Proposed Structure of Northern Ireland Government

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Lobbying and Advocacy Lisburn Social Economy
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Why Lobby?

• "Many people in politics can tell you what just
  happened to you...you need to change outcomes."
• Tony Podesta,
• Washington Lobbyist

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Why Lobby?

• Influence Government or local policy
• Influence legislation
• Raise awareness and money!
• Bring about change

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Answer these questions to lobby effectively!

• What do we want to do?
• Who can help us/who are our stakeholders?
• What can we ask them to do for us?
• Preparing your case
• Presenting your case
• Supporting your case
• How do we know we are being successful?

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What do you want?

• Be specific about your goals what do you want?
• One thing at a time no shopping lists!
• Have you got the information and research you
  need?
• Have you got solutions - or only problems?

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2. Who can help you?

• Identify your stakeholders in
• Politics
• The community
• Administration
• The media

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Political Relationship Management

MEPs
Peers
MPs/MLAs
Local Councillors
Political Parties
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Targeting for Change
Senior Civil Servants/Special Advisers
Government Department
Civil Service
Parliamentarians and Constituents
Com/Vol Establishment
Minister
Unions, user groups lobby groups
Party Colleagues
Academics, think-tanks experts
Party Members
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Connecting with politicians

• Constituency MLAs/MPs
• Party policy whos writing the manifesto?
• Spokespeople
• Researchers, policy officers
• Ministers, Committee Chairs, All-Party Groups
• Party Conferences fringe meetings
• Meetings, briefings

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Identifying Other Stakeholders

• Test 1 Who is directly impacted by this
  decision/policy/activity?
• Test 2 Who is indirectly impacted .?
• Test 3 Who is potentially impacted ?
• Test 4 Whose help do we need to make the
  activity work..?
• Test 5 Who knows about the subject?
• Test 6 Who will have an interest in the subject?
  

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3. What action do you want?

• Raise awareness of your issue
• Petition
• Deal with local problems/advice
• Influence local council decisions?
• Photo ops
• Policy change
• Funding
• New legislation

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What can they do?

• Meet or write to Ministers on your behalf
• Arrange to meet the Minister/Committee Chair and
  other decision-makers with you
• Ask Parliamentary Questions - for statistics you
  need or for awareness-raising
• Supply reports and other printed information -
  copies of bills etc.
• Sponsor public functions
• Support constituency events
• Sign and deliver petitions

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Preparing Your Case

• Be focused on key issue(s)
• Be specific about your objectives
• Show that change is possible how
• Do your Homework
• Facts to back up your argument
• Current thinking in the party/union/sector
• Current policy situation

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Presenting Your Case

• Get to the point
• Whats in it for them?
• Be clear what you want them to do
• Dont leave a meeting without a commitment
• Build relationships
• Follow-up! Follow-up! Follow-up!

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Supporting your case

• Facts and figures - local!
• Position paper - concise
• Costings of your proposal
• Personal examples - real people
• Devolutionary comparisons
• Good cop, bad cop - the price of inaction
• Possible suggestions
• BUILD SUPPORT IN THE CIRCLES

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Other activities

• Adjournment debates
• Seminars
• Face-to-face briefings
• Friends and members
• Petitions/pledges
• Photocalls
• Media - think pieces
• Pamphlets, articles, debates, books, reports
• E-campaigns

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Other Factors

• When to go public and when to talk privately
• Assess support from your own peers
• Assess threats from peers
• Show awareness of pressures on politicians -
  party, constituency, history, budget, policy
  conflict etc.
• Give back if you can - briefings, stats,
  information, local photo ops etc.
• Always acknowledge support
• Art of the possible

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4. Is it working?

• Divide targets into Supporters/Dont
  Knows/Opposers
• Work on Dont Knows are they changing to
  supporters?
• Assess opposition are they still opposed,
  remaining neutral or actively campaigning
  against?
• Have you opened your case to new audiences?
• Do you have partnerships in weaker areas?

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Work on the Dont Knows

• Keep informed, use as advocates
• Concentrate campaign efforts
• Neutralise arguments, dont squander resources

• SUPPORTIVE
• DONT KNOW
• AGAINST

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Is it working?

• Remember, change does not happen overnight, so
• build in milestones/benchmarks to keep your self
  motivated
• Parties met, meetings held, column inches etc.
• Evaluate, then start steps 1-4 again!

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Lobbying for the Future