10:10 in Parliament

Something exciting happened yesterday. 10,000 of us told our MP we want them to be bold and show leadership in tackling climate change, by bringing emissions down as quickly as they can, now.

After 3 hours of debate, the original motion was beaten in a vote. 226 MPs voted for Parliament to sign up to 10:10, 297 voted against.

However, the government amendment which did pass promised some new money and more effort to accelerate the pace of emissions reductions. MPs of all parties said they’d heard a loud message from their constituents and were pushed to reaffirm their commitment to tackling climate change. Not 10% in 2010 (yet), but definitely progress.

We’ll be keeping up the pressure on MPs of all parties to show leadership on climate change, both to secure a strong and fair deal at Copenhagen and to ensure that we reduce our own emissions as quickly as possible.

People power forcing politicians to sit up and take notice on important issues is what 38 Degrees is all about. Together we’ll keep up the pressure on politicians to deliver on climate change and other issues.

In the meantime, if you haven’t already joined the 10:10 campaign, you can find out more and sign up here: http://www.1010uk.org/1010/38degrees

Here are some stories of people power in action from 38 Degrees members who phoned their MPs yesterday:

“My MP was in a meeting (when I called), but his PA assured me that he has already had many, many calls. He is fully aware of the strength of feeling on the subject and he has changed his schedule so he can attend the meeting tonight and vote for the 10:10 campaign.”

“My MP is Angela Browning. It was surprisingly easy to get through to her secretary but she was not there. He was gobsmacked at the phone call, promised to pass on the message and said he felt sure she would vote in favour of the motion.”

“I can’t believe that I actually got put through to my MP!”

“Not available to speak to but heard them say that it was another 10:10 call! I think they are busy!!”

“I spoke to her secretary and she was very polite and ensured me that she would pass the message to Meg before the vote. She took my email and promised to let me know Meg’s thoughts. It felt rather wonderfully empowering to actually feel like there might be some democratic influence on the outcome. Fingers crossed!”

“I called my MP Emily Thornberry from Australia. I’m here temporarily but wanted to make my feelings known re 10:10. I left a message with a helpful staff member, with details of my name and address, and made it clear I was calling from Australia and therefore felt very strongly about the 10:10 campaign (it costs a fair bit to call from so far away via a mobile)”

“Response was that he WILL be voting pro 10:10 later today.”

The response had undertones of “not another person phoning” – so that’s great. Keep up the good work. There’s something rather empowering about the idea of a phone call being able to reach deep into the heart of our political machine.

You can find out more about the 10:10 campaign and commit to going 1010 yourself over on the 10:10 website.

What do you think our next steps should be? Did you contact your MP? If so how did it go? Tell us in the comments below.

38 Degrees members Mark and Kelly meet Jean Lambert

38 Degrees had only been active for a couple of weeks when we faced the first European Parliament election in which the British National Party could win seats. We made a tool to give people the chance to sign up for a reminder to go and vote, because minority parties like the BNP rely on low turnout to help increase their share of votes and make it more likely they’ll win seats.

Everyone who signed up for a reminder also got the chance to win a weekend for two in Brussels, so they could get out to see for themselves how EU democracy works. A couple of weeks ago, the winners of the competition went out to Brussels to meet Jean Lambert, one of their MEPs.

38 Degrees members Mark Edmunds and Kelly Sullivan told us about their meeting: “We outlined the activities and methods used by 38 Degrees to raise the profile of public concerns via campaigning and petitions. We then spoke about the rise of right-wing politics across Europe and in the UK and what factors may be driving it. The possible reasons we identified were the economic downturn and the lack of constructive political debate which manifested in rises in social tensions, hate crimes, exploitation of workers and an erosion of their rights. Thanks for the opportunity, which we found insightful and informative.”

Mark and Kelly’s visit to Brussels is the first time that 38 Degrees has had a face-to-face meeting with an MEP and it was brilliant to hear that it went so well, with opportunities to discuss some of the most important issues facing British MEPs. We’re looking forward to our next campaign targeting the European Parliament, when we can build on the work that Mark and Kelly have already done in making sure that UK MEPs know what 38 Degrees members have set out to achieve together.