For the past few days The Broken of Britain has been calling on you to write to your MP by e-mail asking them to support two Early Day Motions: 1755 on Time-limiting ESA and 1756 on Abolition of DLA.
Getting amendments to a Bill through requires outside pressure to convince the Government that the Bill will not pass through Parliament if it is not amended, or that a Government member on the Committee is persuaded to vote with the opposition due to that outside pressure. EDMs 1755 and 1756 are intended to demonstrate that pressure.
A lot of people have written or tweeted, regarding these EDMs, that their MP is a member of the Coalition Government and will not support you, meaning that writing to them would be a waste of time. In this case, there are two things you should do. Firstly, write to them anyway. This is not a waste of time, even if your MP is a rabid supporter of welfare reform. Politicians keep track of opposition - it is how they keep their jobs - so it is important that you make sure that your opinion is noted.
Secondly, and more importantly, find an alternative. This could be an opposition MP in a neighbouring constituency, or just a likely candidate. There is no strict Parliamentary rule to stop you doing this. If you explain nicely that your constituency MP will not sign the EDM and that you are looking for other representation, they may listen. It is worth trying.
Whatever you do, remember to make your voice heard.
Non-partisan UK-based Disability campaign. Advocacy for people with invisible illness and/or physical & mental health conditions. Also Carers, their Families and Friends. Our individual voices are too quiet to be heard, but collectively we can shout loud enough to drown out this tide of abuse against us. Disability Hate Crime, lack of full legal protection, people in care homes costing too much to be let out and not one political party willing to fight for us.
Unless you are in their constituency, MPs will dot deal with your correspondence, or will just refer you to your local MP.
ReplyDeleteThe only exceptions are ministers or Secretaries of State.
Thanks Stacey - I emailed my MP but he replied that he couldnt sign EDM's because he is a minister & I never knew you could have a neighbouring MP take complaints. Will get his neighbour instead now.
ReplyDelete@StaceyUK Some will, some won't. There is no "rule' on constituents - merely convention.
ReplyDeleteIf you explain nicely that you live in a nearby constituency where the MP is not listening to you, they may act on your behalf. It is definitely worth a go.
My MP is a New labour socialist if you can be a new labour socialist.
ReplyDeleteShe says she might back it, but in all honesty this country cannot afford welfare, pure New labour, then she came out with we have to many people who can work, and they should work, then we had we should be like Germany who are forcing people back into work, it's better then sitting at home.
But Germany has the same number of disabled people who do not work, even though any company who has more then twenty workers must employ two disabled people, or be fined, they have found out employers would rather be fined.
My MP seems to think the Tories are on the right track, which I suspect says more about socialism today then disability.
I was told after trying to write to a neighbouring MP that:-
ReplyDelete"Please note, there is a strict Parliamentary convention within the House of Commons that MPs can only deal with matters raised by their own constituents."
I've written to my MP, Emily Thornberry, Islington South, over a dozen times since December 2010 concerning disability issues such as the Welfare Reform Act, and asking her to support relevant EDMs, etc., and I haven't received a single reply.
ReplyDeleteI'm one of her constituents, I even voted for her, and while I realise she's busy with Parliamentary business (although her Twitter account doesn't quite give that impression), surely she could have got one of her unpaid interns to drop a note in the post.
It really tests my faith in voting, democracy, law... the whole nine yards.
I have tried but keep getting the same form letter that we got last time with regard to DLA reviews. He's Tory and obviously perfectly 100% behind all this...as well as the extensive funding to "revitalise" the city centre which is going to cost a fortune, the new Council building which also cost a fortune, and anything else which seems to do with making the area pretty whilst people move away as there's no work.
ReplyDeleteFor those whose MPs refuse to listen to them or act on their behalf, simply write back pointing out that you will not be voting for him/her again and that you will also encourage other people, friends relatives, and even through blogs, letters to newspapers and through Facebook and other social sites. This is playing the bastards at their own game. I have found that you have to be firm with MPs because they are thick skinned and be prepared to fight dirty, but ALWAYS be polite and respectful and arm yourself with as many accurate facts and figures as possible. Don't lose heart, if you do you may lose the argument.
ReplyDeleteThe road ahead is going to be very bumpy as i have said many times before and their will be some here who view these blogs who aren't going to make it and that's a fact
ReplyDeletewill here will all do our best but at the end of the day there is only so much you can do and it's to those who don't make it through that we will need to think about and to offer their families our friendship and condolences
Those who dont make it will always be remembered that i do no for the fight that they endured for a very noble cause but none the less lost and may god have mercy upon their souls
For those that have caused them pain the good lord will know and will deal with them in whatever way he seams fit
There is an old saying that the lord works in mysterious ways and i for one do believe that
Peter makes a very good point. I think a lot of MPs forget that we have a vote and assume we don't have friends. We should remind them that we're not that isolated yet.
ReplyDelete