If you donīt think your voice is being listened to - take your message out to get more support and raise awareness!
Top Tips
- Remember - MPs are there to serve you, so you’re in control;
- MPs love to be seen doing something good in public!
Petitioning
Holding a stall or pestering your friends with petitions has pros and cons:
- You will almost certainly get more signatures on a petition than you will get people to write letters, but remember that those signatures count for less than individual letters. So even when you are petitioning, encourage people to write as well. The pre-printed postcard is a nice halfway position.
- It’s easy for people who have signed a petition to feel that they have ‘done their bit’. Have information leaflets at hand with suggested further actions that people can take.
Don’t forget to have spare petitions for people to take away. Make sure they have a return address and return date clearly shown on them.
Open Meetings
All our parliamentary representatives need publicity to survive. This means that they will regularly attend local meetings and functions. Go along and ask questions, hand out leaflets, and generally make your presence felt.
You could ‘Do It Yourself’ - organise your own public meeting and ask your MP to be a speaker. Let them see the strength of local feeling. If they attend a meeting in a crowded venue, where feeling on an issue is running high, they will be hard pressed to ignore your demands. Of course make sure you book a venue you can fill.
Press release the event for added impact. Don’t forget to make public any promises they make!
The Photo Opportunity
Where there are cameras, you will find politicians. Create a nice picture for your local paper and invite your MP to attend - it could be as simple as getting them to a street stall to sign your petition. Make it more interesting by having a giant petition to sign, preferably with a giant pen! Take your own camera just in case the media don’t turn up and read our guide to using the media to make the most of your opportunity.
Of course the photo is a permanent record of your representative’s commitment to act! Don’t be afraid to remind them of that in the future.
Actions Speak Louder
You can use actions to continue your lobbying - take your banners to meetings and other public occasions attended by the decision-maker. Before you do this though think about the tone of what you are trying to achieve. You may get what you want through this route, but it could sour relationships in the long run. Aggressive demands are less likely to succeed, but can be used as a ‘hook’ to get media coverage of a broader campaign.
Letters to the press
Try shaming an uncooperative MP, VC or corporation into action! If they won’t listen, a letter to the newspaper saying so could be a good way to coax them into listening to you.