The Convention on Modern Liberty - What Next?

CML Doc 17: Sample email messages of congratulations after 28 February 2009

CML Doc 17: Sample email messages of congratulations after 28 February 2009

Convention Sample of Messages of Congratulations

Dear Henry

I got your address from Kate Reardon.  I wanted to pass on my congratulations and thanks for organising the Convention on Modern Liberty, which I hope and trust is the beginning of something big.  Alas filming commitments prevented me from attending in person, but I’ve read extensive coverage and it seems like you have a hit on your hands.  What’s next? When can I get stuck in?

In solidarity

Sam (West)

————-

Anthony, Henry

I am sure you are already overwhelmed by messages of congrats for the weekend’s convention. It was a truly remarkable event. You should be justly proud of what you achieved. I was honoured to play a small walk on part!

Kind regards

Iain  (Iain Dale, TotalPolitics.com)

————-

I’m sure you know that you achieved something remarkable, but I just wanted to reinforce the message. It will change things.  Wrote something here http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7914828.stm – and will do more.

So -what now?

(Bill Thompson)

————-

Dear Anthony,

Just a quick note to say well done for a fantastic conference. You have really put the subject on to some sort of communal map, and I think the repercussions will be going far and wide, sometimes in ways you’ll never know. I know that is true for its effects on me, and it will be for others too.  All best wishes and thanks for including me,

Ivo (Ivo Mosley)

————-

What a triumph!

I just wanted to add my heartfelt thanks and congratulations to the hundreds you have undoubtedly received from other attendees, for inspiring and organising  such a profound and spectacular event.

I thought that the organisation of the Convention was absolutely impeccable and that the speeches and all the contributions were of an amazingly high standard. I certainly learnt a lot and the whole experience has given me fresh hope and provided me with new ideas for the future.

Please pass on my sincere thanks to all those involved.

You should be very pleased and very very proud.

Kind Regards,

Peter

————-

Heartfelt Congratulations to you and your colleagues, Henry. I attended the Cardiff event, and it was so invigorating to be a part of the day. Thank you….

Robert Woodley

————-

I want to thank you for organising the Convention on Modern Liberty. My son Martin Thomas told me about it, perhaps because I had been banging on about civil liberties – the erosion of freedom has been my obsession  for years – and it  was a wonderful day. You were brilliant to bring together so many inspiring speakers and sensible thinkers. My only disappointment was that you didn’t speak yourself.

I came away from Bedford Way encouraged to realise that I am not a lone voice crying in the Cornish wilderness but discouraged by realising that I still don’t know what to do about it. If you get involved with organising further meetings or action, I’d be very glad if you would include me on lists of eager participants. Meanwhile, my congratulations and gratitude.

With all best wishes,

Jessica

————-

As someone who knows the amount of organisational work, sleepless nights, debate and sweat that is needed to pull off an event as large and as lively as the CML, I just wanted to congratulate you for making it such a success.

I really hope this is just the start and the discussions raised and the new networks, alliances and contacts forged by attendees will have a major impact in the fight to defend (and increase) our freedoms in the UK and beyond. I look forward to the prospect of a CML 2010 but – hopefully – a number of follow-up events / campaigns before that!

All the best

Patrick Hayes

————-

I wanted to congratulate you on the Convention. I thought this morning that it was shaping up very nicely…It is not only critical  to avoid rights becoming a sectarian issue, it is also obviously essential to have the broadest possible conversations- including  dificult ones.

Ken (Macdonald QC)

————-

All best

Jo Glanville

Editor, Index on Censorship

————-

As promised, you got the main thread on PoliticalBetting.com for pretty much the whole day, and the response was very positive indeed. You can see the article and comments here:

http://politicalbetting.com/index.php/archives/2009/02/28/can-civil-liberties-have-an-impact/ .

All the best

Greg

————-

Just to congratulate you on the event. A great success which I’m sure achieved your main aim. Now, la lotta continua – and will be difficult – but you’ve created a springboard for it.

M (Marcel Berlins)

————-

Dear Guy,

Many thanks for your kind message about Saturday’s Convention.  I was delighted to take part in such a triumphant day.  I was hugely impressed by it all, and also by the fact that you managed to attract such amazing press coverage – afterwards as well as before.

Warmest congratulations all round.  It was also very nice to see you again, and seeming so flourishing.

Best of luck with everything, Quentin

Quentin Skinner

————-

Dear Guy,

My session was packed, and the debate was well received.  I think all the participants enjoyed it, and the range of ideas they offered was very wide.  All in all the day seemed a significant success, although it would have benefited from a robust front-bench Labour defence of its current policies.  I look forward to seeing the online version of the sessions I missed.

Kind regards,

David (David Elstein)

————-

Congratulations on an incredible Convention – it must have taken a lot of painstaking organisation.

Best, Dominic (Raab)

————-

Dear Henry,

What a triumph!  A sell out and so much media attention.  You have done something wonderful.  Many congratulations.  Thank you so much for inviting me to speak.  I was proud to take part and thoroughly enjoyed myself.

Harriet (Sergeant)

————-

Dear Anthony and Henry

A new coalition of peoples was formed and most importantly their deep concerns articulated.  Everyone was there – right left – political civic – young and old….  It was quite fantastic and the politics of the future have been shaped by today – and by you both! Extraordinary in the real meaning of the word….

You must be so proud and congratulations!

Laura (Sandys)

————-

Dear Henry

Saturday was an absolute triumph. It must have been an extraordinarily huge undertaking to set the whole thing up but you scored big time. The quality of the speakers and panels were so high and the debate so interesting. I was thrilled and educated by the experience.

