[ILUG] Canvassing and politicians

[Mark Dennehy]

On 23 November 2010 14:53, Éibhear <eibhear.geo at gmail.com> wrote:
> If you want to be critical

I don't want to be critical. I want to suggest that this is not the
best time, nor the best avenue, to be raising this issue, because it
*is* important and *does* need to be addressed; but bringing it up now
when there are self-evidently more critical matters at hand only makes
those presenting it look politically naive at best; and then when it
*is* time to deal with software patents, those who brought it up at
the inopportune moment look discredited.

Besides which, for things like this, you make initial overtures to the
Principal Officer in the relevant section of the relevant Department
and build a working relationship there; you lobby TDs and the Minister
after that point, not before, because the way these things work, it's
the PO who's responsible for 99% of the policy details and the
Minister basicly just gives a very high-level direction along the
lines of "yeah, do it that way".

-- 
Mark Dennehy