Recently an email dropped into my inbox from The Big Issue. It was asking for my support for their Big Futures Campaign which required me to send a preprepared email to my local MP. No problem - click and off it went. What happened next gave some important lessons about campaigning by email.
The Big Issue is running a campaign to improve the Renters (Reform) Bill that is currently going through Parliament. The Bill is targeted at stopping no-fault evictions which is one of the leading drivers of homelessness. Although the bill removes Section 21 of the old Housing act, the mechanism used for no-fault evictions, the campaign points out that it is still riddled with loopholes that will allow landlords to evict tenants without a good reason.
We have been renters in the past and our experience has been mixed. During the recent renting of a house we had a sharp reminder of how little, if any, rights a renter has. The landlord installed a heat pump that caused over two months of disruption which included two weeks without any heating. When I complained about the situation through the letting agent and sought advice from Citezans Advice it turned out that there was nothing we could do about the disruption. When I was asked to get involved with The Big Issue’s campaign about limiting the powers of landlords I didn’t think twice about pressing the send button. The message I received from my MP said that he would reply within a week. One week went past. Two weeks went past and still nothing. I started to wonder why an MP promised to do something and then do nothing. But more importantly I asked myself: what does an MP do?
Rather than ranting about MPs in this post I decided to investigate how they represent their constituents. From Parliament’s web site it states: “When Parliament is sitting (meeting), MPs generally spend their time working in the House of Commons. This can include raising issues affecting their constituents, attending debates and voting on new laws. This can either be by asking a question of a government minister on your behalf or supporting and highlighting particular campaigns which local people feel strongly about.” In their constituency, MPs often hold a ‘surgery’ in their office, where local people can come along to discuss any matters that concern them. Most MPs are also members of committees, which look at issues in detail, from government policy and new laws, to wider topics like human rights. In all fairness my MP probably gets hundreds of emails each day touching on issues such as the cost of living crisis or the state of the NHS. However, this issue formed part of his parties manifesto and therefore I felt a reply along the lines of “we are delivering a manifesto commitment” would have been the minimal response. Then cynicism set in. I wondered how many people in his constituency were renters. But trying to find any real data was difficult. The best that I could find was an old Housing Report that suggested that there was about 17% people who were in private rented accommodation and they were probably not voters for his party. Therefore this issue more than likely fell into his ‘not important box’. After another week went past I resent the email, received the same reply, and to date he has not been in contact.
Just in case he got back I thought that I had better be clearer on the issues that the campaign was raising. I read through the Renters (Reform) Bill and went back to the Housing Act 1988 to check section 21. Both documents are a heavy read but I couldn’t find any obvious loop holes. I contacted the people behind The Big Issue’s campaign who are the Renters’ Reform Coalition, which includes big names like Shelter and Crisis, to find out more about the loop holes in the new Bill. But guess what? - they didn’t reply either!
What have I learned about armchair campaigning? First, investigate the issue properly: why is it important? who are affected by it? and gather all of the information from all sides of the argument to get a better perspective of the issue. Second, ask myself about my personal commitment to the campaign? There are many worthy causes but it is better to focus on the one where I have significant personal experience and where I can add my skills and knowledge. Thirdly, how effective is the campaign? Will I be a voice among many i.e. sending an email or can I get more involved to make a difference.
In my early career, which was many years ago, email was a new technology. I thought it was a great invention and would fire off lots of them across the company where I worked. One day my boss pulled me into his office and in no short terms told me to stop using emails. If the issue was important then I should either visit the person directly or pick up the phone. My recent experience has reminded me of his advice. Most MPs hold surgeries therefore the next time a campaign comes though my email that I feel sufficiently passionate about, there will be a knock on their door.