Hackgate what now? Webchat with Dr Evan Harris, Vice-Chair of the Liberal Democrats' Federal Policy Committee, Wednesday 19th October - 12pm - 1pm

[KatieMumsnet]

We're pleased to announce that Dr Evan Harris, Vice-Chair of the Liberal Democrats' Federal Policy Committee, will be joining us for a live webchat on Wednesday 19th October 12pm-1pm to talk campaigns and politics. Since leaving Parliament he has worked on a number of high profile campaigns, including libel reform and the Hacked Off campaign. And has been active in the Lib Dem attempts to make changes to the Health and Social Care Bill, as well as helping to coordinate parliamentary opposition to Nadine Dorries's proposed amendment to prevent abortion providers from providing pre-abortion counselling.

Do join us on Wednesday, but if you can't please post up advance questions for Dr Harris here.

Will dr evans be supporting the MN campaign for better care regarding miscarriages?

What's his favourite biscuit?

ReallY? he used to employ my cousin. Small world.

Hello Evan

I was massively impressed by your call at LibDem conference for tabloids which contain topless pictures of women not to be displayed where children can see them - story here.

I still remember the confused mixture of shame and anger I felt as an adolescent when confronted by naked images of girls not much older than I was, in the newsagent, on buses - everywhere in fact. I felt deeply vulnerable - that my own body was on display, to be assessed and commented upon, more or less up for grabs. It's astonishing to me that, 30 years later, my own children are still being given the message that girls' bodies are objects to be leered/jeered at.

Regardless of whether one considers these images to objectify women (and clearly I do), it's entirely illogical that we should protect children from viewing sexualised material on the TV via the watershed, and yet allow them to be exposed to it in newspapers.

But how will your proposal work? IMO, putting them on a higher shelf won't effectively prevent children being exposed to sexualising/objectifying images - so why aren't you calling for a complete ban?

Like OnlyWantsOne, I would like to ask about the MN miscarriage care campaign.

Many Mumsnetters have shared their traumatic experiences in the hope that it will help change the care that women receive before, during and after a miscarriage.

Do you support the campaign, Dr Harris?

Hello Dr Harris

Without wishing to be too blunt: are you a little bit glad that you lost your seat? You seem to pop up all over the place these days, working on various campaigns. Have you found it liberating? And if your constituency is still there under the Boundary Review, will you be seeking re-election?

I think fiftieshousewife has a good point. Do you think that politicians are so disrespected/ disregarded these days that actually being an elected MP limits the effect you can have on causes?

Maybe the loss of trust (or at least perceived loss of trust) in the political classes is one of the reasons you're now doing more campaigning and other organisations like 38 degrees (and dare I say it Mumsnet) are more vocal in the press.

Does noise always = action though? Would you say your influence to change voters lives for the better was greater now or as an MP?

I saw yesterday that someone has been imprisoned for 8 months in Scotland for writing sectarian hate speech on a Facebook page. Can you explain why a judge is able to do this? I don't know anything about the law, but this seems crazy to me.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-15333744
(most definitely not agreeing with sentiment of hate speech, more disagreeing with prison sentence for words typed on a screen)

Oxford misses you enormously, and needs you back. The coalition would have been so much better off had you been in Health or Science, but hopefully after the next election we will have you back. Your 'replacement' here is cartoonish.

Can't wait to have a real MP here again. There's a lot of support for you in this town.

What's your feeling about how the Hackgate saga is going to work out? From the layman's (laywoman's?) perspective it looks as though it's all gone quiet and News International have pretty much got away with it.

And have you and Tom Watson ever considered becoming a crime-fighting duo?

what is your opinion on the way in which cuts under the coalition have disproportionately hit women? do you feel it is blatant sexism or is there some other explanation for your party acting in a way that hurts women?

Hello
What stage are things at with Libel Reform? And is there any chance of the Bill striking a satisfactory balance between protecting reputation and protecting freedom of speech, online?

