includes the letters ‘MP’. Websites that are paid for out of public funds or use the term ‘MP’ in the domain name will have to be suspended until after the election. Whether this means closing them down or providing a click through link remains to be seen (I can’t imagine automatic redirection being acceptable).
In a world of following-by-identity, this presents some challenges. A number of MPs have already created new online personas for the duration of the campaign at least and others will have to follow suit. It’s unimaginable to think that party HQs aren’t monitoring the situation closely too (I know at least one has done an audit). Having to abandon an online brand at a time when visibility and public awareness is even more important might just make some politicians reconsider the strategic value of a brand that relies on the term ‘MP’!
And finally, in case you were wondering, yes MPs lose their gym membership too!
Andy Williamson