We Don't Have Much Time - Get Sending!

Soon enough, the Welfare Reform Bill will be out of committee in the Lords, and then on to Report and Third Reading. Report is where there is the best opportunity, such as it is, for amendments to be made. We won't have the crossbenches on our side, and Government peers ready to rebel, and mark my words we will need them, unless we tell them why they should. We have to show them how much we need them. There are many ways to do that, and you can use WriteToThem to send emails, all peers can receive messages that way. They can also all receive traditional snail mail. We think it will be a powerful message to send peers each a Christmas card, with a simple message letting them know how scared we are, and why.

We don't need to tell them which provisions should be changed, or in detail why they are bad - we have wonderful allies in the Lords who will communicate this at debate. All we're doing is encouraging peers to go to the debates, and to really consider the amendments, rather than not attending that day, or, for Government peers, just following the lead of their whips.

You can find out about the profiles of the various peers at TheyWorkForYou. All of them can be reached at:

<Title> <Name> of <Place> (the place part is not applicable to all peers)
The House of Lords,
London,
SW1A 0PW

Not only does your card need to get to the House of Lords in time, but many peers have this mail redirected, as they may not be at the House very often. The bill can't go to Report before the end of the month, as it is still supposed to be in committee until then, and it's hoped that the Government will give interested peers a couple of weeks breathing space. However, they will surely want to get it through the Lords before the Christmas break, so it will be soon. Please, get writing.