Dear All,
It’s bad news. On Tuesday, MPs voted against including a clean energy target in the Energy Bill. [1] The vote was painfully close – if just 12 MPs had voted differently, we would have won. [2] It was edge-of-the-seat stuff. On Tuesday, it felt too close to call. But ultimately, we just didn’t have enough votes.
It’s sad when we lose. Especially when it’s on something as important as protecting our planet. But we fought valiantly and gave it our all, and today we can be proud as well as disappointed. A year ago, the prospect of so many MPs voting for a clean energy target was inconceivable. Our work, alongside our friends at Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth, changed that.
Together we sent tens of thousands of emails and tweets, and made hundreds of phone calls to our MPs. We also ramped up the pressure on wavering MPs with adverts in local newspapers, thousands of leaflets through doors and many face-to-face meetings. It’s thanks to all we did together that so many MPs switched their votes, and turned out on Tuesday in support. This is not where we wanted to be today. But there’s still hope that we’ll secure the target we need. The Energy Bill will now go to the House of Lords to be debated again. They have the power to include a clean energy target. They are much more likely to do so because it was such a close vote in the House of Commons. Your MP, Roger Godsiff, was one of the MPs that backed a clean energy target on Tuesday. For many, voting in favour was a bold move – so let’s let him know we’ve been watching and that we back him all the way. There will be future votes and debates on climate and energy which we’ll need him to support. It’s said that ‘thank you’ is the least used word in politics. So let’s change that. Can you email Roger Godsiff to say thanks?
https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/energybill-thankyou
So, overall, a disappointing result. Sometimes moments like this can be disheartening. But we know we did our best. And we know that if we keep working together, there will be chances in the future to turn it around. So let’s take a moment to give ourselves a pat on the back. We’ll keep going, because we know it’s the right thing to do. And because we know that together, we can make a difference.
Thanks for everything you do,
Susannah, Becky, James and the 38 Degrees team
PS. Campaigns like this one don’t cost the earth, but they cost something. 38 Degrees relies entirely on donations from members like you, giving one-off donations or small regular sums of £2 or £3 per week.
Would you consider making a donation? Just 2 or 3 pounds a week makes a massive difference. It only takes a few minutes set up, and it means that we can pull together massive campaigns like this over the days, weeks, months and years to come. Please click here to get started: https://directdebit.38degrees.org.uk/?ref=ebillmpinfavour
NOTES
[1] BBC: Energy Bill: Government sees off rebellion over 2030 target:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-22764955
[2] The Public Whip: Energy Bill – clause 1 – decarbonisation: http://38d.gs/MPrecord-publicwhip