Hello

Dr Harris is running a little bit late, so we will be starting at around 12.15.

Thanks,
MNHQ

Evan's in the building - sadly not accompanied by Hugh G - but he'll be with you in a tick.

.

@MissAnneThrope

Hello What stage are things at with Libel Reform? And is there any chance of the Bill striking a satisfactory balance between protecting reputation and protecting freedom of speech, online?

The select committee report on the government's draft defamation bill has just reported saying that it needs to go further saying that it needs to go further which the libel reform campaign- that I helped to found- has called for, working with Mumsnet in fact. The current balance between free speech and protecting reputation is wrong and hopefully the full bill next year will sort it out. The one issue that's particularly worrying is that there needs to be a proper defence for "making mistakes on matters of public interest where there is an immediate prominent retraction." We're not there yet. Watch this space!

Do you think that your party has been a moderating influence on the Tories? And if so how on earth will they ever convince a (feeling betrayed) electorate of that and ever get them to vote for you again?

Are you glad you aren't part of it?

@LeninGrad

What needs to be done to ensure equal representation of women in parliament asap?

It's complicated and varies by party. I have always supported pos-tive action, even all women short-lists in some seats for those parties who agree to do it - and I think my own - the Lib Dems should consider it - when we have done all we can through other means like the mentoring schemes that Jo Swinson MP and Lynne Featherstone MP have pioneered. I don't think it is to do with Commons hours and practice so much though they can be improved. I also reject the stupid notion that women elected after selection by all women shortlists are "devalued" or token". They don't say that about the poor quality men who get on in life via Oxbridge etc.
In the end though, international experience shows that only proportional representation systems can guarantee getting a higher proportion of women. [Have now done compulsory Lib Dem thing of mentioning Prop Rep there!]

@swallowedAfly

what is your opinion on the way in which cuts under the coalition have disproportionately hit women? do you feel it is blatant sexism or is there some other explanation for your party acting in a way that hurts women?

Thanks for that question! There is no doubt that any cuts in public services will always affect women more than men because women for obvious reasons are more frequent and deeper users of public services - and also are relatively more represented in the work force in public services. The Coalition went wrong by trying to claim that the cuts would be "fair" instead of saying that they would be "as fair as possible". It cant be denied that the better off are taking their share of the cuts & tax rises because the child benefit cuts are specific to higher rate tax payers and the Lib Dems are adamant that the 50p tax rate on income over £150k will stay.

@Jer79

Oxford misses you enormously, and needs you back. The coalition would have been so much better off had you been in Health or Science, but hopefully after the next election we will have you back. Your 'replacement' here is cartoonish.

Can't wait to have a real MP here again. There's a lot of support for you in this town.

Thanks for those kind words, It is always encouraging to hear them. Given my campaign stances I take I get a lot of flak from nasty people (boo!). I would have been a back bencher not a minister I should say but would have still tried to influence things.

Speaking of PR - do you think that the thumping AV referendum defeat (AV not being proportional of course) was helpful for the long-term prospects of PR, in a weird sort of way? Do you think we'll get another chance to change the electoral system in this generation?

What can be done to persuade politicians in general that evidence is more important than politics or even common sense in deciding policy? For example it might seem logical to have a zero tolerance rule on drugs but is that actually the most effective way to reduce drug use? No amount of political posturing can answer that. But evidence can.

@MmeLindor

Like OnlyWantsOne, I would like to ask about the MN miscarriage care campaign.

Many Mumsnetters have shared their traumatic experiences in the hope that it will help change the care that women receive before, during and after a miscarriage.

Do you support the campaign, Dr Harris?

Yes I do. I am aware of the campaign and have tweeted about it. I have to specialise - given I am not in Parliament - on those things that I need to do because others are not doing it inside Parliament. I am sure there are those within and outside Parliament who are taking the campaign forward. Each family is different in their response to miscarriage and what services they want afterwards and the NHS needs to be more responsive.