English Chess Forum

There is currently an Early Day Motion to support Chess in Schools and Communities. There is some discussion on the content of the EDM and wider questions in this thread: Adding chess to the school curriculum. But just a simple question here.

It seems the CSC team are interested in which MPs have been contacted, so if you answer yes they would probably be grateful if you say who your MP is.

So far:
Mike Truran has written to the MP for Witney, David Cameron
I have written to the MP for Maidenhead, Teresa May

...and both emails will be a waste of time, at least as far as signing the EDM is concerned.

By strict convention, no member of the Government - that is, no serving minister at any level - can sign an EDM. That removes 100+ MPs straightaway. I'm not sure if the convention extends to Shadow ministers, but it seems likely (another 50 MPs). Exhortations in this direction will lead nowhere. Chairs of Select Committees can sign as far as I'm aware. But few will in practice (50 more)

The EDM is very much reserved for backbenchers

Oh dear.

Mike Truran wrote:Oh dear.

I'd like to second the opinion of my honourable friend.

If anyone has an MP who could actually sign, their support would be more useful.

David Robertson wrote: The EDM is very much reserved for backbenchers

Is there a readily available list of such persons?

To generate lists of MPs, try here http://www.parliament.uk/mps-lords-and-offices/mps/
To discover which are members of the government, try here http://www.parliament.uk/mps-lords-and- ... overnment/

Brendan O'Gorman wrote:To generate lists of MPs, try here http://www.parliament.uk/mps-lords-and-offices/mps/
To discover which are members of the government, try here http://www.parliament.uk/mps-lords-and- ... overnment/

Thanks. I'm after a list of backbenchers: is that available?

The first list minus the second.

'Backbencher' is not a Parliamentary category. It's a term we use as shorthand for 'not Government'. So no list will exist. Brendan is trying to be as helpful as means allow by providing a list (A) of all MPs; and a list (B) of Government & Shadow members. Hence, the list you seek is approximately the residue of (A) - (B)

[edit] ah, beaten to it

MP for Newton Abbot - Anne Marie Morris (con)

not that I expect anything to happen given that she appears to have done pretty much nothing on any front so far

Written to Chuka Umunna (Labour - Streatham)

I've just read the text of Early day motion 2158.

Wasn't something similar passed (or debated at least) about 10 years ago during the campaign to get chess recognised as a sport?

Might write to my MP (Nigel Evans - one of the 3 Deputy Speakers) as he has more influence these days.

I think a push to get chess on the BBC would be more beneficial.

Can't help I'm afraid - when I first voted for him, my MP (John Hayes) was a backbencher, but now he's Minister for Further Education.

I have written to Alan Campbell MP from Tynemouth constituency.