Getting your voice heard in the UK, part 4: amplify your actions
Over the last three blog posts, we’ve looked at how to contact your MP, what to do when things don’t go smoothly, and how to make sure you’re acting from an informed position.
So far, almost everything we’ve mentioned has fallen into the category of armchair activism — things you can do from home.
But maybe you’ve got a taste for this whole ‘getting things changed’ malarkey, and you want to do more. Here are a few ideas.
Get together with others who feel the same way as you do
Find a group that sympathises with your beliefs (or create your own). Groups have more weight: many of the actions above will carry more clout when they’re coming from an organised set of people, with its own name, logo, website etc.
Subscribe to the Democracy Club newsletter
Democracy Club is a group of people who make online democratic tools, like mySociety’s (often called Civic Technologies), and they frequently need help from their supporters to perform simple actions such as finding information on local politicians. By crowdsourcing tasks (ie, many people take a small action) they can get things done much more quickly.
Join the local branch of the political party that you feel most represents your views
They are already geared up to campaign on the issues you care about, and will be glad of others coming to pitch in.
Attend meetings and other public gatherings
Most MPs will regularly either host or be a guest at events that are open to the public. These can be a great chance to debate your issues in front of others, and potentially get press attention too.
Record or video such meetings, if it’s allowed
Share the clips online via Facebook, Twitter or YouTube, or let journalists know that you have footage.
Find out when the next elections are
Representatives will be more sensitive to your message when an election is approaching and there’s the chance that they might lose their seat. Watch this website for the next set of elections in May this year.
Be the change
And finally, if you’re really committed, how about running for office yourself? That has to be the ultimate way to see your own beliefs reflected in Parliament!
These are just a few things you can do to become more politically active and start shaping society to be the way you want it, but there are many more routes towards making a change. Do leave a comment with other ideas. And please be sure to share these blog posts with anyone you think will find them useful.
Here are those links again:
First steps: how to write to your MP
Next: What to do if you don’t get a satisfactory outcome
Then: How to stay aware of what’s happening and when to best intervene
And this post was the final one in our series. Now go out there and start getting things changed!
