From: Alex Holmes, [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Some thoughts from the former colonies on this thread.
I have reservations about the value of trying to select
individuals to vote for. The problems with this approach
are that the individual MP will in all probability bow
to the whip and follow party line when pressured and
this approach is unlikely to change formal party
policy. These individuals might help a little to protect
against further erosion of rights but almost
certainly can achieve nothing to restore rights.
At the moment it certainly looks like none of the UK
parties are going to make an issue of restoring the
rights already removed in the UK.
The question is, can this be changed? Can gunowners
become a political lobby group that could influence a
political party at this point? More importantly
can the politicians be made to PERCEIVE gunowners as
an important political lobby.
I cannot overemphasise the issue is one of perceptions,
not neccessarily realities.
If enough UK firearm owners (a couple of thousand should
do it) are prepared to work at this it might be feasible.
With a bit of concerted effort it should be possible to
sell the perception of 1-2 million gunowners as a voting
block.
A simplistic view of the political situation in the UK
is that the Tories are desperate to get back into power
and know they must be very close. This should make them
very open to influence from a large voting block. None
of the other parties is viable for this as it is only
with the Tories that this block could make the difference
between winning and losing.
Forget what the Tories have done in the past and even
some of their other policies you might disagree with.
If firearm rights and the other personal freedom issues
that most firearm owners typically agree with are so
important then focus only on those.
Sure it will take a huge amount of work and more
importantly a dedicated core group to direct efforts
but in many ways this is probably the best chance you
in the UK will ever have to regain your rights. When
political power is closely balanced, like now, even
small pressure groups can have an inordinate degree
of influence. Use it.
Use it to make the Tories take up a pro countryside /
pro firearm public stance. No politician really gives
a hoot about anything except power. If they can be made
to believe such a pro stance will swing the balance of
power they might well go for it.
My tuppence worth anyway.
Alex Holmes
South Africa
--
I just don't think the party platform counts for anything
when it comes to being pro-gun, especially here where
people are so paranoid about guns. The reality is that
the whip is always anti-gun, or has been every single
time it has been used in the past 20 years or so, so the
only way to defeat the whip is by electing candidates
who are pro-gun. A third of the Conservative Party
defied the whip on the 1997 Act.
There is no chance at all that the Liberals or Labour
would ever have a pro-gun platform, and the Conservatives
would only until the next nutter pops up. The only
way to counter that (in this country) I think is to
make sure the MPs you elect are not only scared of
your voting power but a significant number actually
believe what you are saying.
Steve.
Cybershooters website: http://www.cybershooters.org
List admin: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
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