Early Day Motion

[Bullfrog]

My MP, well known Tory Nicholas Soames, has now signed and has replied to my e-mail saying "I am supportive of the objectives of this EDM...."

 

Now up to 107 keep up the good work everybody!

[Chris Lingwood]

Mine's not signed it yet. But i did get an letter saying he would write to me soon. Explains those huge expenses claims.

 

Good trick though. I should write to people telling them I'm going to write to them. Makes you look productive

[dor]

Now up to 107 keep up the good work everybody!

 

Disappointing to see that Gwyneth Dunwoody (Crewe & Nantwich) hasn't signed yet. Anyone else written to her?

[MartinClark]

I wrote to my MP, Dr Andrew Murrison, last week..........

 

As a Tory I would have thought this was of some interest to him, but I have just written to him again pointing this out, just in case it had escaped his attention.

You think he may have forgotten he's a Tory?

[tillergirl]

Theres 107 signatures on this now - at this rate there should be a few more by the date shown

[Guest]

Add me to the list, I emailed Stephen O'Brien last weekend had an acknowledgement but as he is Shadow Minister for Health I guess he can't sign.

 

Phil

[adam1uk]

Add me to the list, I emailed Stephen O'Brien last weekend had an acknowledgement but as he is Shadow Minister for Health I guess he can't sign.

 

Phil

 

Shadow ministers can sign, in fact they use EDMs all the time. It's members of the government whose job prevents them from criticising the government.

[tony collins]

I have written to my MP., Jeremy Wright, Rugby & Kenilworth (Con) Five times now, three times(letter, e-mail and Fax) to ask him to sign EDM 2757. He has yet to do so. So tonight I went to his surgery to ask him why. When I got there I was told it was appointment only. I queried this and was told by his Rottwieler Secretary. "It's in the local paper" which is fine but I got his details from his website which fails to mention this fact. So I gave her a bit of earache about lack of action and got a promise that I would get a call on Monday. -We will see. She was a bit miffed that I had managed to get his correct fax number in the House of Commons.

 

I think he is losing interest in Rugby as he has applied for a seat in an adjoining constituency with more Conservative voters for the next election.

 

 

Is it right that you can turn up at the central lobby in Westminster and demand that you MP comes out to see you? I seem to have heard this some years ago. Anyone know?

 

Tony

[fuzzyduck]

you can lobby your MP by turning up in westminster.

 

but your MP can refuse to see you.

 

I have fond memories of running accross London with Greville Janner MP, because he was on his way to a meeting. hilarious, as we threw his briefcase backwards and forwards as we went.

 

Alan Duncan who was my MP was too busy to see me at the time, but then he's a dick anyway.

[David Schweizer]

I have now received a reply from my MP Dr Andrew Murrison, who has explained that as a front bench opposition spokesman, he is being discouraged from signing an EDM because it contains a spending commitment. The reason or the discouragement being that the government is totting up EDM and other 'commitments' made by shadow ministers in order to claim that their sums don't add up.

 

He has however indicated that he will be writing to the minister to voice his concerns, so it was worth badgering him.

[Gary Peacock]

Just got this and thought it might be of interest to you all:-

 

 

 

Subject: [corpmemb_qr] Defra Cuts Campaign - Briefing Notes for IWA Branches and Corporate Membership Organisations

 

The Inland Waterways Association

CUTS Campaign

 

Briefing Notes No. 1

Briefing Notes for IWA Branches and Corporate Membership Organisations

 

"Last week was a hugely progressive one in waterways' campaigning history. By the end of the week an agreement on a united Campaign Against Waterway Funding Cuts was in place, with 10 waterways interest groups currently signed up to this collective alliance.

 

"There was a series of significant activities and meetings. Monday: an Inland Waterways Early Day Motion was laid down in the House of Commons, Tuesday - Parliamentary Waterways Group and Wednesday British Waterways Advisory Forum met. By Thursday the desire for a unified campaign was agreed and initial unified event planning meetings took place on Friday. There was continual communication between interest groups as strategy was formulated.

