Last week we held an online event for our supporters to understand more about the current political context, as well as the Government’s Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill that is progressing through Parliament, and how we can take action by engaging with our local MPs.
The event, which we hope will be the first of a new series of Engage+ sessions, brought together supporters, staff and trustees who have a shared interest and desire in effecting change through local MP engagement and influencing.
It was an opportunity to hear more about why we are so concerned about the Border Security Bill (namely because it criminalises people seeking sanctuary and gives powers to the Government to expand the detention estate, while doing nothing to create safe routes for people in need of protection), as well as the language being adopted by the Labour Government (and routinely used by people in power across the political and media spectrums), and how we can persuade our MPs to speak out and advocate for a fair and compassionate asylum system.
The event also created the space for us to share ideas around how we can build empathy around common problems that people are experiencing, how we can have better conversations about asylum - both with people in power and within our communities, and how we can feel confident (and hopeful) when making contact with our MPs.
If you weren’t able to join us on the evening, but would like to write to your MP about the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill, there’s still time!
You can download a copy of the template letter we have written to help you. There are also some useful tips below about how to effectively engage with your MP:
- theyworkforyou.com is a really good website through which you can email your MP. You can also use this website to find out more about their voting summary, register of interests and any recent speeches they have given. This information can help you to build up a good picture of your MP, including what they are passionate about and have expertise in.
- Be prepared. Use the website above to find out more about your MP before writing to them, or meeting with them. You might find out information that could be particularly helpful. For example, your MP might have a particular interest in mental health, which often intersects with the experiences of people seeking sanctuary.
- Be polite. It’s easy to feel angry or frustrated by the way things are in the world, but it’s really important that our correspondence to our MPs is polite. We want to model in our communications the kind of society we wish to live in; one where we can have robust, yet civil and polite conversations.
- Be focused (the power of 3). It can really help to focus your communication on key issues, particularly those that you feel passionate and knowledgeable about. You might want to choose to focus on three key issues and say why these matter to you.
While it’s understandable that so many of us are feeling a sense of apathy, often owing to overwhelm about the way things are in the world right now, it’s more important than ever that we make our voices heard. With the growth of the far-right, which claims to speak for the majority of society, we need our politicians to know that there is still a quiet, reasonable majority who believe in an asylum system that is compassionate and want to see people welcomed with hospitality, not hostility.
So please do take the time to write to your MP and, if you get a response, please let us know. You can email us on [email protected].
