Writing to MPs- Tips

[GeneticTest]

Following some discussion on other threads. A few helpful tips. I work for an MP.

You can write by post to any MP to the House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA. It will take slightly longer than normal post as it gets security screened. Or you can write to their constituency office- usually details are on their website. If they aren’t, it may be because they have had so many death threats that they’ve been advised to protect their staff by not publicising the address.

Nearly all MPs have email addresses- usually (not always) [email protected] though they sometimes have different ones as well.

You can use www.writetothem but this is an external website- not a government website.

They are not supposed to act on behalf of non-constituents, so they will need your full address & postcode so they can check the electoral roll for your name. If you do not give it, they may not answer. Some may also ask for a phone number.

This will all be kept securely- if an MP doxxed someone it would be headline news. As a member of MPs staff I’d lose my job if I doxxed anyone. MPs offices deal with super-sensitive info every day (benefits, financial info, detailed medical info etc).

Some MPs will reply by email, others always write letters back. This is partly to stop email ‘ping-pong’ where a constituent emails replying to every reply demanding more and more detail. With around 70,000 constituents that gets very time consuming.

Be patient- with around 200-300 Incoming emails a day, with 1/4-1/2 from constituents, it takes time to get answers back.

Don’t copy & paste generic emails. Make it personal. Ask specific questions. Say how it will affect you.
Depending on the party, you can ask for a ministers’ view as well.

Don’t expect miracles. Many MPs are waiting to see if the consultation leads to anything, and they’re preoccupied by both Brexit & party infighting. (Maybe not the lib dens. I don’t think they’re fighting)

But WRITE!!!

v helpful!

I'll chuck in the link to find your mp and contact details on the parliament website
www.parliament.uk/mps-lords-and-offices/mps/

Thank you. Excellent tips

Thanks. I am planning to go to my MPs surgery to discuss this. Do you have tips for that?

A much appreciated insight, thank you.

gentlygently they will probably have a caseworker with them making notes.
The MP might ask ‘what do you want me to do?’ So be ready for that.
Be specific, use concrete examples. Maybe have some stuff for the MP to take away- but not long rambly pagefuls. Bullet points are far more likely to get read.

Point out some of the key organisations- and you could mention that women’s place have recently been to the House of Lords.
Maybe find out if they are married/ have kids and ask how they’d feel about their kids sharing sleeping accommodation/ changing facilities with opposite bodied sexed people.

Try and give specific info. There are still MPs who believe that all transgender people have sex reassignment surgery. Have the info ready.

Don’t panic. MPs are just people. Yes, they have been elected, and have an important job. But they’re still just people with families. In some cases they’re not very bright, and just happened to be in the right place at the right time to get to where they are now.

They may just spout the party line. If they are a member of the government (secreatary of state or minister or PPS) or a shadow version, it’s very difficult for them to break away from party line.
Good luck! There are more GC MPs than you think.

I'd just like to ask do they take more notice of letters than emails ?
Thanks for this thread.

I saw my MP and asked MN the same questions. Link to thread here.
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3336551-Due-to-see-MP-about-GRA-womens-rights-Any-advice

I got a letter back from David Evenett MP which was very supportive and actually recommended I fill in the consultation! He didn't respond at all to my first letter last year. It is worth persisting!

Just received a response from my MP. Not sure what to make of it he's passing on my concerns to Victoria Atkins then follows with party line of brave persecuted Trans people and this fatuous comment 'Everyone should feel safe and happy to be who they are without judgement or fear.' Does that apply to Putin as well? I will now release my inner axe murderer.

Just wondered if anyone had any specific tips that I could include about the effects on gay people - I know my MP is gay and a member of the Tory LGBT group but I don't think he seems to be particularly following the stonewall line on this so would thinking if I could think of a few key points that would impact on him as a gay man to go along with my points on how it will impact me as a straight female, it might help him to grasp why I am worried and why he should be against this...

Many thanks for the other tips OP et al - very useful and much appreciated

Send him a link to the stonewall petition and ask him to read the comments.

Ask lots of questions that he or somebody else need to find the answer to.

Ask if he’d be prepared to perform cunnilingus on a transman

Ask him if he found the original GRA 2004 homophobic. Does he think transing kids is gay conversion therapy.

You can, however, write to any minister of state regardless of whether you're a constituent and they will reply.

I wrote to Penny Mordaunt and got a surprisingly open reply (can't give details as potentially outing) - I urge everyone to write to her.

I also work for an MP (though name changed for anonymity!) and can echo all the points made by GeneticTest. Especially about NOT just sending lobby/campaign emails with a standard reply, as they will either get the standard party response or no response at all.

Asking specific questions is good - make them very focused so they can’t just reply with a broad generalised answer. As someone who drafts a lot of these replies, I find it more awkward not to answer the question properly if constituent has written something like “I would really appreciate your own answers on these specific questions rather than the standard party response” or similar!

Also try and make any emails/letters snappy and to the point rather (whilst still including a few examples, personal if possible).

Thanks this is great.

Former politician here. I agree with these points above but would emphasise:

• keep it relatively brief and focused on just a few key arguments
• be very clear about what you are asking them to do
• be polite and write in good faith, however forceful your arguments are
• Look up their email address and email them directly rather than going through WriteToThem (politicians often get bombarded with identikit copy and paste letters through WriteToThem and although they may be fully committed to answering them they can often end up taking longer to answer)
• As noted above make sure you include your home address in constituency

Rosa
medium.com/@JonnnyBest/calling-all-gay-men-women-need-you-to-speak-up-please-read-this-9df277ecb59e

Great support and insider tips from
@genetic
@hubblebubble
@ecosometh

I have a feeling that we will need to return to these tips sometime in the future. The more we can learn about being effective lobbyists, the better.

Thank you, all.

Is there any kind of legal advice available for MPs at Westminster? Forgive me if it's a stupid question. There's been a few mentions here that despite the government stance, self-ID WILL erode the Equality Act.

Is there any specialist advice for MPs that can help on these kind of queries?

Another one with direct experience here. Most MPs (or their researchers) will either use the party line or briefings from pressure groups to inform their responses to constituents. But the other principal source is the House of Commons Library. They have a range of briefings on transgender issues researchbriefings.parliament.uk/?ContentType=&Topic=Crime%2C+civil+law%2C+justice+and+rights&SubTopic=Gender+recognition&Year=&SortByAscending=false

Haven’t looked but might be interesting reading

.

I'm emailing my MP before a meetnig I have booked with them next week. I'm going to just provide 3 or 4 bullet pointed concerns, with links to eg the Woman's Place video of Michelle Moore talking about her concerns about young people, or the Spectator article the other week.

When I think about what I really want to ask for, it's actually a big pause. I think this whole issue is so multi-faceted and emotionally charged, and involves such fundamental questions about the legal status of people, that it needs a proper, detailed enquiry of some kind before legislation is proposed. Do you think an MP will respond well to that sort of thing? I just genuinely don't think anyone knows what sort of solution can best meet everyone's needs, and the passion and anger fuelled by this very poor consultation process demonstrates the need for a slower, more considered, evidence based enquiry.

(none of which detracts from the fact that I'm absolutely furious, raging, despairing and distraught about the proposals! I just don't have an answer and I don't think anyone does yet)