LibDems: please take 5 minutes to write to your MP on Article 50

BRITS IN THE EU:  PLEASE TAKE 5 MINUTES TO WRITE TO YOUR MP ABOUT ARTICLE 50 Dear fellow Lib Dem in Europe, Tomorrow, 13th March, is Article 50 crunch time. The Bill returns to the House of Commons where the Government is urging MPs to overturn the Lords’ amendments that would unilaterally guarantee the rights of EU nationals in the UK and give Parliament a meaningful vote on the final terms of the EU exit deal. Given that the exit talks are expected to be very difficult it is absolutely essential that the rights of EU nationals are protected and that Parliament gets a proper say on what the Government negotiates on our behalf. What can I do? Please take a few minutes this Sunday to write to your existing or former MP to ask them to support the Lords’ amendments. Below you will find two versions of a suggested letter which you can amend and send to your MP. There are also links to help you identify who your current or former one is. Think your e-mail won't count? Then think again. The Government's majority is small (12 MPs)  so every MP who supports the amendments will make a difference. How do I find my MP? You can find your MP here: http://www.parliament.uk/mps-lords-and-offices/mps/ from where you were last registered to vote. The email address is the same as for members of the Lords. NameInitial@parliament.uk Many thanks to those of you who lobbied the House of Lords last weekend. Best wishes and thanks. Laura Laura Shields Chair, Brussels and Europe Liberal Democrats https://uklibdems.eu/en/ Twitter: @brusselslibdems @mediawhizz Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/UKLibDems.eu Facebook 2: https://www.facebook.com/BritsAbroadYestoEurope/ Suggested letter to MPs Dear Mr/Ms X, I am writing to you as a British constituent of yours being on the overseas electoral register for the {Name} Constituency and currently live in {country}. OR: I am writing to you as a British citizen resident in {country} who will join the overseas electoral register of your {Name} Constituency in time for the next General Election in 2020. I was extremely concerned that the European Union (Notification of Withdrawal) Bill to trigger Article 50 would pass the House of Lords with barely any obligations on the Government when it started its negotiations on Brexit on our behalf. However, I was relieved to see that the House voted in favour of a unilateral decision to protect the rights of EU citizens in the UK. We British immigrants living elsewhere in the EU welcome this and also see it as a way to anchor the Government in negotiating on our behalf. It will also be a welcome good will gesture to our current EU partners at the beginning of difficult negotiations. Following the Supreme Court ruling of 24 January 2017, that Parliament must be consulted before triggering Article 50, I strongly believe that our Houses of Parliament should have a meaningful vote on the final Agreement that the Government negotiates with the EU. If the Parliaments of the other 27 Member States, and the European Parliament, have a vote then our national Parliament at Westminster must have the right too, to accept or reject the final settlement. This also was approved in amendment by the House of Lords. Therefore, I urge you to please vote in favour of the Brexit Bill as amended by the House of Lords. Please do not seek to remove these two amendments. If the Government succeeds in removing these amendments, I urge you to vote against the triggering of Article 50. Yours sincerely, Name

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BlogNote: currently UK citizens can only vote in UK elections if they have been abroad less than 15 years, even if "abroad" is a country in the EU. The Conservatives promised to scrap this rule in their 2015 manifesto. They did not, and in fact fought a petition to allow British citizens in other EU countries a vote in the infamous "Brexit" referendum all the way to the Supreme Court.