The UK election 2010

Convenor: Kaye Brennan (Woodland Trust)

Advocacy Online has a list of organisations’ pre-election online campaign actions on its website – add more if you spot any gaps!

Targetting marginals, getting candidate commitment, what to do with these afterwards?
Charity Commission guidelines, avoiding showing bias. Risk of being over-cautious?
Candidates who sign up to pledges/commitments not made public, but used to identify potential allies in the future.
Publish manifesto extracts / parties’ own words (not analyse or compare)
yournextmp gives background info on candidates crowdsourced. Straightchoice websites, link to election leaflets
Shared hashtags (for international dev/climate change) #VoteGlobal combined with #UKElection, and for climate change specifically #ClimateQ
Think incentives: is there anything you can do to help them win election? PPCs have little money & staff time. Give them tools to make job easier, or a bandwagon to jump on. Contact all parties.
Need post-election plan, follow up messages with new MPs, after 2 weeks (not earlier). Make it targetted (top 100) + personalised
Need to include all parties? Big 3 only (+SNP + Plaid…?) Manage good relationships with smaller parties – needs some reference on website – as tese could be influential in new gvmt (+Europe)
After election plan: use people who Asked the Climate Question to hold their MPs to account.
Leader TV debate, Twitter & Facebook to create buzz beforehand.
Hold hustings after election, 3x year public meeting to hold to account / progress
Unsuccessful candidates probably aren’t worth maintaining contact with, except young Labour hopefuls in hopeless seats. Non-controversial ones might be re-selected.
Candidates looking for website content, would you like to write about this issue + give info (on local situation)
Any polls of candidates’ views on particular issues
Twitter discussion can give more freedom from Charity Commission Guidelines especially if you’re suggesting Tweet conversations rather than leading.