Unmissable links of the week

So, I was at my MP's surgery this morning harrassing him about climate change, and They Work For You came up in conversation. I realised that I've never plugged this fantastic website on my blog before, or its sister site, The Public Whip, and now seemed as good a time to do so as any. (Actually, right before the election would have been a significantly better time, but not much I can do about that now.)

These sites are run by (among some other people who I don't know and who are therefore less interesting) a guy called Francis who's a friend of my brother's and one of the coolest people I've ever met. Basically through establishing these websites he's trying to use the internet to make democracy work properly in new and exciting ways (well, exciting if you're me, which I am). What they do is empower you with all the information you need to hold your elected representatives to account - cutting through the media and party-political spin that makes it so difficult to get to the facts in politics. (The websites themselves don't have any kind of agenda, other than making democracy more participatory, and I reckon that's their biggest strength.)

Among other things, you can search and read transcripts of parliamentary debates, so you know straight from the horse's mouth exactly what everybody's been saying (so for instance, you can read Charles Clarke's speeches on terrorism, or find out what questions your MP's been asking on your behalf in parliament). You can also find out how your MP (or anyone else for that matter) voted on issues which interest you - and if you're not happy with what you see, there are links to sites which let you fax or email them and let them know you're onto them.

They Work For You has already won a few awards and, if it carries on growing, could really revolutionise the way we think about politics. In an age where politicians seem to be getting more and more distant and less and less accountable, when turnouts are so low that only 20% of the population actually voted for the present government, I just hope that it can do something to re-engage people with the political process. (Obviously, in my opinion many more fundamental reforms are necessary, such as Lords Reform and electoral reform, but that's another matter.)

Whether or not you voted for your MP, their job is to represent you in government, so please take a look at these sites and find out what they're up to. After all, if you don't hold them to account, who will?

[PS: Anyone who follows these links and reports back to me that they've used them constructively to get actively involved in politics will win a super-special and as yet unidentified prize. Promise.]