Thunderclap over Strasbourg

The first we hear is at the beginning of December.

‘The vote will be this month,’ emails one Member of the European Parliament.  ‘Perhaps on the afternoon of the 15^th.’ 

‘Not possible,’ replies another. ‘That’s a Thursday. Most MEPs will have left Strasbourg by then.’

This vote is on a Resolution we have been working on for a year, a first step towards kick starting research into children’s illnesses. Now it appears that this desperately-needed demand for change will be buried in a late Parliamentary session when most Members will have already left town

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We finally get official word on the Friday afternoon.

‘The voting is now confirmed for next week – here is the draft agenda.’

Having waited six months for our day in Parliament, we find ourselves with barely three working days to prepare the campaign.

In such circumstances, there is only one thing to do. Get on Skype.

The group goes through the options.

The stunts we had talked about, such as a ‘human gold ribbon’ dancing outside the Parliament building, are clearly now non-starters. But we do still have permission for a display in the entrance hall.

Can we get the banner there in time?

Anne says there is an ambulance leaving Luxembourg on Monday morning. She can put the banner in the back and get the driver to drop it off.

Can we get flyers printed? Who’s drafting the press release?

‘And what about the mailing campaign?’  I complain. ‘There isn’t enough time.’

‘Why isn't there?’ asks Nicole. ‘What have we got to lose?’

So, that weekend, we dust off the Letter Writing Toolkit, put it on the front page of the website and appeal for supporters to contact their MEPs.

Within hours, the replies start to stack up.

‘We have sent a letter from the Federacion Española de Padres de Niños con Cancer signed by our president to all the 53 MEP’s. We have sent an email to all our members organizations so as they can do the same and also to our parents.'

 ‘Done! Message sent to French MEPs and all members of SFCE’

At 11.00 a.m. on the 15^th, the day of the vote, messages from 500 supporters surge out simultaneously from a crowd speaking platform, creating a digital ‘thunderclap’ on social media. 

Not much more than an hour later, earlier than expected, the result comes in.

‘Hello all!  We are hearing reports the vote has passed! Should we publish now?’

‘100% sure. All parties were in favour. Sending out the press release – THANK YOU TO EVERYONE for your help!!!’

The success with Resolution 2902 was just one step in a complicated set of manoeuvres over 2016 involving backroom committees, public meetings, position papers and days of action. But what was remarkable about that week in December was how many people became actively engaged in such a short time. As my sister-in-law wrote:

‘Thank you for getting us going on such a worthy cause!’

We have no idea how many MEPs in total were contacted but, from messages we were copied into, we do know that this included every single Member in Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, France, Holland, Ireland, Spain and the UK. We even got Gibraltar!

The replies that have filtered in since from political representatives also demonstrate a depth of understanding that, a short while ago, we would not have thought possible.

Clare Moody, for example, Labour member for the South West, was able to set out our demands probably more clearly than we could ourselves.

      ‘Paediatric Investigation Plan waivers to be based on the mechanism of action of a drug, rather than just the type of condition;

    Paediatric trials to be started earlier in a drug’s development so that children do not wait longer for access to life-saving treatments.’

A message from the friend of a child with cancer put it even more simply:

‘He was lucky enough to be involved in a successful drugs trial when diagnosed and as such received ground-breaking cancer drugs. All children should have access to these at all times, not just by luck.’

A remarkable level of unanimity was also demonstrated. Take the UK, for example, where there was cross-party agreement between Labour, the Tories and the Greens. In addition, Sinn Fein pledged support from both sides of the Irish border, while Diane Dodds of the Democratic Unionist Party wrote this from Northern Ireland.

‘It is absolutely crucial that Government provide the direction required to assist medical researchers and pharmaceutical companies bring forward solutions. Enhancing this cooperation and expertise in a cross-border, international context will be the key to making progress.’

This then was how unified our representatives were in the demand for a new deal for children with cancer. 

Can we claim that our campaign had an impact on the vote? It’s difficult to say. 

Can we learn any lessons from this most recent stage of the campaign? I believe we can. 

For if we can show the kind of discipline, unity and can-do mentality displayed this past month then nothing, no prevarication or bureaucratic hurdles, no corporate interests, not even bloody Brexit, can stop us pushing through for the change we need in 2017.

Happy Christmas, everyone.