Today the Gagging Bill, otherwise known as the Transparency of Lobbying, Non-Party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration, reaches the House of Lords for its second reading.
A broad coalition of charities, campaign groups and blogs who will be gagged by the bill have come together in national newspapers to ask the House of Lords to be the voice of reason. We are united in our commitment to free speech and the depth of feeling is demonstrated in the breadth of the coalition which includes some strange bedfellows. From the Countryside Alliance to the League Against Cruel Sports and the Tax Payers Alliance to Citizens UK.
But we are going to need your help to make sure that our voice is heard. Do you know anyone in the House of Lords?
https://action.hopenothate.org.uk/know-a-lord
While the Government have made a number of amendments to the original bill, the reality is that these changes have done nothing to protect free speech and guarantee our right to engage in the democratic process. The Gagging Bill will still restrict our ability to work in communities exposing the lies and hate promoted by the BNP and the National Front among others.
The members of the House of Lords need to be brave and stand up to the Coalition Government about this attack on free speech. But it’s hard to lobby the Lords and we need your help. Are you involved in a charity who has a Lord or Baroness on its board? Are you active in the church, contact your Bishop and ask for a meeting. We just need 20 minutes of their time to explain why this Bill is so detrimental.
For a list of members of the House of Lords and to help us stop the Gagging Bill sign up here.
https://action.hopenothate.org.uk/know-a-lord
Thanks for your help, with your help we’re not done yet.
Nick Lowles
