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mysociety / theyworkforyou

Keeping tabs on the UK's parliaments and assemblies
http://www.theyworkforyou.com/
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Policy position on environment #524

Closed MyfanwyNixon closed 8 years ago

MyfanwyNixon commented 10 years ago

Request from a user via Twitter:

On visiting the front page of elected MP, it would be great if there is a specific voting record on Environment... to include wildlife, agriculture, energy, water, recycling... Environment?"

Obviously the votes displayed on the 'front' page are randomly generated but we could treat this as a request for a section on the voting record page. At the moment, forestry, climate change, etc fall within the miscellaneous section.

RichardTaylor commented 10 years ago

"selling England’s state owned forests" and "prevent climate change" could fall under an Environment heading.

As probably could "financial incentives for low carbon emission electricity generation methods"

"culling badgers to tackle bovine tuberculosis" - is another contender but that's perhaps more about economics of farming.

We could put "higher taxes on plane tickets" in there too rather than under taxation.

MyfanwyNixon commented 10 years ago

Yes, I think there are definitely enough to make a section - and it does seem like an obvious area of concern!

MyfanwyNixon commented 10 years ago

Here's another user email:

Can I suggest having an Environment section in each MP's voting record rather than lumping those results in Miscellaneous?

MyfanwyNixon commented 9 years ago

Another email:

I was hoping to find out my MP’s voting record on environmental/green issues ahead of the Rally for Nature at Westminster tomorrow but notice this is not a topic that you analyse. Ahead of next year’s election, would you consider highlighting this area of interest?

abibroom commented 9 years ago

Another: "It's really striking though how little prominence is given to environmental issues and in particular climate change. Given the scientific consensus surrounding the importance of climate change to everyone on the planet - and the potentially large impacts of any policies that might address it - I find it both disappointing and surprising that this gets a single line, buried under 'miscellaneous topics'"

MyfanwyNixon commented 9 years ago

User comment

Could you please feature the fracking vote in your analysis, too? I am very concerned about water pollution, and the fragility of our water-sources.

abibroom commented 9 years ago

"I think given recent shifts in voting towards a greener, environmental lobby, under an MPs voting record the environment should be a sub category."

MyfanwyNixon commented 9 years ago

Awareness of the threats to our natural environment is increasing as is the number of people who attend university places on this subject, and increases in green party membership. I was surprised to see environmental issues are sidelined as Miscellaneous'. If the proportion of oxygen to carbon dioxide is irrelevant, policies on sea level and access to green space pointless and not science based then it would be fair to sideline them, however evidence is very clear on wellbeing people, and the dangers which environmental degradation pose. Would you please elevate environment as its own topic. The economy, health to name a few all are underpinned by this subject so if any were to be sidelined these smaller topics should be!

MyfanwyNixon commented 9 years ago

That's 7 unprompted messages from users on this topic - surely enough to put it higher in our priorities list?

MyfanwyNixon commented 9 years ago

https://twitter.com/SylviaJR/status/613797464685027329 - eight now.

MyfanwyNixon commented 9 years ago

https://twitter.com/creativism_/status/620523641084768256

MyfanwyNixon commented 9 years ago

https://twitter.com/chrislane86/status/634388777197305856

RichardTaylor commented 8 years ago

This is something a developer needs to do. I'll propose the policy areas to be put under a title of "Environmental Issues" (and removed from "Miscellaneous Topics") as:

and if it's technically trivial to repeat lines under different headings repeat:

under the "Environmental Issues" heading too.

RichardTaylor commented 8 years ago

The smoking ban line is under two headings so repeating these lines should be practical.

MyfanwyNixon commented 8 years ago

User request:

I would like to see a Voting Record Category of The Environment or even Climate Change. I seems to me this is one of the biggest issues facing society today and I would like to know how MP has voted on this issue.

MyfanwyNixon commented 8 years ago

Do I need to assign a dev to ensure that this gets prioritised? Pretty clear case for user need - I don't think I've ever had so many straightforward requests on one subject for TWFY.

tmtmtmtm commented 8 years ago

@MyfanwyNixon, from next week TWFY is going to fall under the Parliaments Team sprint planning, so I'll make sure this gets prioritised.

MyfanwyNixon commented 8 years ago

\o/ Thank you.

MyfanwyNixon commented 8 years ago

And still they come:

I was disappointed to see climate change included as one solitary question within 'miscellaneous'. In fact, climate change includes issues covering renewable energy, feed-in-tariffs, fossil fuels, nuclear subsidies, divestment, transport policy, HS2, food security, farming, flood defence, science education, climate research, waste and recycling, localisation of services, and many other things. I believe it deserves to be a category as much as health, or welfare, or education.

Please consider increasing your coverage and accessibility therefore of MPs' voting records on matters affecting - indeed, matters causing climate change.