Concrete political actions
Jan. 31st, 2025 06:07 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dolorosa_12I'm not doing a Friday open thread this week, as I've got too much going on over the weekend to be able to respond to a lot of comments.
Instead, I thought I'd gather together a bunch of calls to political action that I've seen over the past week or so. They cover a range of countries, and all include specific, tangible actions that you can take.
In the United Kingdom
Via![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
thissterlingcrew, a petition calling on Parliament to tighten the rules on political donations, particularly loopholes that allow ultra-rich individuals or foreign state actors to funnel their donations through a UK-registered company.
Once you have signed the petition, I would urge you to contact your MP about this as well, since petitions do not register with as great an effect as a personalised email.
The UK government is holding a consultation on copyright and (extractive) AI. If you feel strongly about this, you have until 25th February to respond, via webform or email.
In the European Union
There is an EU citizens' initiative to ban conversion therapy in the EU. My understanding is that for this to succeed, it must meet a minimum number of signatures across multiple (although not all) EU countries, so if you are eligible to sign, please do so, and spread the word. This needs to meet the threshold by 17th May.
In the United States
In thethisfinecrew comm, chestnut_pod has posted information about calling elected representatives in response to the federal funding freeze.
In Ukraine
One of the awful consequences of the US federal funding freeze is its catastrophic effect on independent journalism, and grassroots civil society organisations in Ukraine.
Olga Rudenko, editor-in-chief of the English-language Kyiv Independent media outlet has outlined the probable consequences of this aid freeze. Her outlet is in good financial shape, because they are fully funded by reader subscriptions — but many other organisations are less fortunate. In her editorial, she lists some outlets, and ways to fund them. The Kyiv Independent has launched a crowdfunding campaign — not for themselves, but to fund smaller outlets that are based in frontline regions (Kharkiv city, Sumy city, and Mykolaiv city).
Anastasia Lapatina, a freelance Ukrainian journalist (and Kyiv Independent alumna), has put together another list of media outlets and civil society organisations, and how to fund them.
I will be donating to the crowdfunder, and picking two outlets from the above lists to which to make monthly subscriptions. If you are financially able, I would encourage you to do something similar — as this is action you can take in response to the federal funding freeze, even if you are not a US citizen.
Please consider this blanket permission to share this post widely, including off Dreamwidth if you use other platforms.
Instead, I thought I'd gather together a bunch of calls to political action that I've seen over the past week or so. They cover a range of countries, and all include specific, tangible actions that you can take.
In the United Kingdom
Via
thissterlingcrew, a petition calling on Parliament to tighten the rules on political donations, particularly loopholes that allow ultra-rich individuals or foreign state actors to funnel their donations through a UK-registered company. Once you have signed the petition, I would urge you to contact your MP about this as well, since petitions do not register with as great an effect as a personalised email.
The UK government is holding a consultation on copyright and (extractive) AI. If you feel strongly about this, you have until 25th February to respond, via webform or email.
In the European Union
There is an EU citizens' initiative to ban conversion therapy in the EU. My understanding is that for this to succeed, it must meet a minimum number of signatures across multiple (although not all) EU countries, so if you are eligible to sign, please do so, and spread the word. This needs to meet the threshold by 17th May.
In the United States
In the
thisfinecrew comm, chestnut_pod has posted information about calling elected representatives in response to the federal funding freeze.In Ukraine
One of the awful consequences of the US federal funding freeze is its catastrophic effect on independent journalism, and grassroots civil society organisations in Ukraine.
Olga Rudenko, editor-in-chief of the English-language Kyiv Independent media outlet has outlined the probable consequences of this aid freeze. Her outlet is in good financial shape, because they are fully funded by reader subscriptions — but many other organisations are less fortunate. In her editorial, she lists some outlets, and ways to fund them. The Kyiv Independent has launched a crowdfunding campaign — not for themselves, but to fund smaller outlets that are based in frontline regions (Kharkiv city, Sumy city, and Mykolaiv city).
Anastasia Lapatina, a freelance Ukrainian journalist (and Kyiv Independent alumna), has put together another list of media outlets and civil society organisations, and how to fund them.
I will be donating to the crowdfunder, and picking two outlets from the above lists to which to make monthly subscriptions. If you are financially able, I would encourage you to do something similar — as this is action you can take in response to the federal funding freeze, even if you are not a US citizen.
Please consider this blanket permission to share this post widely, including off Dreamwidth if you use other platforms.
no subject
Date: 2025-03-02 03:36 pm (UTC)you don't know me, but I've been seeing your posts on Ukraine via Network over the last two years, and I just wanted to thank you for your information posts, especially regarding organisations to donate to - I'd have found the vetting somewhat overwhelming so your posts have been hugely helpful to me.
no subject
Date: 2025-03-02 04:07 pm (UTC)