 

"Throughout the week parliamentary lobbying continued, with former MP Candy Atherton, a boat owner, working on behalf of IWA, British Marine Federation and RYA. IWA also appointed Waterway Images Ltd to assist with the organisation and co-ordination of our campaign; many of you will know Harry Arnold - editor of "Waterways" - and daughter Julie Arnold through their professional and voluntary work. IWA's Head Office team are regularly updating the website as information is released and National Committee and Branch officers and Members are also already hard at work.

 

"To reiterate "We will not rest until the fight is won. Authorities such as British Waterways and the Environment Agency should not be punished because of mismanagement by DEFRA, nor should the millions of people who love Britain's waterways. The Government will realise very soon that there are millions of votes attached to those who care about and make use of waterways, and they will lose these if common sense does not return to Government thinking." John Fletcher, National Chairman, The Inland Waterways Association

 

These Branch Briefing Notes are compiled by the CUTS Campaign Co-ordination team, in order to provide a common sheet for all of IWA to sing from as we fight against the cuts in funding to waterway funding imposed by DEFRA and assert our belief - waterways are for all, their funding and future need to be secure.

 

We need to convince Government to reverse the CUTS. Our route to Government is via the MPs representing our communities and by demonstrating huge popular support for waterways and against the DEFRA cuts. We need to mobilise our own membership to communicate this message, and every other user of the waterways - working in partnership with other waterway interest groups and most importantly by reaching out to every waterway user within each Branch's area.

 

Notes 1 sets out the situation thus far, the strategy as it is evolving and those issues being addressed - increasing as I type. The notes may not yet answer every question each branch has. Future editions will. Many Branches are already well underway with Step 1 - the letter writing campaign announced at the Association's AGM. National event planning

has also begun. However Notes 1 starts with Step 1, to ensure all

branches have the core information and the route map for the campaign. It outlines a strategy for communication; please keep this flowing. Julie Arnold, IWA CUTS Campaign Team 26th October 2006

 

1. Write to Your MP

 

Make your Branch's views known! If you have not already done so, write to the MPs who cover your Branch's area, expressing your concern about the DEFRA cuts in funding to the inland waterways and making the letter 'individual' to the waterway in each MP's constituency - how the cuts will affect your local waterways. Include the different ways the communities alongside use them and all aspects of the value the waterways bring to the area - economic, healthy living, heritage, recreation and sport etc and - in order to demonstrate what is at risk if they are allowed to deteriorate. And identify any specific risks that could have significant or catastrophic consequences - e.g. the failure of a structure if does not have crucial maintenance - and how this would impact on all users and the local economy through loss of visitors etc

 

Also ask your MP to please write to the Waterways Minister and / or the Secretary of State for DEFRA to raise your questions and concern. (Parliamentary protocol demands that such correspondence with MPs is personally signed off and seen by the Waterways Minister.)

 

If you need to check who is the MP for a particular area go to the following website and enter a postcode: http://www.upmystreet.com/commons/l/ You can also choose to see an alphabetical list of constituencies and Members of Parliament. If you have not got access to the internet, you local library or council should be able to assist.

 

2. Ask if your MP has signed Early Day Motions relevant to

Waterways

 

Even if you have already written to your Branch's MPs, write to them again to ask them to sign these important MP's 'petitions' to let government know the strength of public feeling.

 

2.1 Ask if your MP has signed the "Inland Waterways" Early Day

Motion No. 2757

 

Last week, Charlotte Atkins, MP for Staffordshire Moorlands, and a good friend to the Caldon Canal and other inland waterways, tabled an Early Day Motion (EDM) regarding "Inland Waterways" in the House of Commons, to express concern at the funding cuts and calling upon "the Government to immediately reinstate the cuts imposed upon British Waterways and to ensure long-term funding is guaranteed to enable continued investment and restoration of the waterways."

 

An Early Day Motion (EDM) is a device to gauge interest in a topic - a parliamentary petition that can only be signed by MPs. If an EDM is signed by lots of MPs it demonstrates to government there is a real issue which needs to be addressed. A well-supported EDM can be an excellent start to a parliamentary campaign; it can be followed up by an adjournment debate and parliamentary questions, etc and this is what IWA's parliamentary lobbying team are working toward. .

