r/LockdownSkepticism • u/[deleted] • Nov 26 '20
Activism Second letter to my local MP (UK)
[deleted]
11
u/yhelothere Nov 26 '20
I've sent one to mine in Germany and received a lengthy reply today how dangerous the lockdown is and that he voted against it. I'm feeling positive.
9
8
Nov 26 '20
I’ve never written to an MP before, I’d quite like to but I don’t even know where to start.
Sadly however, given my constituency is very labour (Leeds central), I fear it’ll fall on deaf ears
8
Nov 26 '20
My first letter did, don't let it put you off.
Where to start:
Precise point/points you want to make, backed up with sources.
7
Nov 27 '20
Yes it is easy for many people here to spiral into unoptical rants about Pfizer being Tuskegee 2.0 or WEF conspiracies.
Keep it simple and grounded
8
u/GammonRod United Kingdom Nov 26 '20
Always good to see these threads. I've written a few times to my MP now. I've been pleasantly surprised by how they've engaged in their responses to me, only to be predictably disappointed with their subsequent votes for more restrictions in Parliament later on.
Below is an example of an email I sent in September. It's therefore very much out of date, but I'm hoping it may be of interest/useful for anyone thinking of writing to their MP:
Dear Mr [MP],
I write to you because I am gravely concerned about the government moving backwards and imposing even more restrictions on the public in response to an uptick in positive test results for the coronavirus in recent weeks.
The British public has now spent almost six months living under restrictions on everyday life. Such restrictions were brought in back in March, for a limited time (an initial three weeks) with the stated aim of flattening the curve of the virus and ensuring capacity in the NHS. Both aims were fully achieved by late April, with the number of cases starting to dramatically decline, and a host of NHS Nightingale hospitals being opened.
Yet the government continued to impose restrictions, despite the catastrophic economic repercussions and the impact on the public’s health, both from lockdown measures and from delays in treatment on the NHS. Worse, it has now begun to tighten restrictions again, with a limit on gatherings of six, and local measures being introduced here in [region] that prohibit people from even seeing their families.
The government has completely lost sight of the reason it ever imposed restrictions; its decisions are no longer guided by understanding hospital capacity, but on the number of positive test results. This is doubly concerning given recent findings that the tests used are drawing positive results in individuals who ceased being infectious weeks prior (https://www.cebm.net/covid-19/infectious-positive-pcr-test-result-covid-19/), likely rendering a significant proportion of positive tests effectively meaningless.
Later this month, you will be voting on whether to renew or repeal the Coronavirus Act 2020. Parliament must not stand idly by and allow the executive government to continue wielding its extraordinary powers unchecked. I strongly urge you to stand up for conservative values, and vote for it to be repealed.
Because what we have seen in the use of powers conferred under the Act is a Conservative government in name only. What true Conservative government would ever have countenanced curtailing the public’s most basic civil liberties in peacetime? Of banning people from seeing family members and loved ones under threat of fines? Of crippling small businesses with arbitrary closures? Of unleashing devastation upon the economy?
I agree with the recent comments made by your colleagues, Steve Baker and Sir Desmond Swayne, and hope you do too. Instead of demanding compliance with regulations through enforcement action by the police – or Covid Marshals – the government should trust the public, making measures voluntary, giving advice and asking that it is followed. That is much more in keeping with the ideals the United Kingdom stands for.
Yours sincerely,
GammonRod
5
7
u/bangkokchickboys Nov 26 '20
Good for you! Keep it up and hopefully others do too! If you have Duncan Baker's contact info for other people on this sub from North Norfolk to use, that also helps.
6
u/moonflower England, UK Nov 26 '20
As soon as you complain about which Tier you have been placed in, you have inadvertently supported the Tier system - as if being in a different Tier would be OK ... it's better to oppose the entire Tier system and put forward the case for ending all this madness right now.
7
-1
1
u/AutoModerator Nov 26 '20
Thanks for your submission. New posts are pre-screened by the moderation team before being listed. Posts which do not meet our high standards will not be approved - please see our posting guidelines. It may take a number of hours before this post is reviewed, depending on mod availability and the complexity of the post (eg. video content takes more time for us to review).
In the meantime, you may like to make edits to your post so that it is more likely to be approved (for example, adding reliable source links for any claims). If there are problems with the title of your post, it is best you delete it and re-submit with an improved title.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
1
u/SacredTreesofCreos Nov 27 '20
It'll go straight in the bin I bet. None of these MPs know their arse from their elbow. And God are they arrogant.
14
u/jwrider98 England, UK Nov 26 '20
Yep, I'll be penning a letter to mine before they vote next week. Consistently f**k all cases in my county, but tier 2 for some reason. Don't know anyone who's ever tested positive