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Campaign Census 2021: Template letter to MP

Here are some suggested topics you may wish to cover in a letter/email to your MP. You can find your MP’s email address here.  The text in bright pink is for guidance purposes. We suggest you also copy it for the attention of (FAO) Rt.Hon. Elizabeth Truss and to Sir Ian Diamond at the Office for National Statistics. You can contact Liz Truss in her role as Minister for Women and Equalities here, and you can contact Sir Ian Diamond at the ONS here.


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Dear MP (name)


(Address why the Census is important to you or your community, e.g. it drives many government decisions on things such as health and education.) Women are subject to discrimination and disadvantage on the basis of their sex. In order to address this we need to be counted, we must have data, which needs to be robust and of the highest quality.

I
(read an article/saw a letter in the newspaper/have seen discussions on social media/attended a webinar, (give a reference if you have one, links at the bottom)) about plans for the next Census.

It appears the Census authorities are considering issuing guidance for the question about sex which will allow people to respond without giving their actual sex. They propose to do this even though there is to be a new, separate question on gender identity.
(If you are also concerned about the Census rolling out the idea that we all have a ‘inner gender identity’, you may want to say so here, although some people feel it is useful to have a question on gender identity so we can get data on how many people do subscribe to this idea.)


See point 2, from the
ONS website, here: “The sex question on the census will be mandatory, so will need to be answered by all. However, for those whose gender is different from their sex registered at birth, who may find the question difficult to answer, the answer they provide does not need to be the same as their birth certificate.”


I am concerned
(or other words to describe your feelings) that UK wide Census authorities are ignoring the impact of this guidance on the quality of data collected. Many social statisticians, quantitative social scientists and epidemiologists also raised serious concerns almost a year ago (see this letter to The Sunday Times). I believe there is very little point in the immense amount of time, bureaucracy and money spent on gathering Census information if the information itself is inaccurate; it brings the Census into disrepute and will affect compliance.

I am keen to hear your thoughts on this and would also ask you to raise this with the relevant Minister and the Office for National Statistics as a matter of urgency. The Census takes place in the first half of 2021 and guidance will need to be issued (and printed for those using paper returns) well before it takes place.

Your sincerely,

(Ensure you include your name and address so your MP knows you are a constituent)
.


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Example articles: (You may be aware of others)

