My reply to Lynne Featherstone's letter to members

Do write back to: internalcomms@libdems.org.uk if you would also like to reply.

Dear Lynne

Thank you for taking the trouble to write to the party, but I am afraid I take little solace from your note. It seems - as with so many notes from the Parliamentary Party to the members - to adopt the strategy of telling me it's because I don't understand.

Unfortunately- aided not least by reading the leaked rebuttal document sent round the party earlier today - I understand very well.

I could write an endlessly long mail pointing out that it is technically impossible to do the things you claim in your note, certainly within any boundaries of economic possibility. I could point out that in effect the proposals will allow tracking of data in any cloud held storage system, a new database by another name. I could ask why, if the changes are so minimal, has Julian Huppert been blocked from seeing the proposals, even now (as he has written today on Lib Dem Voice).

But you'll have plenty of that in your inbox already.

So instead I would point out that when this news leaked yesterday, the grass roots decided as one that there was probably quite a lot to this.  And how sad it is that the Parliamentary Party has moved such a long way from the grass roots. and how, even more sadly, that it seems we were right.

The coalition agreement agreed to turn back many of the draconian laws in this area introduced under Labour. It's very disappointing that the first e mail I get from anyone in government, 36 hours after this all started, is defending a policy diametrically opposed to both party policy, and our principals.

I will be doing all I can to stop any of these proposals seeing the light of day

Yours Liberally

Richard