Joan Ryan’s website

Matt Wardman and Helen previously commented on Lib Dem Voice about the website for Joan Ryan, Labour MP for Enfield North.

Now I’ve had a time to take a proper look, and talk to one of her constituents, it raises some interesting questions.

What caught everyone’s eye is that most of the content on Joan Ryan’s website is only accessible if you register – and in order to register you have to be a constituent of hers. All MPs face some issues with getting casework from people who are not constituents of theirs, and it’s not uncommon to see various messages or even restrictions on contact forms on MP websites. However, to hide away nearly all your content from non-constituents is not something I have seen any other MP do (though Ed Balls really doesn’t seem to like people using what they find on his site).

Registering requires you to provide an email address. As the site makes clear once you are registered and able to see the “How to make the most of this site” page, providing your email address is “compulsory” and that Joan Ryan will send you emails whenever various content is added to the site or changed, such as adding a new online survey.

In other words: you can only use her site if you are a constituent, you have an email address and you are willing to let her email you.

You must be local. You must be modern. You must listen to us. All sounds a bit New Labour, don’t you think?

The registration form also asks for phone number and mobile. Although neither are mandatory, and an explanation is given for what may be done with the phone number, it isn’t as full as it might be (“Joan” may phone you, though I wonder if in practice anyone else might use the number?) and no explanation is given of what may be done with your mobile number. Might you be texted for example?

For a final twist, the site is paid for by Parliamentary funds which makes that series of restrictions even more questionable. There’s a debate to be had over whether such funds should pay for MP websites at all, but if they do, shouldn’t they be sites open to all constituents?

P.S. There’s a fun little bug with the link that is meant to bring up a Google Map of her office’s location. Each time I’ve tried it, it brings up a map centred on … the Isle of Mann.