Press Coverage of EqualityBill.com

Here is a selection of our press coverage from the first few days since our launch:

The Guardian: “Sign up to the Equality Debate”

“Harriet Harman’s landmark bill will only be effective if we have the widest possible public consultation on its detailed provisions”

Pink Paper: “Peer Creates Campaign Equality Site”

“A new website launched today by openly-gay peer Lord Waheed Ali aims to promote the Equality Bill by galvanizing the consensus of the queer community. In doing so, visitors of equalitybill.com will be more effectively able to lobby their MPs about the forthcoming Equality Bill by communicating directly with them. In turn, Lord Ali will present these opinions to the House of Lords later in the year when the Bill is brought up. ”

LGF Online: “Gay Equality? What needs to be done?”

“Don’t let the Damien McBride / Derek Draper online smear fiasco put you off online campaigning, Lord Alli’s website encourages all people to get involved and create change.

The website, EqualityBill.com, enables you to directly lobby your MPs and share your experiences of life in the LGBT community. Lord Alli spoke exclusively to LGF online, to give us a low down on The Equality Bill and what difference it will make to LGBT everyday lives.”

LabourList: “Why I’m setting up a campaign website”

“The Equality Bill that Harriet Harman is introducing to the Commons within the next few weeks will be a landmark piece of legislation. This is not because of any new rights it enshrines, or any old injustice that it overturns - though it will do both of those. It will be a landmark because it will finally unify all of the disparate laws that have accumulated over the last fifty years in the ongoing struggle for justice and equality.”

LabourList: “Why Online campaigning needs to be part of the legislative process”

“When Tim Montgomerie was developing the idea for ConservativeHome, he considered postponing the launch date until the Conservative Leadership Election was under way. The logic was that the site would only become an effective forum for debate if there were actually a serious debate going on within the party at the time.

Four years later, similar discussions have been taking place as the Labour Party looks at ways of improving its online operation. But I think the question for us is not about debate (important though it is) but about whether or not we have clear objectives. What do we want to achieve by improving our online campaigns?”

Campaign Update

EqualityBill.com: Why I’ve set up my own Campaign Site

The Equality Bill that Harriet Harman is introducing to the Commons within the next few weeks will be a landmark piece of legislation. This is not because of any new rights it enshrines, or any old injustice that it overturns – though it will do both of those. It will be a landmark because it will finally unify all of the disparate laws that have accumulated over the last fifty years in the ongoing struggle for justice and equality.

We can never claim to have true equality until the protection we offer a gay man against homophobia is the same as the protection we offer a black man against racism; unless our anti-discrimination laws recognise a disabled woman or a gay Asian as being members of more than one minority; or until everyone in our society fulfils their duty to ensure equality for everyone else – from teachers stopping bullying in schools to doctors rejecting ageism and treating the elderly with respect.

In short, Equality is not something that can come from the top-down. It must spread between us all in our day to day lives.

And that is what this bill does. It takes the battle lines away from the big flashpoint issues, and moves them into the everyday. For me, the question is no longer, “Can a gay couple get married and adopt?”, but “How does society treat that gay couple and their child?” The debate has moved from the registrar’s office and into wider society. It’s up to all of us to play our part.

That’s why I’m calling on everyone – whether you are a lifetime Equality Campaigner, or simply someone who has an opinion on the law – to join the discussion at EqualityBill.com. In the absence of a parliamentary constituency, I am asking you all to be my constituents.

The House of Lords has gained something of a reputation for being a place where equality legislation goes to die: whether it was the equalisation of the age of consent being stopped by Baroness Young in 1998, or the criminalisation of incitement to homophobic hatred being severely weakened by Lord Waddington in 2008. But I know from working in the House that it can also be a place where legislation goes to thrive.

My colleagues are dedicated and conscientious, and are committed to carefully scrutinising every line of every bill – and when the Equality Bill reaches the Lords later this year, I intend to be a key part of that scrutiny, using your feedback as my guide.

The details of our lives should dictate the details of the law – not the other way around.

That’s why I’m urging you to go now to EqualityBill.com; to sign up, lobby your MP, share your experiences, and become a part of the debate.

EqualityBill.com: Why Online Campaigning Should be an Important Part of Legislation.

When Tim Montgomerie was developing the idea for ConservativeHome, he considered postponing the launch date until the Conservative Leadership Election was under way. The logic was that the site would only become an effective forum for debate if there were actually a serious debate going on within the party at the time.

Four years later, similar discussions have been taking place as the Labour Party looks at ways of improving its online operation. But I think the question for us is not about debate (important though it is) but about whether or not we have clear objectives. What do we want to achieve by improving our online campaigns?

In opposition, the objective is to gain power: a clear and unchanging mission. At election time, the objective is to win: a simple goal to aim for, even for those already in power. But in Government, the objectives can become muddied or diluted as multiple agendas take different priorities at different times.

This is why I believe we have to begin approaching each piece of new legislation with the same vigour and energy with which we run our election campaigns. Obama has already paved the way, turning his election campaign team into ‘Organizing For America’ – a grassroots movement that promotes his administration’s policies as they move through Congress. Obviously, with a large Parliamentary majority and an entrenched system of party whips, there is not as much of an imperative to look outside Westminster for our support. But this is not just about making sure we have sufficient votes for the bill on Second Reading, or using members of the public as a sort of alternative whipping operation.

It’s about making sure that those inside Westminster stay in touch with the hopes and concerns of those outside. It’s about reminding legislators and citizens alike that our current Government was elected to pursue a certain agenda, and about holding them to that commitment. Ultimately, it is about making the law better.

Because as the bill moves from Commons to Lords, from one committee to the next, the involvement of more voices can only make the law stronger. And in setting up EqualityBill.com, that has been our aim.

So, like Waheed, I want to urge you to join the activity on our site: lobbying, connecting, and spreading the word. If we are successful, then we will not only play a role in promoting Equality in Britain, but also in setting an example for public engagement in future legislation.