UCS 07/04/05: Raise Tibet issue in lead-up to general election

Urgent Campaign - 7 April 2005

(Please act prior to the election on 5 May 2005)

 

General Election Guide (PDF) Acrobat Reader required

The General Election to be held on 5 May 2005 provides Free Tibet Campaign supporters with an excellent opportunity to raise awareness of Tibet amongst politicians. We need to ensure political parties and local candidates learn of our ongoing campaign to free Tibet - even those not elected on this occasion may well become MPs in the future. This is an opportunity to highlight our aims; that a UK Government of any political persuasion will promote an unequivocal policy for the Tibetans' right to determine their own future, to end the Chinese occupation of Tibet and ensure the Tibetans' fundamental human rights are respected. In the run-up to the general election, candidates and political parties will be eager to show that they are listening to voters; i.e. listening to you! Thus, you have an opportunity to establish a relationship and dialogue on the issue of Tibet with your future MP.

 

Action:
The following actions can be undertaken individually or, if you know other Tibet supporters in your area or have a local group, you can get together to plan and divide the work to lobby as many candidates in your constituency as you have time for. Opportunities to ask questions about Tibet and human rights include:

 

  • Writing to your candidates and asking what their policies are on Tibet. If you are not happy with their answer, write back to them.
     
  • Quizzing candidates, or their supporters, who come to your door. Canvassers may not able to answer questions themselves, but should feed them back to the candidate who will send you an answer.
     
  • Calling in to radio phone-ins: local and national radio stations often hold phone-ins around election time.
     
  • Writing to your local newspaper.
     
  • Attending local hustings to ask candidates questions on Tibet or even organising local hustings yourself and inviting candidates to attend.
     
  • Arranging individual meetings with local candidates.
     
  • After the election, using successful candidates' statements, made before the election, to hold them to account!

    Suggested Questions

     

  • What are your party's policies on Tibet's future political status? Do you support an end to China's occupation in Tibet, which currently leads to repression of fundamental freedoms and cultural, religious and ethnic rights? What action would your party take that differs from that of the present government in order to secure an end to the occupation?
     
  • If elected/re-elected, would you press the UK government to take an unequivocal position on Tibet's status, as well as its Human Rights policies vis-a-vis China? Would you expect the UK Government to promote such a policy within Inter-Governmental Organisations such as the EU, the UN Security Council, the UN Commission on Human Rights? What are your party's policies on this?
     
  • If elected/re-elected, would you demand that the UK Government lobbies to maintain the EU's arms embargo on China? What are your party's policies on this?
     
  • What avenues should the UK Government be pursuing through its trade relationship with China to ensure that progress on human rights and Tibet is made?

    (Once the election is over, please send us the responses of the elected candidate, plus details of significantly sympathetic responses - if any - from non-elected candidates.)

    Click here for a Guide to the General Election or contact us to receive a copy of the guide.

    Contact details for the three main political parties:

    The Conservative Party www.conservatives.com tel. 020 7222 9000 
    The Labour Party www.labour.org.uk tel. 08705 900 200 
    The Liberal Democrat Party www.libdems.org.uk tel. 020 7222 7999

    A link to all the parties is available atnews.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/vote_2005/basics/default.stm


    To make a donation towards the running of the Urgent Campaign Scheme please go to www.freetibet.org/membership/join.htmland under donations choose Urgent Campaign Scheme for the reason for your donation. By making a donation you will be automatically subscribed to receive Urgent Campaigns by email, unless you tell us otherwise. Thank you.

    If you have an email address and would like to receive urgent campaigns by email, please email us at paul@freetibet.org with SUBSCRIBE URGENT CAMPAIGN LIST in the subject or body of message. Please include your name and postal address.

    Free Tibet Campaign also has an Action Email List, which sends out details of upcoming Free Tibet Campaign activities as well as a monthly Tibet-related events diary (UK events only). To subscribe to this list please send a message to paul@freetibet.org with SUBSCRIBE ACTION LIST in the subject or body of message. Please include your name and postal address.

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