First thing of all – Don’t Panic!
This is a long haul. The consultation period runs up to October, and even then we won’t actually be done fighting. If they then draw up legislation, there will be most likely be campaigning to be done at that point too. So get yourself settled down and ready to plug at this constantly, with whatever level of involvement you can, but without destroying your family life – after all, that’s what we’re fighting for, so there’s no point in throwing it away at the start.
Consider what level of involvement you want to have. There are a variety of groups you can join who will be taking/ planning action. There’s Ahed, which has a discussion group as well as a wiki, or the new Badman review action group, which is single issue and very active atm. Of course EO is still around, though I for one am not impressed with how they have conducted themselves so far during this process, so would not feel comfortable being a member.
If you just want to keep up with blogs good ones to start with are Renegade parent, Dare to know blog and Sometimes it’s peaceful. I’d advise use of an RSS reader that can check the blogs you are interested in regularly, you can use Google reader or something of that sort.
Alternatively, you can set up Google alerts to keep yourself in the loop – they can monitor blogs and websites as well as mainstream media articles but only for given selected terms. It can take some fiddling about to get your search set up, but it’s quite worthwhile.
And a major piece of action, write to your MP. Let them get to know you. Tell them about the issues, explain how you are feeling. If they are conservative they are probably quite open to your thoughts, if they are labour they need to know they’ve found yet another vote losing issue. You can find them at writetothem or via parliament.gov.uk. There’s an excellent letter at Maire’s blog, I strongly advise that you do NOT cut and paste it in its entirety, but you can use it to give you ideas. (Cut and paste letters do not give the same impact as individual letters, so write your own!) Dare to know has some advice as well.
And lastly, because it was good advice, Don’t Panic.
Great post, I will highlight it in my Blog, we do need to be cold calm and calculating about this however heated, angry and upset we feel.
Well done.
Have been on the point of re-doing MP for months and wondering if this is a very good time to redo it to make sure that it is full of all this and to hopefully make sure that HEers who haven’t started yet will still be brave enough to try.
Thank you, Jax. You’re being very calm and sensible, and I feel much better, now!
EXCELLENT post, especially the ‘don’t panic’ bits – it was begining to feel a bit like being in a stampeed!
thanks for this 🙂
Thanks for this post. I am a new(ish) HE-er, so was feeling rather lost in the woods. This post has helped me hugely. Well done 🙂
Forgot to say – you should add yourself that list of blogs to read – you’re pretty on the ball yourself you know!
Well put Jax! I too have been a bit worried about the ‘storming of the castle’ mentality at the moment–though VERY glad to see so many people ready to do their bit to stop the madness.
I liked your letter to Lord Lucas as well.
Breathing deeply…and relax. Yes, that does feel better, thanks J!
Now you say it, I haven’t exactly been panicking (well only for a few mins), but I also haven’t been at all relaxed for the whole of the last week. I do hope this isn’t how we will be inclined to feel after they actually decide what to do!
One really good thing to take from the past week is that there seems to be almost universal dislike of the review suggestions amongst HEors and that almost everyone is prepared to do something about it. Even a great friend of ours who doesn’t mind HE visits, feels that the threat of having the form of education dictated to her, and the threat of having the child seen alone are two steps too far. She too will be objecting with the rest of us.
As long as we commit ourselves to making these objections, I feel we will have done well for a first week.
Great post Jax – very sensible. I needed that reminder to not let it interfere with family life, I’m drowning in emails!
hear hear, headless chicken syndrome won’t help any of us.
excellent, yes. best served cold. (puts machete down.)