 

Write to your Branch's MPs asking them to sign Early Day Motion 2757 expressing concern about the impact of the cuts in waterway funding. Letters should be brief but individual. Ask: "If you haven't already done so, please could you sign Early Day Motion 2757 regarding Inland Waterways" and add that you are "very concerned about the impact of the funding cuts to British Waterways and / or the Environment Agency because [your Branch's waterway(s)] will deteriorate without sufficient maintenance" - along with some well chosen examples of waterway successes in your area.

 

To see which MPs have signed the EDM go to website:

http://edmi.parliament.uk/EDMi/EDMDetails....amp;SESSION=875

 

Even if your MP has already signed EDM - still write to them! Acknowledge that they obviously understand the value of the waterways and are concerned about the DEFRA cuts - and give them all the information about how the cuts will affect your Branch's waterways as outlined in 1 above.

 

2.2 Ask if your MP has signed the Early Day Motion "Environment

Agency Funding" (No 2829) - and if necessary write!

 

Subsequently, on 23 October, Dave Drew, MP for Stroud, tabled an EDM regarding "Environment Agency Funding" (No 2829) calling again "upon the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Ministers to review these cuts with an aim to restore budgets to previous levels."

(Note: we are advised by Dave Drew forgot to change the wording to include recreational boating (he had agreed) before he tabled his EDM.)

 

MP's can sign to support any EDM, even if it does not directly affect their constituency. Conversely, EDM's can be very specific in their subject matter; we understand MP's may be tabling motions about their specific waterway concerns, e.g. the Rochdale Canal (EDM 2863), Paul Rowen.

 

Again - encourage your Branch's MPs to sign those that are connected with our overall campaign.

 

2.3 EDMs may not be signed by all MPs

 

If your MP is a prominent Front Bench MP - they do not generally sign EDMs. (An EDM is primarily a device by which Back Benchers are able to draw attention to a particular matter of concern.)

 

However you should still write to them as your constituency MP and to ask that they raise your concerns and questions with the relevant minister

 

 

3. Ask everybody: Please write individually to Your MP

 

MPs need many individual, community-based examples of the impact of the cuts on the waterways in their constituency - to use in debate and to illustrate to Ministers the huge scale of the breadth and depth of public concern and objection.

 

Encourage all your Branch members to write individually to their own MP in the same manner as described in steps 1 and 2 above - expressing similar concerns in their own words and giving 'grass-root' examples in their own community.

 

IWA Waterways magazine is mailed to every Member and the November edition went to press last Friday. The mailing includes an A4 flyer on coloured paper entitled:

 

WATERWAYS FOR ALL

 

DEFRA funding cuts mean YOUR waterway is at risk!

 

What can YOU do?

 

This outlines for Members steps 1 and 2 - and a subsequent third step: Keep in touch! Waterways is scheduled to arrive with all Members by 1st November. it includes much about the DEFRA cuts and the insert will act as a reminder to every member as to what they can do. Meanwhile the text of the insert is also included in Appendix 1 of these Notes, for Branches to incorporate in magazines, press releases as required.

 

A PDF version of the flyer may also be downloaded from the IWA website

at: http://www.waterways.org.uk/News/CurrentCa...ts/DefraCuts-Wh

atcanyoudo .

 

The flyer encourages members to tell everybody you know about the campaign so they can write in support of waterways too. For individuals this means literally everybody - family, friends and colleagues who care about the waterways in their community.

 

Branches should also write to all local organisations that use the waterways in their area or have an interest in the waterways on-going well-being. For example, project partners and local groups that relate to national user and interest groups - anglers, ramblers, runners, cyclists, civic activists, heritage campaigners, etc.

 

Also make contact with the organisations and interest groups that are unique to your area that may have a specific or unusual association with your branches waterways: charity trip boats for those with special needs, businesses where trade is dependant upon or enhanced by a waterway, tourist attractions with a waterways link - literal or historical, health walk groups who use the towing paths, etc. etc.

 

Ask such groups to write to their MP to protest against the cuts and to describe how valuable the waterways are to them in their particular circumstances - and how this should not be put at risk by the funding cuts. Remind them to include a telephone number - their MP may want to know more information urgently to assist with in debates and questions.

