A milestone on the Lobbying Act

My team interrupted my Australian holiday last night to let me know some good news from SW1. At long last the Labour Party have committed to repeal the dreadful Lobbying Act if they win power in 2015. Good on Ed.

We’ve spoken with Angela Eagle’s office a lot recently, and I wrote in February to all three party leaders to urge them to commit their parties to repeal. David Cameron wrote back to promise that the act “will only apply to third-party organisations or charities who spend money to procure the electoral success of a particular political party or candidate”. But he didn’t commit to replacing the Act with a better-drafted law. Now Labour have gone one better.

Labour’s commitment means the other parties must follow suit. It’s in their interests, and in the country’s interest, for all parties to commit to rewriting the bad law the government have produced.

But for now ACEVO’s campaign won’t rest. We’ll keep at the Electoral Commission and all the political parties, to make sure that the Lobbying Act regulation for the 2015 election is proportionate and that there’s good plans in place for a replacement law after 2015. You can now find updates on our fantastic new website too. Just go to http://www.acevo.org.uk/campaigns/speaking-truth-power-lobbying-act.

Gagged? We shall see...

So after brave attempts by the Lords to change the 2 most obnoxious remaining bits of the Lobbying Bill we will now have a Lobbying Act. We may live to regret this day.

The real shame was that the staff costs amendment was a tied vote and so fell; which means we only needed one more peer and this would have been carried. It's a lesson for our sector to be more joined up and avoid mixed messages that are used against us.

There are other lessons to learn. Not all bad.

So, for example the work of the cross-sector Commission on Civil Society (www.civilsocietycommission.info) showed how we can come together across the wide diversity of our many, many charities when faced with a challenge.

However our work is not done. We now need to:

•  give advice to charities and campaigning bodies on what they can and can't do
  
• encourage charity leaders not to impose their own gag on what they do. As the recent report of the Independence Panel chaired by Sir Roger Singleton showed, there are strong dangers of self censorship; that CEOs and trustees are frightened off doing any campaigning for fear of falling foul of this new law or the bureaucracy it involves
  
•   we must monitor the effects of this new law. This was one of the key recommendations of the Commission. We'll ensure we have the evidence to persuade the next Government to make necessary changes.
  
• and finally ACEVO - and colleagues in our sister bodies - need to provide the support and advice charities need to get through this new minefield of red tape and to encourage all sector leaders to continue to speak truth to power. Knowing my members as I do I'm sure they won't be put off doing what's right by a piece of mean-minded legislation!

Yes we can!

So the Lords have come up trumps! We won the amendment to remove constituency limits in the Lobbying Bill. Acevo welcomed the Government changes to the Bill but we said there were 2 remaining obstacles; staff costs (we won that one last week) and constituency limits.

It’s actually quite unusual to win an amendment at the third reading stage of a Bill. As reported by Politics Home,

"16:55 Peers vote 248-222 on #LobbyingBill 3rd Reading (tad unusual) amendt re: NGO/charity campaigning activity."

It reflects the strength of feeling across parties on this measure and the power of the cross-sector Commission on Civil Society that ACEVO helped form.

So the pressure is now on government not to try and overturn these changes in the Commons. That would be unwise and I urge them to accept the strength of feeling on these 2 issues. They are both major changes to the previous electoral regime and represent a huge barrier to charities playing their full role in the democratic process; engaging with the top national debates and ensuring challenge and scrutiny for our putative legislators. This lobbying bill has done significant damage to our international reputation and the standing of our charity sector. Good sense would point to the Government accepting this cross-party consensus. 

The wider message is one I'm going to talk about tonight at our ACEVO AGM. We faced a range of challenges last year. But we go into 2014 in an optimistic frame of mind. Our message about how democracy relies on a vibrant civil society and how our public services need more third sector delivery is gaining traction.

I got the good news whilst having dinner in Westminster with a fundraiser for social finance. I raised a glass to our wise and sensible Lords, and to the skill and sagacity of The Lord Harries of Pentagarth who has so expertly led the Civil Society Commission.

I’ll post my AGM speech later. Bet you can't wait! Which reminds me that Twitter has been alive with comments on my recent leadership article in the Guardian. Headlined "leave your ego at the door" it has divided those who got the irony and those who were outraged. It certainly got a titter round the office - though I can't imagine why? And proves the point that a great headline gets your articles read!

Lobbying Bill; breaking news!

Today the government will table significant amendments to their ill thought through Lobbying bill. ACEVO and key Commission members had a helpful meeting yesterday to be told of the concessions. Good.

ACEVO resolved to help set up the Commission on Civil Society with more than a hundred civil society organisations because the charity sector works best when we work together. We now have begun to see the fruits of that engagement. Greg Clark MP (leading on Bill) and Nick Hurd MP have done a great job of listening to the Commission’s concerns.

So credit where it is due. Too often the sector can seem grudging when we achieve change. Or we turn a victory into defeat. So ACEVO is happy to acknowledge the major shift since this Bill was introduced.

We recognise that the government has listened and we welcome the amendments proposed. I thank Lord Harries of the Commission and its members (who include our ACEVO Chair, Lesley-Anne Alexander) for their excellent work in the last few months on the sector’s behalf.

Clearly, there remain outstanding issues with the bill. And we will continue to push for change. We would still like the government to consider removing staff costs from the bill’s restrictions. We must continue to make the argument against the proposed £10,000 cap on spending in one constituency by a charity or campaign group. But we believe that the commission has established a positive dialogue with government and we look forward to discussing these matters going forward.

 But our campaigners believe defeat is still likely in the House of Lords next week unless there are further concessions on the a2 key issues we have raised.

It all proves again just how much clout the Lords can wield with sufficient cross-party backing. Yesterday saw the 84th Government defeat in the Lords since 2010 (on the ‘criminalise annoyance’ plan), which given the Coalition’s increase in peers is all the more remarkable.

Our revising chamber is doing its work. And our charity world has risen to the challenge posed to our right to speak truth to power; another example of the danger that awaits any Government that attacks the charity sector. 

Adieu, Sir Nick...

We were going round in circles at the time (in the revolving restaurant of the BT Tower as it happens) . Apt somewhat, as I was chatting to Andrew Lansley MP about the Lobbying Bill – as you might expect. I was making my helpful suggestion of a "pause" and listening exercise on the Bill; as suggested by the superb report from the Commission on Civil Society. He laughed, which I think means no. But we will see. There is major support for the work of the Commission across the Lords (and the Commons too). All the talks that acevo has been having across the parties indicates deep concern. So I'm sure the Lords will make amendments! Even if we don't win the argument on a pause. The trick then is to persuade Government to accept those changes.

A gathering of the great and the good to celebrate the work and achievements of fellow Knight and friend Nick Partridge, who has run Terence Higgins with such distinction for years. He is the sector's guru on mergers, having done over 30 of them.

The story of HIV/ Aids has been an object lesson in how citizens or "patients" can make an impact on the medical profession in the way treatments and care are delivered. And an object lesson in challenging stereotypes and bigotry. It was fitting that Norman Fowler was there; he was SoS of Health at the time the AIDS scare was at its peak. He provided strong leadership in challenging prejudice and was behind one of the world's most successful advertising campaigns; the tombstone ones that many of us will remember. At the time I was the Chair of the Landmark, which was South London's equivalent of the more famous Lighthouse (though Diana also was involved with us and indeed opened the Centre).

Nick with the new interim CEO of Terence Higgins.

Looking at my house on Brixton Hill (can you spot it?). 

 Home late, after an unhealthy amount of canapes, champagne, gossip and  sector companionship (good old BT for providing such a fitting send off)!