Campaigning for Justice in Scotland

                                   

Each campaign requires a different approach. You will need to think about who you wish to target with your campaign and which techniques will be most effective in reaching them. This handbook looks at many different audiences and techniques.

There are five golden rules that must be followed by anyone running a campaign:

1. Aims

Set your objectives at the beginning of the campaign and make sure everyone involved agrees these aims. Firstly decide whether a campaign is necessary. There will also be times when a matter can be resolved without the need for a campaign.

Two of the main reasons why campaigns fail is that people are not clear what they want, or set unrealistic objectives.

2. Information

Get accurate information and evidence to support your case. The secret of any successful campaign is finding the evidence that will convince people of your argument. Whatever evidence you use, it is crucial to have the information the media, the public and decision-makers want and understand.

3. Audience

Decide who you need to influence and think about which campaigning methods will be best. Now that you know what you want, you need to consider who will make the decisions that will make your campaign successful. For instance,  the local MP, the Justice Minister,First Minister (Scotland), Prime Minister, The Law Society or MEP's. 

It may be a combination of these decision-makers.

4. Timing

Make sure you know when key decisions will be taken, i.e. votes in the justice system or when local elections are taking place.

Make sure the people you are trying to influence are properly briefed well before the date of any vote and it is worth contacting people again just to remind them of your campaign aims.

5. Partnerships

Involve other people and groups who share your views and may be able to support and help you campaign. Your campaign is much more likely to succeed if there are a lot of people working together towards the same goal. For example, asking for Disclosure and transparency in all cases, as such policies will also affect the people they represent.

The decision-makers will be more likely to listen to your concerns if they see that a number of different interests are represented.

It is worth approaching local figures of influence, such as the Lord Provost or local celebrities, for their support. These people will make it much more likely that you get press coverage.

Running your campaign

Once you have looked at the things to consider when starting a campaign, it is time to put these ideas into practice. Careful planning will help to make your message much clearer.

How do I start a local campaign?

The success or failure of a campaign often depends on its organisation. To get the maximum impact, you need to be sure you always have good information to back up your argument and that you do the right thing at the right time.

Give people different tasks

It is very helpful to get a group of people to commit to doing particular jobs. For example, one person could co-ordinate media contacts; another could develop a newsletter, while others could develop links with decision-makers. The secret is for people to work together.

Setting up a meeting

A meeting of all the people who may be affected by the issue will help you to determine exactly how strong public feeling is. Publicise the meeting well in a variety of places. Contact other groups of people who may be interested in the issue and ask them to attend.

Invite a guest speaker

Who you invite will depend on the campaign, but you should look for someone who is sympathetic to your cause and an expert in the field. This could be a sympathetic MP, someone who has experience in campaigning, or someone who has been a victim of a miscarriage of justice.

Determine your objectives as a group

You may have already determined your objectives for yourself, but it is important that the other people at the meeting are clear about the campaign’s objectives and agree with them. You will then need to make sure the majority of people agree with the key objectives.

Arrange to meet again

Many campaigns start with the best of intentions but quickly lose momentum. Set the date of the next meeting at the first meeting. Make sure you write down action points people have agreed to, and hold them to it. It is important to have one person to co-ordinate meetings.

Campaigning methods

In recent years, groups have experimented with ways to make their campaign stand out from the rest. ‘Fathers for Justice’ received a great deal of publicity by dressing as superheroes and climbing famous buildings!

In this section we will look at some of the more established methods, which are often still the most effective.

Letter writing

You can write a letter as an individual, raising your concerns with decision-makers or developing contacts. This can often be an effective way of drawing attention to a certain situation.

Writing as an individual or group

At the beginning of your campaign, writing letters can be crucial in raising awareness of your issue. The first letter could be from the chair of your local group. Try to make contact with local people of influence, as well as other groups and individuals who may benefit from the campaign too.

Letter writing campaigns

The best type of model is where the basic facts are the same on each letter, but there is room for people to insert personal details. It is important that letters highlight individual concerns as the person receiving the letters will pay much less attention to them if they all look the same.