 

Ask all your Branch contacts to assist or join in the campaign against the cuts as we move forward with the press and protest event aspects; also make them aware of the event dates below.

 

 

4. Keeping in Touch!

 

4.1 In general, Members and Campaign Contacts

 

Campaign information, press releases, etc will be posted on the IWA

website: www.waterways.org.uk

 

The "What can YOU do?" flyer also includes these reminders to every

Member:

 

* A round up of the latest news and activities appears in IWA Head Office Bulletin every month. Receive Bulletin by e-mail by sending an e-mail to Vicky Clark at Head Office (victoria.clark@waterways.org.uk) . If you do not have access to e-mail, telephone 01923 711114 extn: 29 with the name and address you would like Bulletin posted to.

 

* Keep in touch with your Branch, so that you can support the campaign activities that will be happening in your area in what ever way you can. Every little will help - from a signature to campaign events. Let your Branch committee and CUTS Campaign Co-ordinator know the best way to contact you - by e-mail or phone - so that they can keep you informed and call on your support as the campaign grows.

 

In turn Branches should ensure they collate e-mails and phone numbers for all Members and Campaign Contacts they may need to get in touch with

- not just to support forthcoming events but also to arrange awareness-raising local press and PR opportunities and the like.

 

4.2 Branch Briefing Notes (BBN)

 

The intention is to increase the frequency of such notes and to focus on specific aspects of the campaign, awareness-raising, event build-up etc

 

These Branch Briefing Notes are being circulated by IWA Head Office using the usual 'primary' Branch Officer circulation lists to Chairmen and Secretaries, and are targeted for Branch use. Please agree within your Branch how you will further cascade the information to other key officers and campaigners, and in turn how you will disseminate specific information to Members and local organisations who need to know.

 

Depending on your Branch's set-up, you may wish for your event and publicity officers to be included in this 'primary' Branch Officers circulation list, so that they get future BBN as they are issued. As with the recent J3 campaign, you may wish to appoint one coordinating officer.

 

Please advise Head Office of who is to directly receive BBN by emailing Jessica.letters@waterways.org.uk :

 

Please make your e-mail about this matter only, with the subject being: Branch mailing list - add

 

Include the e-mail addresses of those to be circulated BOTH as Cc's to the e-mail AND IN THE BODY TEXT of the e-mail. In the text please include for each recipient:

* e-mail address

* full name of the recipient

* their role in your branch/the campaign

* contact telephone number(s) - mobiles too where available.

 

Head Office will also forward this information to the CUTS Campaign Team so we can also contact you directly as we target particular campaign PR opportunities etc.

 

4.3 Feedback Your CUTS Campaigning Stories

 

The CUTS Campaign Team want to know what is happening in each and every branch - the pieces that are appearing in you local press, the campaign partnerships formed with other user groups, the unique and unusual stories about people in your communities who use and care about your Branch's waterways.

 

We can then work together - to assist with a specific PR opportunity if appropriate, build up a library of stories to share examples and experience, and to use to support other campaigning initiatives.

 

Use these notes and information from the IWA website to brief Members in readiness for being interviewed by the press and media. Further information about Press and PR will follow in future BBN.

 

A specific e-mail address is being set up to receive these and will be circulated on to the CUTS campaign team; from Monday 30th October use:

 

cutscampaign@waterways.org.uk

 

Clearly identify your e-mail with a subject line including:

CUTS [Your Branch Name] - [story]: Subject of the e-mail

 

4.4 E-mail Etiquette

 

Please Do NOT include the above address in regular e-mailing groups used for Branch communications or to conduct long running exchanges of repeated information!

 

Use it to forward the specified information only.

 

Hundreds of e-mails are circulating about the CUTS campaign every day and we need to be able to clearly identify and use your valuable information.

 

4.5 To Contact the CUTS Campaign Team

 

Many of you will have other e-mails and telephone numbers for Harry and Julie. Again please avoid circulating everybody with everything, but do keep in touch. Further information will be provided in future BBN.

 

Our telephone number for calling us regarding the CUTS Campaign is: 07808 068 189.

 

 

5. Events Diary

 

As mentioned in the John Fletcher's introduction, a unified approach to campaign event planning has been agreed and representatives from a number of the national waterway user groups are working on the details - drawing on the wide and specialist experience each group has for particular circumstances: locations, tideways, etc.

