Write to your MP about comics – the expanded version

Simon Russell has requested this letter be sent to your local MP, helping support the wider world of U.K. comics.

“It’s very exciting to see LICAF and Mark Fuller/Comic Book UK getting some MPs on board to put a statement supporting comics on record in Parliament.

 But…

 The draft text only lists themselves as important parts of the UK comic industry, for some reason,

 so it’s been suggested by other groups that we ask our local MPs to support the EDM with the amendments below

 (basic parliamentary procedure is to allow amendments to get more MPs to support something)

An EMD is a nice thing with little real world impact, but if the statement read in to public record only mentions two organisations it is a bit parochial and makes the national industry and culture look smaller than it is – which risks tying just those two organisations to Comics in the mind of any funders or investors.

We want local MPs where voters have an interest in comics to agree to support the EDM but with the new text below.

 If you agree please consider sending individual or group letters to your MP and ask them to join in the celebration of LICAF, CBUK and ALL of UK comics activity.

___________________________

 Dear [LOCAL MP – find yours here: https://www.writetothem.com%5D

 We are greatly heartened by the submission of an Early Day Motion calling for Parliament to recognise the British comics industry and the role of comics in encouraging a love of reading.

 However, with so many of your constituents involved in the making or reading of comics, we feel the proposed text is too narrow to fully reflect this growing industry and the diversity of groups we ourselves are involved with.

 We request that as our MPs, you support the EDM with the following amendments (max 250 words as per https://guidetoprocedure.parliament.uk/articles/XpFacnQ8/how-to-amend-an-early-day-motion) to better reflect the scale and depth of engagement with this art form nationally:

 That this House celebrates the UK’s vibrant and flourishing comic industry and its creators’ contributions to one of our most inclusive artforms; praises the ingenuity and originality of British comic artists and publishers; congratulates the many groups and organisations working to develop and grow the potential of Comics in the UK, including: The Cartoon Museum in London, championing comic art and highlighting its value to culture and society since 2006; the annual Thought Bubble Comic Art Festival (since 2007) in Yorkshire, the Lakes International Comic Art Festival (since 2013) in Bowness, and the many event organisers across the country who volunteer their time promoting the diversity and creativity of comic art and activity; welcomes The Comics Cultural Impact Collective’s data-led approach to raising awareness of the cultural and financial impact of comics in the UK; notes the launch of Comic Book UK as a new voice for the industry, including the publishers of some of the world’s most celebrated comics and best known characters; thanks community groups like LD Comics (since 2009) and the creators of a multitude of podcasts and comic clubs for their dedication to expanding engagement and understanding of comics; and further celebrates the potential of comics to inspire a love of reading and engagement in creativity among people of all backgrounds, and to showcase the UK as a creative powerhouse on an international stage.

 FOR REFERENCE, the current 100-word text below makes the industry seem limited to just two organisations, inadvertently underplaying the amount of involvement nationally:

 That this House celebrates the UK’s vibrant and flourishing comic industry; praises the ingenuity and originality of British comic artists and publishers; notes the launch of Comic Book UK as a representative voice for the industry, which includes the publishers of some of the world’s most celebrated comics and best known characters; recognises the influence of the Lakes International Comic Art Festival, held annually in Bowness, in promoting the diversity and creativity of comic art old and new; and further celebrates the potential of comics to inspire a love of reading and engagement in creativity among people of all backgrounds.”