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On the heels of MAGʼs dynamic Riders Are Voters Campaign before the 2010 General Election, we are now gearing up for nation-wide local elections in 2011, itʼs all go. Paddy Tyson gives a lead.
1- If you are part of an active MAG group the first thing you
need to do is find a venue. A bike shop prepared to open one evening is best for many reasons: A bike shop is somewhere riders feel comfortable, so you can invite all the local clubs and training schools etc
Journalists like the novelty of politics out of normal context and will come to report it therefore spreading our message throughout the region. Candidates like it because they will get to sit on bikes and have their photos taken.
It is a great demonstration of riders and business supporting each other. The same issues affect us both and politicians need to know that. The bike shop gets some press coverage and customers, who may just do a little late night shopping.
At the General Election, we had support from big shops like Fowlers of Bristol and small ones like Dave Millings in Cumbria, so size doesn’t matter as long as there is room for a few tables that candidates can sit behind and space for riders to gather (seated or standing; it’s only for 40 mins). If the owners of your first choice of venue aren’t interested in helping themselves and their customer’s rights, then go somewhere else. You only need one venue within the county or borough boundary.
any ‘Independents’ you may have standing in your area. They may not feel confident enough to come and face questions from the general biking public, especially if the press are listening, so this is where pure lobbying comes in. You aren’t trying to catch them out. If they know nothing of the issues, you are here to help them learn. Give them as much information as they want. Talk to them on the phone or agree to meet them over coffee first and tell them what is important to riders. Explain ‘GET A GRIP’ and leave them with an information pack (available from your Regional Rep or Central Office) and a key ring. The whole idea is to get our word out and encourage those who are successful in the election to remember MAG as a responsible source of credible information. There will be lots of small ‘wards’ within a Local Authority boundary, so each party will have lots of candidates standing. Invite all the candidates and contact the local Party HQs to explain what is happening.
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Make it clear in the letter/phonecall that only one event is happening in each LA area, so you don’t mind which Party Representative comes along, but you only need one, that way you maximise the possibility of someone with diary space attending.
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Don’t let the Question Time Panel get any bigger than 5 or 6 and remember one of those needs to be someone representing Riders Rights, to help explain if an issue is complicated and don’t forget to make sure someone is chairing the meeting so that the candidates all get fair time to answer the questions coming from the floor.
Remember to invite the local papers, radio and TV and anyone in your area with an interest in motorcycling, especially clubs of every type. Write concise press releases to interest them, or use the samples in the ‘How to Organise a RAV QT’ pack.
You only need to get one candidate along from each party and
If you canʼt organise a QT or there isnʼt a MAG group near you, there are things you can do on your own.
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The thing that may cause you the least inconvenience, is invite the candidate in for a cuppa if they knock on your door. It will be impossible for them to refuse as they are disturbing your evening to ask if you will be prepared to vote for them, so you can ask what they know about biking and let them know the issues if they are ignorant. Tell them you couldn’t possibly decide how to vote until you find out their opinions on bus lane access, secure parking or non-slip manhole covers. You could never expect them to know about the new bike test for example as it’s a national issue, but they should be made aware of transport infrastructure issues.
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Write to the candidates in your ward, especially those hoping to retain their seats and ask what their policy on local motorcycling is. Highlight any local congestion issue.
Ask to meet your local council representative before the election is called. While they are still your representative, you can arrange to see them at a mutually agreed time. Remember though, most councillors have full time jobs too, so be considerate. They volunteer rather like you do for MAG – but the expenses package is good.
The Issues
Tell them about GET A GRIP! Explain how the LA are responsible for access covers even if they don’t own them. Tell them how expensive it is to fix the road when an access cover starts moving and explain how composite non-slip covers don’t move. Empasise and that there is no scrap value in the new materials of composite covers, so no-one will nick them however tough the economic climate gets. Explain why consistent grip levels matter to two wheelers.
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Explain how Bus Lane access can protect moped users and encourage others out of their cars and on to two wheels. The buzz words to use here are ‘modal shift’.
Demonstrate how secure parking can encourage town centre economic rejuvenation and reduce congestion.
Let them know that the fines for poor air quality that many towns, like Canterbury are facing, are a whole lot more than the cost of some measures to encourage biking.
REMEMBER- you are the expert even if you don’t know all the legislation. You ride a bike and they don’t. Educate them. Your representatives can only represent you if they know there is something to concern you. If someone has ever said “They don’t listen”, ask who it was they spoke to, because I’ve never had a politician ignore me, but I do find that they aren’t great at telepathy.
Absolutely central to any campaign is getting your voice heard. Tell the papers about what you are doing. Arrange photo shoots for them. Write copy for them. Most papers now run skeleton staff so we can use this to our advantage. They are very busy and find it hard getting enough content. They love photos, but NEVER from a mobile phone and not with acres of tarmac or sky. Remember a local paper concentrates on local issues and local people, so we need to see who the people are.
If you have a councillor or mayor who has done good stuff for riders, ask them to pose for photos with you and let them know you are grateful. Campaigning is about building relationships that have already started as well as forging new ones.
Above all, have a good time. Campaigning can be very rewarding when it is for something you love and I can think of nothing more important than motorcycles.
The ROAD 57
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