 

Events must be organised by recognised legal organisations and arrangements have to be agreed with the appropriate navigation authorities. IWA's Event Planning Guide is being used as the common reference regarding insurances, risk assessments, incident planning and the like.

 

Critical dates to ask everyone to earmark for campaigning are:

 

Weekend 25/26th November 2006 Protest rallies and blockades

 

Tuesday 16 January 2007 Protest to Parliament - by river and on

land

 

Weekend 24/25th February 2007 Protest

 

See http://www.waterways.org.uk/Events/ProtestEvents for locations and further details as arrangements progress; supporting details will be circulated in BBN.

 

If no Protest event is listed in your locality, and you believe sufficient numbers of local activists are available to make one viable and to make it happen, feel free to canvas support within your Branch. Identify an organiser, review the event organisers' guide, and then advise the Campaign Co-ordinator of your commitment to take part.

 

Remember - we shall need ALL waterway users to protest at the waterside. More details to follow.

 

 

6. Equip your MPs for Debate - Provide a Briefing on their

waterways

 

The Parliamentary lobbying being undertaken by IWA and BMF began at the Party Conferences and includes writing directly to MPs and Ministers of all parties on behalf of these national organisations and about the cuts overall and in general.

 

MPs are putting in requests for an adjournment debate. In order to participate in such a debate your MPs need to be equipped with clear information about the waterways in their constituencies: the amenity and value to the community that will lost if they deteriorate, and specific examples of the implications of lack of maintenance or structural failure.

 

They need to be able to assimilate the information quickly and use it powerfully and concisely in the short time they have to speak during such debates.

 

Hopefully lots of different examples will have been included in the many letters being written, however it will assist your MP if their IWA Branch put together a briefing document for them comprising:

* Basic information about each waterway in their constituency, significant structures etc

* A comprehensive range of examples about specific waterway users and concerns from throughout their constituency, organised into: o Headline point o Supporting bullet points summarising uses/issues, potential risk/loss and consequent impact.

* Include names and telephone numbers - so that your MPs can contact IWA Branch representatives and other key user representatives if they want more information. Do not just provide e-mail addresses; MPs may need to prepare very quickly for debate.

 

 

7. Going Forward - Resources, Petitions, Events

 

Work is underway regarding leaflets, forms, banners, etc. Further critical planning meetings take place Monday 30th October and more BBN information will follow.

 

 

And finally.

 

IWA has always embraced the message Waterways for All. Now is the time to reaffirm this message and campaign to get everybody to show how much they care about their canals and rivers - and convince government to properly support the waterways at the heart of our communities. JA /26.10.2006

 

 

 

Appendix 1: Text of IWA CUTS Campaign FLYER to Members

 

Following is the full Text of the Flyer included in November's edition of IWA Waterways, for Branch's to also use if required.

 

See also the PDF version of the artwork - download from:

http://www.waterways.org.uk/News/CurrentCa...ts/DefraCuts-Wh

atcanyoudo .

 

 

The Inland Waterways Association

 

WATERWAYS FOR ALL

 

DEFRA funding cuts mean YOUR waterway is at risk!

 

What can YOU do?

 

Government has cut its funding of waterways. This will have an adverse affect on all waterways, on all users - walkers, anglers, boaters, heritage and nature lovers, waterway workers and volunteer activity groups - and on the communities and businesses along side our waterways.

 

 

The cuts to navigation authority funding will result in an inevitable decline in our inland waterways with the prospect of some canal closures. As waterways decline so also will businesses and jobs, and we will lose the benefit that our waterways bring to communities, recreation, healthy living and sport, regeneration and social inclusion.

 

What can IWA members do?

 

1. Write to Your MP

 

Make your views known! If you have not already done so, write to your MP expressing your concern about the DEFRA cuts in funding to the inland waterways and making your letter individual to you and your situation - how the cuts will affect your local waterways and the different ways your community use them.

 

Also ask your MP to please write to the waterways Minister to raise your questions and concern.

