Hello folks -

I post here in the belief that some of Mudcat's Brits may not be aware of the proposed Transparency of Lobbying, Non-Party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Bill, but would wish to be - and to be aware of its consequences... and (like me) to take action.

I've received several e-mail "alerts" from various grassroots campaign groups, concerning this "Lobbying Bill" - one urging me to send an e-mail to minister in charge Chloe Smith, another to sign a petition, another to e-mail my MP - all of which I have done, and I do think this sounds urgent, so here are excerpts of the messages I've received, and links.

From 38 Degrees:

This proposed gagging law would have a chilling effect on British democracy and our right to speak up on issues that matter to us.

The draft law could effectively stop organisations like 38 Degrees [and HOPE not HATE, Greenpeace, etc.] from speaking out for the whole year before a general election. From May 2014, we would be banned from holding politicians and political parties to account in ways we do all the time at present.

Community groups, charities and campaigning organisations would all be hit. On the big issues of the day – whether or not to go to war, the future of our NHS, the environment, welfare, immigration, etc – we'd all be gagged.

Why are they proposing this? It's hard to say for sure. Maybe it's an unintended consequence of a badly written draft law. Or maybe it's a deliberate attempt by politicians to silence their critics.

Either way, they're trying to rush it through. MPs have their first chance to debate it this coming Tuesday, with crunch votes lined up for soon after that.

We know that when enough of us act together we can make politicians sit up and take notice. Already, by sending thousands of emails to the minister in charge, Chloe Smith, last week, we've started to force the issue into the open.

MPs have spent the last few weeks on their summer break, and the last few days focused on Syria. A huge flood of emails right now is critical if we're going to get this worrying law onto MPs' radars in time to persuade them to vote against it.

I realise that the idea of the government trying to gag campaigning groups might seem a bit implausible. You might feel like it's the kind of thing you're more used to hearing about in far away dictatorships. So don't just take my word for how bad it is – here's what some others are saying:

"This legislation is the most pernicious assault on campaigners in living memory"
Greenpeace

"Organisations' ability to react to important public policy developments…will be severely undermined"
National Council for Voluntary Organisations

"This will have a chilling effect on civic society and its freedom of expression"
Rosamund McCarthy, Senior lawyer at BWB solicitors, a charity law firm

So let's come together and stand up for democracy and our right to be heard. Please email your MP urgently and ask them to oppose this terrible new law.
https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/gagging-bill-MPs

Can you email Chloe Smith now to tell her why it's important that we're able to campaign during elections, and what you think of her plans to stifle us?
https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/gagging-bill-MPs

E-mail Chloe Smith: https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/lobbying-bill
OR: chloe.smith.mp@parliament.uk

If you e-mail her, you need to "include your full name and address on all correspondence. In line with Parliamentary rules I do not reply to template communications sent by people not from Norwich North," so you need to come up with your own words.

If you want to send an actual letter: Chloe Smith, House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA

From HOPE not HATE:

In the past only those organisations directly involved in engaging in the elections had to register as a Third Party with the Electoral Commission. Under these new proposals, every organisation which seeks to influence public opinion, in the 12 months before the General Election – either directly or as a consequence of its actions – will now be covered. This will include charities, think tanks, trade associations and even blogs and websites.

The amount an organisation can spend is being drastically cut yet the scope of costs which have to be accounted for – such as staff time – has dramatically widened. Indeed, the restrictions on third parties are now far more extensive than those on political parties.

This bill is coming before Parliament on 3 September and the Government have stated their intention to have completed its parliamentary passage by the end of the year, leaving little to no time for consultation or discussion.

What began as a bid to clean up politics and make the process more transparent has ended up as an attempt to restrict people and individuals engaging in politics and exercising their democratic rights of free speech.

Please read our Briefing note and then sign up to join our Democracy Team: http://www.hopenothate.org.uk/gagging-hope-not-hate/


From Care2/The Petition Site:

The restrictions outlined in the bill are so severe that they would outlaw campaigning against any political party. This would include campaigning against extremists such as the BNP, by any charity spending more than a tiny amount of money.

Please sign this petition to Chloe Smith and ask her to remove all parts of the bill that would affect non-profit organisations, and keep it focussed on the activities of big business.


http://www.thepetitionsite.com/793/727/418/stop-uk-lobbying-bill-that-may-crimin

=================

Thanks for reading this far (if you have); I hope at least some of you find this prospect as alarming as I do...