Action Day for democracy on 11 June and other news

** Congratulations to everyone who helped the party achieve such a great result in the May 5 elections. Gains of 180+ Council seats build our stature and keep us on course for taking those crucial 'blue wall' seats off the Conservatives at the next election - a 'hung' parliament is our best chance to achieve PR for the House of Commons**

NATIONAL CAMPAIGN DAY ON 11 JUNE FOR FAIR, EQUAL VOTES

Join our pre-campaign day zoom briefing on May 26 at 7pm with Hina Bokhari

Click here to sign up.

Saturday 11 June sees a Make Votes Matter (MVM) National Action Day - our chance to reinforce grassroots momentum for proportional representation.

It can be very rewarding to speak directly with people. As we know, many have not given much thought to how we vote - which means that once they do, some quickly agree that the system should change away from FPTP to a fair, equal system that represents the way we vote.

LDER is working with Make Votes Matter to maximise the involvement of Liberal Democrat members, including through ALDC. Therefore, we are hosting a Zoom briefing with MVM and Liberal Democrat councillor Hina Bokhari AM to explain more about why the Action Days are so important for the campaign for PR, what type of activity you can get involved in (hint: there's something for everyone) and how to find your local MVM group.

Sign up here to our Zoom briefing on Thursday 26 May at 7pm - 8pm.

How to Join the June Action Day to Make Votes Matter

While waiting for the Zoom briefing, here are three ways to help make the 11 June Action Day a success:

Spread the word in other AOs or your local party branch about the Action Day on 11th June

If you are a member of another Associated Organisation or active in your local Lib Dem branch, why not mention the MVM Action Day in your next meeting? Better representation in Westminster paves the way for better policies on such issues as the climate emergency and diversity and inclusion. Proportional Representation, far from being a minority sport, impacts the quality of everyday life.

Organise a local cross-party MVM street stall on 11th June

A street stall in your local area can have high visibility and reach - and isn't so hard to stage… MVM will upon request send you leaflets, stickers and badges to hand out and you just need 2-3 people in a well-chosen location. See more tips from MVM here.

Write a letter to your local paper promoting the action day on 11th June

Another way to reach lots of people in your area is to write a letter to your local paper - the 'letters to the editor' section is among the most read, so it can allow us to reach many new potential supporters of Proportional Representation.

We want everyone talking about the campaign for Proportional Representation - whether through more media attention generated by the Action Day or through speaking with local residents on the street stalls.

THIS TORY GOVERNMENT - BAD FOR DEMOCRACY

Thanks go to all members and supporters for your lobbying efforts on the Elections Bill. Our final email campaign in the last week of April produced some initial positive votes on the Electoral Commission - only for the Government to use its disproportionate 80 seat Commons majority to ram the bill into law anyway.

This government's crushing of our democratic rights and institutions is unprecedented - as well as the Elections Bill, the Police Bill and the Nationality & Borders Bill are also now approved into law. And also massively hypocritical, when Johnson claims to be standing up for democracy over the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Layla Moran's article in Liberal Democrat Voice makes for relevant reading here.

So we have had setbacks - but the fight very much goes on.

As well as our members and supporters and our Lords members, thanks go to our ally organisations, including Make Votes Matter, Unlock Democracy, Fair Vote and the Electoral Reform Society for their support and briefings.

Downing Street rally - May 15

Another date for campaigners' calendars - Open Britain is staging a 'Stop the Rot' rally outside Downing Street this Sunday, May 15. Details here - join the action if you possibly can. It all keeps up the pressure.

LDER in the news!

Here's a great letter - her second in recent months - from LDER exec member Kathrine Santos, published in The Economist.

A request from Make Votes Matter North Lancashire

Make Votes Matter North Lancashire are organising a 6-day Equal Votes Walk from Grasmere to Preston and are looking for cross-party speakers for the send-off from Grasmere on the morning of Monday 6 June and arrival in Preston on the afternoon of Saturday 11 June. If you are based in the north west and would be available to lend your support by speaking for a few minutes on one of these days, please contact the organisers here to find out more.