Lynne's Parliament and Haringey diary

Mornington Crescent - a station I rarely visit - was the stopping off point for me to get to the Jubilee Debt campaign's AGM where I am doing a workshop with Bridget from CAFOD about how to lobby your MP. A reasonable showing of people 'chose' our workshop and I thought Bridget was just great - just the right personality to enthuse people to get active and friendly and inclusive.

The quality of lobbying is a bit of a hobby-horse of mine (as you can see from my previous article on how to lobby an MP).

I think it is really important the people in lobbying campaigns aren’t just used (and don’t just see themselves) as fodder to make up the numbers – be it of letters, petition signatures, postcards or whatever.

Of course, all the methods of lobbying - from personal approach, to letter, to email, to mass lobby, to postcard campaign, to special local meeting – have their place and can work. My thought is really about using the right approach for what you want – and do you want to demonstrate pressure by numbers (such as postcards) or is a matter of having to have the hearts and minds and passion show through?

A thousand postcards in my postbag will have a big impact on me – but so will one person with a heart-rendering case coming to see me.

Anyway - an interesting group of campaigners who will all be contacting their own MPs now hopefully with more of the personal touch - and let's hope the MPs engage too. I've seen now how democracy works from both sides of the fencing (nagging to change things and being nagged in turn) - and campaigners for good causes can really make the difference!