1. Help Your MP Learn War Law

    Describe your idea:

    How much does your MP know about the legality of the war(s) s/he voted for (and defence & security issues in general)?

    Without being a legal expert, you can use this site to help:

    * find out what they know

    * teach them what they need to know

    * build better legal FAQs for MPs.

    You just send one letter picking up where the previous writer left off.

    The letter:

    * politely asks for explanation of one difference between your MP’s views and neutrally-edited ‘FAQs’

    * offers to change the FAQs if wrong (and if supporting evidence is supplied).

    The site later asks you how helpful your MP’s reply was, and awards brownie points to helpful MPs (notified to local media).

    What problem does it solve?:

    SOCIETY’S PROBLEM: Wars, policies and methods of armed conflict which are of doubtful legality.

    THE MPs’ PROBLEM: Before I vote, I want independent legal advice: everything I need to know, on one side of A4.

    THE CITIZEN’S PROBLEMS (see www.YourMPandWar.pbworks.com)

    I’m isolated. I want to meet others writing to MPs on the same topic.

    Each MP has different assumptions, needs tailored FAQs.

    My MP fobs me off with stock replies, does not answer my points and ends with ‘I hope this is helpful’.

    The site could also be used for correspondence with officials and other decision-makers.

    Type of idea: A brand new project

  2. I Believe

    Describe your idea:

    Each user will be able to add one or more beliefs that they hold. They will also be able to search for a belief that has already been added and “subscribe” to it.

    Users will be encouraged to provide their postcode. A user will be able to search for others that share a belief by postcode/constituency/town/city/county. A user will also be able to view the beliefs of all users within a given location.

    Users will be able to contact other users if they share a belief in common.

    Each user will be able to rate the strength of each of their beliefs.

    A user will be able to change their mind by unsubscribing from beliefs they no longer hold, or by changing the strength of the belief.

    What problem does it solve?:

    There are two aims:

    – Encourage political activism.

    A user will be able to find and contact other people that live in their area and share the same beliefs as they do. The hope is that this will encourage people with similar beliefs to group together to act on an issue that they all believe to be important.

    – Provide information to elected representatives/prospective candidates.

    Like any other user, an elected representative or candidate for local or national government will be able to view the beliefs of the people within a given location (e.g. their constituency), as will those that work in the media. This should give the electorate a better chance of having their views represented.

    Type of idea: A brand new project

  3. The Social Press – News from YOUR angle

    Describe your idea:

    Enables people to become social correspondents reporting on news issues from all angles. It will be the equivalent of BBC News but with news content created, edited and submitted by everyone.

    My idea is to give everyone a platform to write, produce, edit and submit online news content created by them. It will be about issues related to them, their community and things that are of importance to their area and people.

    The idea is to create a network of social correspondents that cover various news topics. It will be impartial and will give a clearer snapshot of society and its issues.

    What problem does it solve?:

    Much of news content is controlled by a few organisations – the BBC, AP, Reuters, News International – leading to monopoly and risk of inaccuracy in coverage.

    My idea means that clear, unbiased, non judgemental and effective viewpoints are expressed via daily updates, content and news output.

    People can request a niche news to be reported upon and others can take this on and provide that coverage. This is where the other news agencies lack – not covering the tiny details and news that is important to people.

    For example, if I lived in Wales and wanted to know about issues in Fulham, I could request someone to become a social correspondent and report from that angle.

    It is about selective news made by others for others.

    Type of idea: A brand new project

  4. FixourCCTV

    Describe your idea:

    Create an app for iPhones and Android that enables users to log the location of CCTV cameras.

    By doing it we could build up a more robust picture of what we’re facing.

    And in time that might gives us a stronger platform to challenge them.

    What problem does it solve?:

    1. The inertia of CCTV is towards more. It’s proved impossible to draw a line in the sand.

    2. There are some good ‘facts’ about UK CCTV but they’re not properly substantiated, making it hard for opponents to argue against them.

    3. My main worry now isn’t more cameras, it’s the existing ones being increasingly networked, automated. Imagine the tabloid pressure in the 3 years time when faced with another Jamie Bulger/Damiola Taylor incident.

    Type of idea: A brand new project

  5. A Simple Solution

    Describe your idea:

    Last year the world’s airlines boarded around 2 billion passengers and their baggage, Unfortunately 1% were mishandled and recorded as lost baggage whilst in transit’.

    Baggage PIN was formed to provide a reliable cost effective solution that would enable the Worlds Airlines and travel industries to provide a better quality of service to their passengers whilst also providing a solution capable of identifying the owner of an item of unattended baggage quickly and cost effectively.

    Contrary to popular belief, it is an expensive and time consuming exercise for airlines to identify the legal owners of lost baggage and whilst every effort is always made, there is no guarantee that your baggage will ever be returned to you.

