With a General Election due in May, now is a great time for the Irish community to grab the attention of politicians in Britain. MPs and prospective MPs will vary in their levels of awareness of Irish needs and the equalities agenda. Some will have no awareness at all and this presents an opportunity to surprise them with information and points of view they have never heard before.

Finding your Candidates

Search for candidates standing in your area at the following websites:

http://www.labour.org.uk/ppc/

http://www.conservatives.com/People/Prospective_Parliamentary_Candidates.aspx

http://www.libdems.org.uk/parliamentary_candidates.aspx?show=Candidates&pgNo=92

Clicking on names will take you to a page with information about the candidates and their contact details. If you are pressed for time you should focus your attention on the one or two candidates most likely to win.

Unsuccessful candidates may become MPs in the future and are almost certain to be involved in local politics so it is not a waste of time to plant seeds in them. If you suspect a candidate from outside the three main parties may win the seat, it is also worthwhile making contact with them. If you need any information on your constituency and can't find it, email jryan@irishsocieties.org and we'll do our best to find it for you.

What you can do

1. Write letters and emails to candidates: and repeat them if the response you receive is unsatisfactory. Writing as a voter rather than an activist will carry more weight, they hear from activists all the time but rarely regular voters
2. Writing to local newspapers: is another potentially effective way to make yourself heard
3. Raise issues on your doorstep: if you are lucky enough to have a candidate or canvassers who knock on your door they will probably be happy to answer an informed question
4. Phone radio phone-ins: they need questions and you need answers
5. Attend hustings: these are public meetings often held at churches and community centres which give candidates a chance to address constituents. At them you can raise concerns and question candidates on their intentions and views. You can find the time and place of hustings in local papers, libraries and on church notice boards
6. Individual meetings: You can also arrange individual meetings with candidates; this is quite a big undertaking so prepare well and be armed with interesting questions
7. Run your own hustings: in your local Irish centre or hall, full guidance on how to run these are included in this pack