 

If you need to check who is the MP for a particular area go to the following website and enter a postcode: http://www.upmystreet.com/commons/l/

 

You can also choose to see an alphabetical list of constituencies and Members of Parliament.

 

If you have not got access to the internet, you local library should be able to assist. The Chairman or Secretary of your IWA Branch will also be to advise you

 

2. Ask if your MP has signed the "Inland Waterways" Early Day

Motion (No. 2757)

 

Even if you have already written to your MP, write to them again to ask them to sign this important MP's 'petition' to let government know the strength of public feeling.

 

Charlotte Atkins, MP for Staffordshire Moorlands, and a good friend to the Caldon Canal and other inland waterways, has tabled an Early Day Motion in the House of Commons, to express concern at the funding cuts and calling upon "the Government to immediately reinstate the cuts imposed upon British Waterways and to ensure long-term funding is guaranteed to enable continued investment and restoration of the waterways."

 

An Early Day Motion (EDM) is a device to gauge interest in a topic - a parliamentary petition that can only be signed by MPs. If an EDM is signed by lots of MPs it demonstrates to government there is a real issue which needs to be addressed. A well-supported EDM can be an excellent start to a parliamentary campaign; it can be followed up by an adjournment debate and parliamentary questions, etc.

 

Write to your MP asking them to sign Early Day Motion 2757 expressing concern about the impact of the cuts in waterway funding. Letters should be brief but individual. Ask: "If you haven't already done so, please could you sign Early Day Motion 2757 regarding Inland Waterways" and add that you are "very concerned about the impact of the funding cuts to British Waterways and / or the Environment Agency because [your community's waterway] will deteriorate without sufficient maintenance" - along with some well chosen examples of waterway successes in your area.

 

 

To see which MPs have signed the EDM go to website:

http://edmi.parliament.uk/EDMi/EDMDetails....amp;SESSION=875

 

 

Even if your MP has already signed EDM - still write to them! Acknowledge that they obviously understand the value of the waterways and are concerned about the DEFRA cuts - and again outline briefly how the cuts will affect YOUR waterway and YOUR community.

 

MPs need many individual, community examples of the impact of the cuts on our waterways - in order to illustrate to Ministers the breadth and depth of public concern and objection.

 

 

3. Keep in touch!

 

Keep in touch with IWA - and tell everybody you know about the campaign so they can write in support of waterways too!

 

The latest campaign information will be posted on the IWA website: www.waterways.org.uk

 

A round up of the latest news and activities appears in IWA Head Office Bulletin every month. Receive Bulletin by e-mail by sending an e-mail to Vicky Clark at Head Office (victoria.clark@waterways.org.uk) . If you do not have access to e-mail, telephone 01923 711114 extn: 29 with the name and address you would like Bulletin posted to.

 

Keep in touch with your Branch, so that you can support the campaign activities that will be happening in your area in what ever way you can. Every little will help - from a signature to campaign events.

 

Let your Branch committee and CUTS Campaign Co-ordinator know the best way to contact you - by e-mail or phone - so that they can keep you informed and call on your support as the campaign grows.

 

www.waterways.org.uk

 

IWA CUTS Campaign - Branch Briefing Notes No. 1

 

 

 

 

 

Matt Duncan

Operations Manager

The Inland Waterways Association

 

Non-profit Distributing Company Limited by Guarantee No 612245 Registered Charity No 212342

 

Registered Office: 3 Norfolk Court, Norfolk Road

Rickmansworth, WD3 1LT - Tel: 01923 711114

E-mail: matt.duncan@waterways.org.uk

website: www.waterways.org.uk

[twoputtyrats]

Well,

 

David Crausby my MP has signed, (Bolton North) I sent in via writetothem and got a nice positive snail mail reply from him whilst we've been away.... I did mention the impending redevelopment of the Manchester/Bolton/Bury canal beyond the first 3 locks being carried out so far, never voted for him before ....

 

SImon.

[tony collins]

I have written to my MP., Jeremy Wright, Rugby & Kenilworth (Con) Five times now, three times(letter, e-mail and Fax) to ask him to sign EDM 2757. He has yet to do so.

 

 

 

 

Had a phone call this evening to say that Jeremy has finally decided to sign the EDM 2757 possibly tomorrow. It took ten days of argument and chasing, but he finally agreed. Phew!

