1. 6th Jan 2015, I signed a Change.org petition supporting a campaign to end female genital mutilation (FGM) and got a thank you note from LibDem MP Lynne Featherstone
2. 8th Jan 2018, I get an email from Nick Clegg making the case for why people should support the LibDems and explaining why their campaign to end FGM is so important.
3. 29th Jan 2015, another email from Lynne Featherstone talking about how important it is that we should be doing everything we can to end the “abhorrent practice” of FGM
4. 6th Feb 2015, Lynne writes again to say how they’ve had 26,000 people sign up to their campaign to end FGM so far and asks if we can help get more people to sign up by spreading the word on social media.
5. 17th Feb 2015, Lynne writes again but this time she’s in campaign mode (2015 election just months away) and makes the case that only the LibDems would make the case for ending FGM and asks people to donate to the LibDem campaign to ensure they get more LibDem MPs elected to government (link to donate included in the email)
6. 23rd Feb 2015, parliament votes on an amendment to the Serious Crime Bill (clause 70) to lower the threshold on when to act to protect girls at risk of FGM. The amendment would allow a protection order to be made when a girl was considered at risk of an FGM offence, as opposed to only against “the commission of a genital mutilation offence”. Here are the results of that vote…
LIBDEMS
Total number of MPs: 57
For: 2
Against: 39
Abstained: 16
TORY
Total number of MPs: 307
For: 12
Against: 245
Abstained: 50
LABOUR
Total number of MPs: 258
For: 204
Against: none
Abstained: 54
7. 18th March 2015, I get another email from Lynne Featherstone banging on about how she’s such a champion of the campaign to end FGM
8. 30th March 2015, I get an email from Paddy Ashdown saying the 2015 election campaign has now started and asking me to donate to the LibDem campaign so that their candidates can “continue the fight to end Female Genital Mutilation”
9. 15th April 2015, I get an email from Tim Farron asking for a donation to their election campaign to elect more LibDem mps “who care about everyone, including those at risk of female genital mutilation”
10. 30th April 2015, I get an email from LibDem Peer Olly Grender talking about how the LibDems are serious enough about ending FGM within a generation that they put it in their manifesto and, again, asking for more money for their election campaign.
11. 5th May 2015, I get an email from Nick Clegg saying “Now is the time to take the next step and help fight for an end to FGM” and asking me to make a donation to their election campaign.
12. 6th May 2015, I get another email from Paddy Ashdown. This time he explains “Our Change.org campaign to end FGM at home and abroad faces a deadline tomorrow. Make a donation and help continue the campaign” but again the links are for donations to the LibDem campaign.
If that wasn’t shocking enough, Lynne Featherstone actually voted against the amendment that would have allowed a protection order to be made when a girl was considered at risk of an FGM offence and Nick Clegg, Paddy Ashdown and Tim Farron all abstained on the vote.
I’ve had a few more emails from the LibDems since then on a number of other issues including the human rights act, welfare cuts, supporting refugees, cuts to tax credits etc. I will try to find time to investigate those over the coming days as well.
SOURCES:
https://www.publicwhip.org.uk/division.php…
Koser Saeed
