Why it pays to keep your MP fully informed!

No MP wants to lose their job, therefore they will be careful not to throw away votes and will want to win support whenever possible.

There are usually two opposing sides to every decision and he or she will have to choose between them.

Helping the MP make the right choice is called lobbying.  

How does your MP know what their constituents think or care about, and how do they know what will make them vote for or against?

After all, how would you feel if you had to vote on a subject about which you knew little?

As an MP I am very aware of how many letters and emails Members of Parliament receive every day.

I, like my colleagues, do my best to ensure that I am meeting and listening to constituents and picking up the issues that matter in my constituency.

The sheer volume of correspondence is almost overwhelming and this often means that only the most persistent and active lobbying gets significant attention.

However, I suspect that we all separate the constituent’s letters from the lobbying literature.

Constituents are the most important. They get priority; therefore they are the key to success.

The lobby groups know this and orchestrate card campaigns, so that their members send us postcards supporting whatever campaign is currently running.

Cards cannot have the same value as letters that people have taken the trouble to write.

Considering the environment of fierce lobbying which already exists, I strongly encourage your Members to keep writing to their local MP with their views and with news of their campaigns. No need to write to any other MP just your own.

I would also suggest that you keep lobbying to ensure that your cause is never lost amongst the sea of other groups and societies who meet or write to MPs on a regular basis.

If your Members maintain a coordinated, concerted and on-going campaign across the UK, MPs will think twice before bringing in or supporting legislation which will cause them to be inundated with letters and criticism.

Ongoing pressure is the key, and it does not hurt to be nice and thank them every now and again.

Armed with a second class stamp or two, YOU can make a difference.

Just let your MP know how much shooting matters to you, how your vote depends on their vote, and how many of us there are out there.

Bill Wiggin MP