 

Tony

[Chris Lingwood]

Ben Wallace has now signed it. That's my job done then

 

 

Is it just me that thinks early day motion sounds a bit like something you get after 1 too many Guinesses.

[dor]

Now up to 142, which is pretty good for an EDM.

 

Has anyone else asked Gwyneth Dunwoody (Crewe & Nantwich) to sign? I had a reply saying she will take it up with the minister, but she made no mention of the EDM and still hasn't signed. As Nantwich is a significant canal node, I would have thought she might have shown more interest.

[John Orentas]

Just recieved a very nice letter from my MP The Rt Hon Michael Meacher. Enclosing a copy of his very incisive letter on the subject to the Secretary of State The Rt Hon David Miliband MP.

 

Don't have scanning facilities I am afraid.

[Catrin]

David Gauke - SW Herts (con) signed the EDM soon after I e-mailed him. His reply to me came by snail mail saying that he has raised the matter with Barry Gardiner at DEFRA, and that he will be in touch again when he hears from him.

 

I would prefer it if he e-mailed me - it would be quicker and wouldn't cost a stamp!

 

Regards

 

Catrin

[Bones]

I was chatting to my MP earlier, and I am pleased to say that he has his finger on the pulse for the cuts and is doing something about it, which I was pleased to hear. He also said that BW are in a much better position than the EA because BW have revenue coming in from their properties and can do something to raise money, whereas the EA doesn't have that resource.

[Keeping Up]

I was chatting to my MP earlier, and I am pleased to say that he has his finger on the pulse for the cuts and is doing something about it, which I was pleased to hear. He also said that BW are in a much better position than the EA because BW have revenue coming in from their properties and can do something to raise money, whereas the EA doesn't have that resource.

Which could be translated into meaning that it's OK to cut BW's money because they can always make up the money by selling their family silver (properties)

[Bones]

Which could be translated into meaning that it's OK to cut BW's money because they can always make up the money by selling their family silver (properties)

 

absolutely! He also saod that BW were doing that, but I got the distinct impression he wasn't just talking about selling the family silver.

[boatchad]

I was chatting to my MP earlier,

 

You name dropper you, or is it just the politically correct version of your milk man .

 

 

Ok I will get my coat and bog off! Sorry, it is just that rather splendid bottle of reserva Rioja taking effect

[Bones]

You name dropper you, or is it just the politically correct version of your milk man .

Ok I will get my coat and bog off! Sorry, it is just that rather splendid bottle of reserva Rioja taking effect

 

 

ah yes, poor me a glass would you!

[Grumpy Bear]

Following my letter to her on DEFRA cuts to BW and the EA, I have had a response from Nadine Dorries, Conservative MP for Mid Beds. (Note the Grand Union Canal flows through the middle of her constituency).

 

She says, 'Although I fully understand your situation and the points you make, I will not be signing EDM 2757'.

 

EDM 2757 calls for a debate in the House on the debacle of the DEFRA cuts in grant-in-aid to BW and the EA. I find it extremely disappointing that my local MP is actively saying that she does not support such an important issue particularly when some of her constituents have lost their jobs!

 

Clearly, more lobbying is needed.

 

Mike

[Bones]

Following my letter to her on DEFRA cuts to BW and the EA, I have had a response from Nadine Dorries, Conservative MP for Mid Beds. (Note the Grand Union Canal flows through the middle of her constituency).

 

She says, 'Although I fully understand your situation and the points you make, I will not be signing EDM 2757'.

 

EDM 2757 calls for a debate in the House on the debacle of the DEFRA cuts in grant-in-aid to BW and the EA. I find it extremely disappointing that my local MP is actively saying that she does not support such an important issue particularly when some of her constituents have lost their jobs!

 

Clearly, more lobbying is needed.

 

Mike

 

does she grace you with her reasons?

[Yoda]

I don't suppose it would help by telling all of you that the department that now calls itself DEFRA has made a surplas in its spending for the last few years. It's caused by not understanding their own accounting. Also on Farming Today at 6.30 this morning was a report that the head of DEFRA has again refused to stand before a all party committee to investigate its failure to pay British farmers on time.