The date for the general election has been confirmed for May 6th. So we can look forward to plenty of spin, speculation and lobbying over the next month.
I’ll be posting about issues relating to science, policy and health in the coming weeks. But before then it’s time to think about how we can all get involved.
If you’ve not already done so, ensure you are registered to vote – and encourage your friends and family to do the same. You can find out if you are registered to vote and more information on voting at About My Vote.
If you want to contact your local councillor, MP or MEP you can do so at WriteToThem use this to identify how the politicians and councillors who serve your community are addressing the key local and national issues that matter to you.
They Work For You helps you find out what your MP is up to, how they are voting, and what issues they are supporting (or not). It also provides straightforward information about the parliamentary system which you may find helpful if you find this area difficult to follow.
As we sadly know, many politicians support dodgy campaigns, misunderstand or even ignore evidence. Skeptical Voter is attempting to highlight poor practice and encourage the wider use of evidence within campaigning. They also need help putting together this information so volunteer your services if you can.
Science and politics are going to mix more in this election than any other, with scientists and bloggers challenging the political system and campaigning for parties who value science, education and healthcare – and particularly show promise on evidence based approaches. You can follow discussions on this issue at the Science Campaign’s Science Vote blog here. And additional discussions on twitter using the hashtag #scivote.
Social Scientists have been active throughout the past few years in challenging poor policy and practice and this work will continue during the run up to the election. I will keep you posted on key challenges/discussions.
Over the past few years we have sadly seen a lot of activity from different parties that has been weak on policy and evidence based practice, frequently contradictory or judgemental, and often glib and misleading. It has allowed nationalistic and dangerous parties like the BNP to gain footholds in communities. We have the chance to put pressure on politicians in the next month to get clear answers to how they intend to manage key issues of economics, crime, health, education, employment and housing. And challenge poor past track records of manipulating and misunderstanding evidence to suit political agendas, but not the general public.
And if you aren’t sure how to vote, or not sure you can be bothered, why not Give Your Vote to someone else (as explained by Penny Red).
If media reports are to be believed this pre election period is set to be very exciting. In particular we’re told that social media is going to play a key role in the election. Which it might. But let’s not forget that there are many folk who’re not connected in this way and perhaps have grown disenchanted with the whole political system. While we plan on blogging and tweeting our way through the next month, let’s also focus on talking to our friends, family and colleagues and getting them to vote too.
UK Election Called – now it’s time for you to get involved
The date for the general election has been confirmed for May 6th. So we can look forward to plenty of spin, speculation and lobbying over the next month.
I’ll be posting about issues relating to science, policy and health in the coming weeks. But before then it’s time to think about how we can all get involved.
If you’ve not already done so, ensure you are registered to vote – and encourage your friends and family to do the same. You can find out if you are registered to vote and more information on voting at About My Vote.
If you want to contact your local councillor, MP or MEP you can do so at WriteToThem use this to identify how the politicians and councillors who serve your community are addressing the key local and national issues that matter to you.
They Work For You helps you find out what your MP is up to, how they are voting, and what issues they are supporting (or not). It also provides straightforward information about the parliamentary system which you may find helpful if you find this area difficult to follow.
As we sadly know, many politicians support dodgy campaigns, misunderstand or even ignore evidence. Skeptical Voter is attempting to highlight poor practice and encourage the wider use of evidence within campaigning. They also need help putting together this information so volunteer your services if you can.
Science and politics are going to mix more in this election than any other, with scientists and bloggers challenging the political system and campaigning for parties who value science, education and healthcare – and particularly show promise on evidence based approaches. You can follow discussions on this issue at the Science Campaign’s Science Vote blog here. And additional discussions on twitter using the hashtag #scivote.
Social Scientists have been active throughout the past few years in challenging poor policy and practice and this work will continue during the run up to the election. I will keep you posted on key challenges/discussions.
Over the past few years we have sadly seen a lot of activity from different parties that has been weak on policy and evidence based practice, frequently contradictory or judgemental, and often glib and misleading. It has allowed nationalistic and dangerous parties like the BNP to gain footholds in communities. We have the chance to put pressure on politicians in the next month to get clear answers to how they intend to manage key issues of economics, crime, health, education, employment and housing. And challenge poor past track records of manipulating and misunderstanding evidence to suit political agendas, but not the general public.
And if you aren’t sure how to vote, or not sure you can be bothered, why not Give Your Vote to someone else (as explained by Penny Red).
If media reports are to be believed this pre election period is set to be very exciting. In particular we’re told that social media is going to play a key role in the election. Which it might. But let’s not forget that there are many folk who’re not connected in this way and perhaps have grown disenchanted with the whole political system. While we plan on blogging and tweeting our way through the next month, let’s also focus on talking to our friends, family and colleagues and getting them to vote too.
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