    What problem does it solve?:

    The solution is not reliant on any electronic baggage tracking systems or RFID tagging solutions to identify the legal owner of baggage items. The legal owner of the item of lost baggage is based upon the personal information provided by the member that is linked via their secure profile to the PIN number displayed on the tag.

    The Baggage PIN service is a totally passive solution and requires no expensive hardware to implement the solution and represents a highly reliable stand –a-lone baggage owner identification and contact solution that will enhance any existing process or system. It’s the aim of the company to make the Baggage PIN solution preferred Baggage owner contact system in the future.

    Type of idea: A campaign or PR drive

  6. Where is our society heading?

    Describe your idea:

    A website which allows people to understand and influence the wider context of policy debates.
    Site would present a simplified summary view of the issues facing the UK, and the plans to address these issues.
    This may include:
    – forecasts of major issues facing the UK in the next 5/10/20 years; split according to sector (health, economy, education, etc) aggregated from think tanks, UK Gov departments…
    – UK Gov departmental plans; political party manifestos; budgets; other suggested solutions.
    – how these elements interact, to show the direction the UK is being taken by each major policy debate.
    Site will allow users to filter this information, and perhaps comment against these elements. Site may be delivered in “wiki” style.

    What problem does it solve?:

    A plethora of information is available from taxpayer funded (and other) sources looking at future issues for the UK, and the plans to address these. Nowhere is this brought together in an easily digestible format.
    Our politicians and media set an agenda that chooses to focus on single policy issues in isolation and in a very narrow focus.
    It is hard for people to retain perspective, to compare competing solutions in a wider context, and to form an opinion of the relative importance of that particular debate.
    This understanding is vital for each of us to hold our elected representatives to account and would naturally tie in well with other mySociety offerings.
    In short, what is the plan and how are we doing against it?

    Type of idea: A brand new project

  7. who tries to keep this place clean

    Describe your idea:

    folks involved in various volunteer schemes to try to clean up litter where they live as part of stop the drop, sustrans volunteer ranger, clean my parish, parish path rangers, etc – all doing the same thing by being virtual eyes and ears of a patch (however allocated/chosen)

    adoptapatch or keepUKclean ?

    could make more use of fixmystreet.com by being shown (anonymously) as looking after a patch or street or path and then also being directed copies of the alerts fixmystreet currently distribute to councils

    What problem does it solve?:

    sometimes local councils are stretched to do everything all the time everywhere , and the path could be cleaned up locally if at all possible or even it could add to the clamour to get major litter cleared up

    Type of idea: New feature for an existing project

  8. Co-LIBERATE

    Describe your idea:

    Enables people to come together to voice a single issue / concern and then decide to do ONE single effective action about it.

    For example, 100 people could share the view that more needs to be done to reduce pollution in London.

    They then use the online collaboration tools provided to share ideas and methods on right course of action to take. Then they choose the best single action that will get the best result for all concerned.

    This could be in the form of a letter that voices ALL of their concerns united as one. Or it could be a peaceful demonstration at an agreed time etc.

    The main aim is for that ONE single action to represent the voice of all who shared that concern and want to do something about it NOW.

    What problem does it solve?:

    The idea that one person by themselves cannot make a difference but multiply this by 100 and condense this into a single action that will in turn yield great results.

    Whereas a petition is a single letter signed by many people who share the same viewpoint. This idea goes a bit further and lets YOU decide with others HOW and WHAT the final step should be in the form of an ACTION.

    This is about talking the talk and walking the talk – let actions do the talking instead of just signing an online petition and hoping things will change.

    Type of idea: A brand new project

  9. Where Does My Tax Go?

    Describe your idea:

    A website where people can enter the weekly, monthly or annual income tax figure from their pay slip and see a detailed breakdown showing where exactly every last penny goes to.

    In addition, it should also be possible to enter a national insurance contribution, VAT figure or any other UK tax paid and see a breakdown of what this amount is paying for.

    What problem does it solve?:

    Most UK tax payers grumble about the amount of tax they have to pay. They also complain when stories in the media highlight ‘apparent’ wastes of tax payers money.

    This website would help to properly inform the ongoing debate on what the money collected through taxation should be spent on, by allowing each individual to see what their own personal contribution pays for.

    Type of idea: A brand new project

  10. Have your say

    Describe your idea:

    Easy read version of “write to them” and “Fix my street”. An “Easy” or “with pictures” version of these to facilities, aimed at people with learning disabilities to increase their participation in democracy. When you go to either website, say “Write to them”, there is a “with pictures” or “Easy read” button which opens the same facility but made accessible for people with learning disabilities. See this website of a current project United Response is working on for an example http://www.everyvotecounts.org.uk/

    What problem does it solve?:

    Most people with learning disabilities (an estimated 1.5M in UK)are excluded from participation in democratic processes by social barriers and lack of access to information and, in this case, easy tools to invite their participation. Easy read, with pictures, versions of your participative sites would help greatly to solve this problem by adding easy tools for people to have a say.

    Type of idea: New feature for an existing project