The People's Web Parliament

Where the real view of the British people is democratically communicated, represented, debated and decided.
BETA SITE - Limited functionality - Only Messaging, Public Meetings, Newspapers, Lobby Groups and Opinion Polls are available.
Coming soon: Electable Positions, Elections, Measure Proposals, Forum Sessions, Protests and Referendums

Member's Homepage - Help
	This is the heart of the site - all functions can be accessed from here
	It's early days and there's not much going on. Go to "Read Newspapers" and open up "Web Parliament News", then read the editions of that paper - they contain some suggestions for things to do

The top of every page within the site contains two links (to access your account and to logout) and the header bar:

My Account

Logout

Return to the homepage (this page) from anywhere on the site

Read the constitution - the rules that govern how the site works.

Read "How it Works" - this explains how the site works in layman's terms.

Report or problem using the site, or make a complaint about another member

Open a help page describing how to use the site

The main functions are contained within the large oval sitemap, which shows, by their place in relation to the "Represent, Communicate, Debate, Govern" ring, what area of politics they belong in.	My Account	The colour of each oval graphic link indicates its availability. Green ovals are available to all members. Grey ovals are restricted to people with particular public roles: e.g. only an Editor can "Edit a Newspaper".
At the centre of the site map is "My Account" - access your account and update your details and preferences.

		COMMUNICATE
	Some members may decide to become newspaper editors, publishing their journals here. Also, the site's official newspaper, Hensard, provides details of recent and forthcoming official events. See the list of available publications or become an editor - indulge yourself!	Read Newspapers
	You can communicate with other members through this function, using the site's own messaging function. However, busy people in public roles may elect to redirect their mail to other people to handle it on their behalf.	Messages
	This restricted function is only available to those who edit newspapers	Edit a Newspaper
	Members in a public role can refer their messages to other people to handle on their behalf. Use this function to nominate someone to handle your mail, or to accept such a nomination from someone in a public role	Mail Referrals
		DEBATE
	In our world, political parties cannot control government, only influence it - they are reduced to the level of a Lobby Group. See the groups that exist. If you have your own axe to grind on a single issue, or a political philosophy, why not create your own group?	Lobby Groups
	You may have seen people on soap boxes at Speaker's Corner making their points - free speech at its rawest. We have a Speaker's Corner, available to all members, and one in each constituency. See who is speaking about what, and if you're brave then set up your own soap box! Lobby Groups hold their own Forums and Polls to see what their own members think about issues.	Public Meetings
	These are the more formal meetings of government - the Houses of Representatives and Experts, and the Council of Ministers. ALL meetings are open to the public - see when they are being held and drop-in to "listen". If you miss a meeting, you can read a transcript of it.	Forum Sessions
	If you sponsor or lead a Lobby Group, then you can use these functions to manage the group, calling forum meetings	Manage Lobby Group
	Members of the government can register any issue they like for discussion at the appropriate forum. MWPs can ask for topics to be discussed in the House of Representatives, Experts in the House of Experts, and Ministers in the Council of Ministers.	Register Issues

REPRESENT
Become a Candidate	Anyone can browse the positions that are available for election and nominate themselves as a candidate. If a general election is pending, then any Elector can offer themselves as MWP. Once elected, MWPs can bid for Minister jobs. Anyone can submit their CV for consideration as an Expert. And Lobby Group Members can bid to be Leader, when the position is vacant.
Protest Incumbents	Once someone has been elected, their position is not safe. If they disappoint they can be ousted by those that elected them. If your MWP is doing a bad job, protest them - if 10% of the electorate agree with you then a Vote of Confidence is held!
Elections & Referenda	Democracy rules on our site! Not only are there normal elections, but if an official is not performing, enough protests against them lead to a vote of confidence followed potentially by a forced resignation. No government measure can be passed without a Referendum. Keep an eye open for upcoming elections and referenda
My Position	Once elected, you can update your CV, which should state what are trying to achieve in government. If you feel the pressure, you can resign, if your electorate hasn't asked for a vote of confidence in you already
Opinion Polls	Pollsters produce opinion polls for you to respond to. Some are open, some are sent out for representative samples to respond to, and others are specifically for Lobby Group members. Let the politicians know what YOU think!
Manage Opinion Polls	This is where the Pollsters concoct their latest polls. Like to make your own polls? Then volunteer (through the Opinion Polls page)

GOVERN
Measures	Once a government is in place, they will debate the issues of the day. The members will propose measures (laws, budgets and other instruments) that would improve life in the UK. You can view all their proposals, as they develop - this is OPEN government
Attend Forum	MWPs meet in the House of Representatives, Experts in the House of Experts, and Ministers in the Council of Ministers. They can attend these meetings (and Ministers schedule them) through this function. Other members can view the sessions through "Forum Sessions"
Frame Measures	This is where Ministers and Experts can frame Measures (laws, budgets and other instruments) for debate in the official forums, and subsequent submission to the Electorate in Referendums
Frame Referendum	An integral part of a Measure is "framing the question" that will be put to the Electorate in deciding whether to agree with a proposed Measure.