Contacting Rob Gibson MSP

Appreciate some help on this.

I e-mailed Rob Gibson in March and again in April. The in May I wrote a letter to him and sent it to both his constituency and parliamentary offices. I was asking him to take up a matter with the secretary for Education.

I haven't received any response - not even an acknowledgement. While I could try telephoning him I would have thought that it would be at least polite to acknowledge my request after all these months. My preference is for a written response.

Has anyone else had such difficulty?

Thanks

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Originally Posted by benji

While I could try telephoning him

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Well that would seem the most sensible thing - or perhaps you don't like confronting people in person.

Did you do it through WriteToThem.com? http://www.writetothem.com

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Originally Posted by DunnetKnowe

Well that would seem the most sensible thing - or perhaps you don't like confronting people in person.

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Confronting people in person via a phone call? Your joking surely?

Why bother with him. I would consider Rob Gibson to be a complete waste of space. John Thurso is a far better constituency representative - from my experience he will get your concern to the table and get something done about it !

i agree john thurso is brillant he help us no end

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Originally Posted by DunnetKnowe

Well that would seem the most sensible thing - or perhaps you don't like confronting people in person.

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As i said in my original posting my preference is for a written response. Only once previously did I write to Rob Gibson and got a written response much of which wasn't understandable but a series of jumbled up words.

Unfortunately the issue is a devolved matter and so it looks as though one of his surgeries might be the only way forward.....

(I didn't write to him through writetothem.com)

i have found when you want to make a complaint it is best to have every thin in writing with a witness to your letter and it always sent register mail

You could try a Ouija Board....

You could try emailing Alex Salmond and ask him to prod Mr Gibson into replying to you. Mr Salmond will want his MSPs to be particularly responsive to the electorate in the run-up to the referendum.

The only way I managed to get a word from him was to go to one of his clinics. Be ware though it was a total waste of time he really couldn't care less.

same as above no answer to emails or a letter, waited 5 YEARS at one point for an answer finally went to a surgery to be told that he hadnt been in touch as there was nothing to report back asked him the same question again now over 12 months ago still no answer.He was not interested in an important and safety community based project and made no bones about it,maybe if it was about the referendum or getting his picture in the paper it would have been different,and as for being a waste of time he is more a waste of space

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Originally Posted by benji

Unfortunately the issue is a devolved matter and so it looks as though one of his surgeries might be the only way forward.....

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Excuse my ignorance, but I do'nt know what a "devolved matter" is !, so I am not sure if this will help. I have had problems with the CSA (Child Support Agency) since 1993. I got so fed up with them, I found out which government dept was responsible for them and found out it was Iain Duncan Smith who headed the dept. So I wrote to him (registered letter) and gave him chapter and verse ! Now, although I never received a direct reply from him himself, within a week, I had the complaints review team of the CSA, contacting me and trying to resolve the problem. So, I do'nt know, but it might be worth going to whoever Rob Gibson is answerable to, it might work !

In Scottish elections I like to vote SNP as I favour Independence (lets not get into that debate though). This time I had a great problem and I found him to be hopeless. Every time I have contact John Thurso, I have always had a prompt response and John has tried to help if he can.

if you are on Twitter, I found it helped to tag the SNP in, HQ read them & don't like negative postings. That was how I once got a response from Rob. he is a very bad constituency MP and if the IndyRef is Yes then I will be glad to never vote for him again. If a no vote then I want a Green to stand & I would definitely vote for them.

Benji

Please remember that although Gibson is the Constituency class clown, there are also other Regional MSPs who may be able to help and who would almost certainly respond to a request. Who they are and their contact details are here:

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/msps/con-cait.aspx

I have asked Mary Scanlon to advise on some past issues and she was always very good in terms of acknowledgment and a response.

Good luck !

I contacted several list MSPs recently and their response was immediate and very worthwhile. Mike Mackenzie was excellent but also Rhoda Grant and Mary Scanlon.

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Originally Posted by cptdodger

Excuse my ignorance, but I do'nt know what a "devolved matter" is !,

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thats ok! A devolved matter is something that is exclusively dealt with by the Scottish parliament and is not controlled, managed, proscribed etc by the Westminster government.

All - many thanks for your help and suggestions - somewhat showing the best side of the "org"

Perhaps you will forgive my ignorance but I did think that an acknowledgement after 3 months was not too much to ask for! I did call the Edinburgh office today and received an apology for not getting acknowledgment so that is some degree of progress. No progress on my initial enquiry.

I have been really surprised by the number of people who seem to have had little success with Mr Gibson. It is sad that there seems to be a common thread of lack of recognition of his constituents concerns yet he is able to spend time writing articles to 'e Groat.

I was brought up to ensure that I exercised my responsibility by voting at each election. I do not follow a particular political party and could be considered a "floating voter". However I suspect I for one will not be voting for Mr Gibson at the next election (admittedly not that I did at the last).

Thanks again for your help.

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Originally Posted by benji

thats ok! A devolved matter is something that is exclusively dealt with by the Scottish parliament and is not controlled, managed, proscribed etc by the Westminster government.

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I see, thanks for that. My situation probably would not be any use to you then. All I would add is, although Iain Duncan Smith never replied to me, he was certainly doing things in the background without my knowledge. However, that does not seem to be the same in your case. I hope you manage to resolve your problem.

You could always try Cllr. Macleod who worked in Salmond's office and was a protege of Gibson, using his address as his own. He regularly states in the Press that his "door is always open" and maybe he still has a direct line to Gibson even though he's no longer SNP.