Write to your MP
Wendy Ramwell writes: Why don't we all write to our MPs? If they get enough letters and e-mails they must listen. Come on, let's do it. Let's fight for our rights.
posted by Simon Clark @ 12:17
9 comments
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9 Comments:
It would be a good idea (hopefully not too late) for a "chain mail" bombardment of our illustrious MPs - simply email to your friends, family and supporters and so on.
Keep up the pressure.
Individual letters/emails to your own MP are best. Circular letters are usually ignored. Ditto emails etc from people who are not constituents. If you are a constituent they should reply.
I have e-mail'd my MP. I wait with baited breath to see if I get a reply.
I do think though that the general public are so P'd off with government doing what they please, with no regard to what the public really want, that their apathy is not unexpected.
You only have to look at the decline in election turn outs to see that the majority of the public have lost all confidence in our politicians.
The fact that in the last election the total turn out was less than the number of smokers in the country should be a big warning to any MP.
It is also a fact that most people are content to live their lives without making a fuss, they have far more important things to do, like living, than to get uptight about anything the government does. And as a consequence only those who get really outraged or have axe's to grind bother to speak out.
dunhillbabe
You should write back to your MP and inform her that just because you are the only one to write opposing the ban, that doesn't mean that your views aren't representative of the majority, rather that smokers and (the many) supportive non-smokers are not part of the shrill tendency like members of the odious ASH and the unworldly BMA.
If she were really interested in the views of her constituents, she should go into your town centre and ask (unbiased) questions of a representative sample. Of course, if (as it sounds) she is an anti-smoker, it will suit her to be able to say that "only one of my constituents is opposed to the ban", so she won't want to hear any more opposing views, will she?
I have told my MP in a handwritten letter that, if he votes for a total smoking ban, I shall vote for the candidate most likely to defeat him at the next election. If enough of us do that it could have some impact. There is little else we can do when faced with people who simply ignore evidence that does not fit their prejudices.
I have now received my reply from my MP and I find that she is one of the MP's who were instrumental in forcing the free vote.
A lot of her letter was just a re-wording of the lies and half truth's that are trotted out by anti smoking advocates.
However the most worry aspect of her letter was that she would be voting for the ban on the grounds that it is the governments duty to improve the public's health, and that she believes that by reducing the places that people can smoke will make them consider giving up!
This totally misses the point of the bill which is supposed to be about protecting non-smokers from the effect of ETS by smokers in environments where the non-smoker has no choice but to be!
If we take the view that government should legislate to protect people from the negative health affects of legal products, it wont be long before we find that you will be banned from taking skiing holidays ,restaurants can only serve low cholesterol meals and that your corner chippy cant let you put salt on your chips.
I did email my local MP, Mr Spicer, and did get a letter in response. My point to him was that a democracy was about choice and therefore, as a smoker, I should have a choice to smoke, or not, in public places and to this end venues should be provided for all, ie non-smoking pubs and restaurants, etc as well as smoking ones.
He apparently agreed, stating that choice was what he stood for.
We shall see shan't we, when it comes to the vote!
Pete J....
So why don't you make it clear to her that she is reneging on the party manifesto - the statement on which she was re-elected - to retain some smoker friendly venues, and advise her that her seat is now at risk because you and others will actively campaign against her as a result of her broken promise? People power!!
Have emailed my MP Johnathan Djanogly and have recieved a reply, sounds a very fair person, as he says he would support a balance on both sides. I have also mentioned the forest site to my friends and family. What worries me quite a lot,is none of them have heard of FOREST yet they have all heard of ASH well thats the free press and TV media for us.
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