Writing to the press

Letters sent to newspaper editors can be very effective in raising the profile of a campaign. Local councillors and MPs always read the local paper to pick up on issues. It is crucial to remember that when you do write a letter to a newspaper that you are sure of any facts or figures you may have included in your letter.

Writing petitions

Petitions can be an effective and cheap way of rallying support for your campaign. They can also be a very useful method for showing how large your support is, especially if you get as many people as possible to sign.

If you petition your local authority, you will get a formal response. Ring your local town hall or council offices to find out the best way of presenting your petition.

When designing your petition, make the statement clear so members of the public can understand the issue.

Leaflets

Leafleting can be an effective way to raise the profile of your issue. You can present information about your campaign in a simple and accessible way. Leaflets might be useful if you plan to have a stand in your town centre, particularly if you are trying to get people to sign a petition.

• Try to limit the information to three key points.
• Put details on any meetings, events etc clearly on the leaflet.
• Always include the contact details of your organisation, charity number etc.

Holding a demonstration or a lobby of MPs or other officials.

These can be a great way to get publicity, especially if a large number of people attend. Always think about how others will perceive your action, and whether this will help or hinder your campaign.

Send out a press release before the event to make sure that the press know about it should they want to report on it.

Direct action

This is a campaigning method where the people involved take action which has a direct impact on the situation. For example, staging a sit-in or boycotting goods, or lying down in the road to stop traffic.

Direct action may involve breaking the law. If you are in any doubt, you should seek legal advice before taking direct action.

Keeping the momentum going in your campaign

Many campaigns start with the best of intentions but as time goes by, you might find that enthusiasm begins to dwindle. If people have specific roles to fulfil, they are more likely to remain involved. Tasks people could do include looking after the group’s finances, chairing meetings or producing a newsletter (this could have the added advantage of keeping others informed about your campaigning activities).

Another way of ensuring continued interest is to keep everyone informed of developments within the campaign.

Using the media

The media is one of the best ways of reaching big audiences and getting your campaigning messages across. Newspapers, radio and television are the main ways that people find out about issues that concern them.

There are many reasons why you might want to seek publicity for your campaigning activities:

• to publicise an event you have organised
• to encourage people to support you
• to share with people what you have or are about to achieve.

Case studies are a very effective way to get the media interested.

The more people who know about the issues affecting miscarriage of justice victims and their families, the more likely they are to support you.

Contacting the media

Find out which are the newspapers and radio stations that cover your area.

Before you speak to an editor, producer or journalist it is important to be prepared. You may want to fax or send a press release first and follow this up with a phone call.

Check who is the right person to contact at your local paper. Call up and ask who to send your press release to and find out when their deadlines are.

Regional daily and weekly papers can be used to publicise any activities you may be organising. Publication of a photograph will add impact to your campaign especially if it is interesting or eye-catching!

Radio

Appearing on your local radio station has similar advantages to gaining coverage in your local paper.

• Listen to your local radio stations to get a feel for the sort of stories they cover. Decide who your story might be of interest to and then contact someone on the news desk.
• When appearing on the radio go equipped with a short list of key points you want to make in your interview. Practice what you are going to say beforehand and this will make you more relaxed during the interview.

Writing a press release

When you start to write a press release it can help to write down a list of everything you want to say.

Remember to include the following:

• what is happening
• why it’s happening
• when it’s happening
• where it’s happening
• who is involved.

Put the most important information in the first two paragraphs, with more detail and background information coming later in the text.

Always keep any press release short and to the point. Journalists will receive many press releases in a day and won’t read through long wordy text.

Working with politicians

MPs are the most important people to aim your campaign at as they take your questions and queries to Government Officials. It is crucial that you have as much information as possible about the decisions taken by the Justice System.

Elected Councillors: Councillors are elected to represent the people in a ward. They usually represent one of the main political parties. A councillor can take up an issue with the Government and MPs on behalf of an individual in their ward.

• Go to Council meetings where you can ask questions or listen to debates. You can ask your councillor to find out information for you.
• MPs can also have a lot of influence in their constituencies. You could invite your MP to visit your group or to an event you are having.
• You can find out who your local councillor is by contacting the Council.
• The leaders of each main party are a good source of information.