The Times - Census Sex Policy Captured by Trans Activists

Census Expert No-Platformed

YouTube Webinar

18 November 2024
FAQs on this landmark case
by Caroline Ffiske 10 October 2024
Will a gender critical barrister feel free to express her views in the workplace? Those of her client in court?
15 July 2024
Almost a year ago I made the difficult decision to retire after the next general election. That election came a little earlier than expected but I made a promise to my family, so I am standing down from both Conservatives for Women and my parliamentary work. I know I am leaving our task in excellent hands; my fellow directors at Conservatives for Women will continue to ensure we solidify the gains we have made within our party, and my dear friends and colleagues in many other groups will hold the new government's feet to the fire. Some of those groups did not even exist three years ago; our movement to restore sanity, safeguarding, and protect our sex-based rights goes from strength to strength. I will be working in parliament until the end of July. I will continue to support our fight in any way I can, and will always be available if I can be of help. I am stepping back, but not completely stepping away. It has been an absolute honour to share this battle with you all. For the foreseeable future though, you will find me listening to Test Match Special in my shed :-) Karen Varley, 15 July 2024
15 July 2024
Five years ago Conservatives for Women was born. We were a group of women shocked by how a marginal, unscientific, and harmful idea was taking centre stage in our shared public life. We knew, like everyone else, that a vanishingly small number of men and women seek to present as the opposite sex in their public and private lives and deserve to be treated civilly. But we did not believe that school children should be taught that ‘everyone has a gender identity’. We knew this involved the State lying to our children. We did not believe that vulnerable children should be supported by the NHS to take experimental drug treatments to suppress their puberty and then move on to cross sex hormones. We instinctively knew this was the State harming our children. We also knew that women had a right to single sex spaces, services, sports, and wider opportunities. And we knew that we had a right to talk about this; yet doing so, five years ago, appeared genuinely frightening. Women were losing their jobs. So a small bunch of Conservative women got together. For several years we worked incredibly closely even though we had never met! Because our goal was clear. We knew that what was going on had to be addressed at a policy level; at a parliamentary level. We needed the Conservative Party to become gender critical. While we worked cooperatively, Karen Varley became our group leader. I expect she had little idea, five years ago, that she would soon be working 70 hour weeks, engaging directly with Ministers, MPs and Peers, tackling serious policy issues in real time. Conservatives for Women, working alongside all the other gender critical groups and grassroots individuals, turned the tide on gender ideology in the UK. Together we created Terf Island. We know that our work is very far from over. But now Karen is retiring and we would like to thank her for a truly immense contribution. She’s played her part in a historic movement. We look forward to someone, someday, writing up this period in full. They will need to talk to Karen. And now our work will continue. Here’s to Karen Varley, grassroots women, and Terf Island! Caroline ffiske, 15 July 2024
12 June 2024
We hope this newsletter finds you well and gearing up for an election battle that’s only just begun, and with the reminder that, however dire the polls, Teresa May had a 20 point lead over Jeremy Corbyn in 2017… and then she published the Conservative manifesto and enraged the public. Her lead plummeted and the Conservative’s majority shrank enough that she had to make a deal with the DUP to command a majority to govern. Labour should be publishing its manifesto tomorrow and there is every chance it contains something that will enrage the public at large. Even if that doesn’t transpire, there is still everything to play for, and to that end, our candidates need your help. We already know the Conservatives have pledged in its manifesto to make the Equality Act clear , to clarify that sex means, and has always meant, biological sex, and not something that can be modified by a piece of paper. This, along with other manifesto commitments, is a measure that will do a great deal to help preserve single sex spaces, and protect the safety and dignity of women and girls. We now need to get out there and make it clear that our candidates not only know what a woman actually is, but will always put the safety, privacy and dignity of women and girls first. If you haven’t read it, the full manifesto can be found here . We highlighted some of the key statements in our X thread here . One of the first candidates to give a clear and well informed response to questions on women’s rights and child safeguarding was Michael Tomlinson , Conservative candidate for Mid Dorset and North Poole. Let us know if your candidate says something useful! Below, we have listed every Conservative candidate who is known to be supportive of our aims. Every one of these candidates needs support, whether it’s through encouraging messages via social media or by offering assistance with canvasing – any and all help, however seemingly small, is desperately needed. This is by no means an exhaustive list, and we are sure there may be more but we wanted to get this out to you quickly. If you see them around and you intend to vote for them, tell them WHY they have your vote. If the opposition asks why you won’t vote for them, tell them too! Women's rights and child safeguarding matter. If you would like to get directly involved with any of the campaigns for the PPCs listed, you should find contact details on their websites; if nobody gets back to you quickly then let us know via a DM on X or email us at info@conservativesforwomen.org as we have direct contact with many of the campaign coordinators. If none of these MPs are local to you, there are still things you can do that help: follow them and like their pages/posts on social media for example. Many have a presence on X, Facebook, and Instagram. You could consider doing some telephone canvassing - just half an hour a day could make a difference to any one of them. Contact them directly - or volunteer via the Conservatives website. Or do call one of our directors Caroline Ffiske on 07712 675 305 if you have not done this before and would like a few tips! Let’s give this one last push before we all mark our Xs on the ballot papers. First of all, the women:
29 September 2023
'Don’t turn your back on women and girls'
by Caroline ffiske 23 August 2023
Conservative MPs and councillors need to pay much closer attention
22 July 2023
Stonewall Chair Comes Unstuck on 'Trans' Issues
by Jeannette Towey 8 April 2023
I am left wondering...
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