Thank you so much for arranging entry for me and Emily (who was thrilled by the whole thing) and many, many congratulations on a big achievement in pushing these issues way up the flagpole.

Emma (Soames)

————-

Dear Anthony and Henry,

What a wonderful convention you put together for us! Many, many congratulations.  I only wish we had all been able to go to all the sessions and hear every single one of the speakers. With my English PEN hat, let me just say that we would like to help in any way we can to keep the energy of the day going.  If you want to get together to brainstorm next steps, just say. It seems to me that amongst the many things we need to do is to keep the Tories focussed on  their perhaps loosely given promises.  I had a word with Dominic and he promised to send me a list of the actual laws they intend to repeal…  Then, too, it really was depressing to see so few of the labour cohort there.  How can we engage them?

All best and thank you again

Lisa Appignanesi

President English PEN

————-

Dear Anthony,

You should be incredibly proud of yourself. The Convention was an astonishing feat. And the movement is clearly only beginning.

Thank you

Dr.Susan Richards, Editor openDemocracy Russia

————-

First, thanks once again for fixing the tickets. It was a remarkable success. great day all round. Now for the moan. When I went to the web site this morning to make a proper donation I got the following message: THIS EVENT HAS ENDED. And the donation option has ended as well. Surely that can’t be right? There has to be follow through to have any meaning. Liked column about it , by the way.

David Blake

————-

Henry,

Congratulations on the brilliant Convention yesterday. It was inspiring, informative and practical.  The discussion and the example set by you and the other organizers pointed the way to practical action to roll back the zombie control freaks in Britain.

Regards,

Hugh (Hugh Sandeman)

————-

Hello Guy,

I’m a Politics student at Varndean College in Brighton and I thought I’d write in to say how pleased I was with the convention.  The convention has really given me a brilliant range of opinions and quotes to use in future essays, not to mention in various ‘debates’ with authoritarian politicians. As I mentioned in the guest book, it really was fantastic to be there.

There was such a brilliant feeling in the atmosphere – a feeling of freedom, a reminder that people do care about the erosion of our liberties.

It often feels like nobody seems to care about civil liberties – a common response to my argument being – ‘but it’s for stopping terrorists‘. It sometimes feels as though I am the only rational human being in existence – particularly in discussions with my local MP (an authoritarian nitwit with the irrational paranoia of Heinrich Himmler). For once, thinking about the current state of affairs wasn’t depressing – I felt like I was among ‘humans’ again!

The wide range of speakers was just fantastic! I particularly enjoyed Shami Chakrabarti, Helena Kennedy, David Davis (I don’t particularly like the chap, nor do I like the Tories, though he is a good speaker and he made some good points), Dominic Grieve (another tory, although he made some good points also), Chris Huhne, and Phillip Pullman (his speech was absolutely superb). It was great to see Phil Booth in person, although he was only on stage for a minute or two and I didn’t attend any of the sessions that he was involved in. I particularly enjoyed the discussion on constitutional reform as well as the morning session on The Police.  The only disappointing aspect of the convention was that there so many brilliant speakers in 22 different sessions, yet it was only possible to attend 2 of the sessions. I understand there  has been some debate as to whether to hold a follow-up convention next February. Personally, I think it would be a good idea as the ‘battle’ for civil liberties is ongoing and it is important that we stay up to date.

Sincerely,

Zach Woodham

————-

Thank you, I enjoyed it thoroughly, our discussion was lively, and frankly it could have gone on all afternoon. It was standing room only. What struck me about our particular debate was its emphasis on England and a slightly eurosceptic air. There seemed to be a sense that now was a good time to reclaim the best parts of English history and use them as pathbreakers to the future. There was also something of an emphasis on a conservative radical tradition, that radicalism was neither exclusively left- nor right-wing.

Paul Lay, Editor

(History Today)

————-

Guy/Anthony -

I was more than impressed by the whole event and the impact achieved.

Congratulations.

Andrew Blick

————-

Dear Henry

I just wanted to write you a quick note, one I’m sure of millions, to say thank you so very much for our tickets to the convention and huge congratulations on such a brilliant day. I absolutely loved it and thought it was brilliantly organised and executed. The talks I went to were terrifying and inspiring in equal measure and it was an honour to hear such hugely important people speak. Lord Bingham was, I thought, particularly impressive and powerful.

It was a brilliant day and I hope you are very proud of the immense achievement in organising it.

I would very much like to stay in touch and involved so if you ever need a trainee lawyer/runner/expert tea-maker please please let me know!

Many thanks and huge congratulations.

Emily, Trainee Solicitor

————-

Dear Anthony

I thought the Modern Convention on Liberty a great success on Saturday, I had an exhibition stand on behalf of Conservative Action for Electoral Reform and could not get into the Iain Dale meeting until the end as it was packed.

Janice Small

————-

Dear Anthony,

Saturday was masterly; must be one of the best things you have ever done. We enjoyed it enormously; a wide range of speakers, warts and all and so many interesting issues.

The organisation was terrific and you clearly had many dedicated helpers. There was a great atmosphere and sense of purpose but where do we go from here?

I look forward to hearing more,

Yours ever, Charles Chadwyck-Healey

————-

Dear Anthony

It surpassed all my expectations and hopes, and they were high. So many people, such a sense of listening, engagement, shared anxiety and responsibility… and many illuminating and moving papers. This was a huge achievement and will lead to further resistance, organised and thoughtful….

With many congratulations

Marina (Warner)

————-

Dear Clare,

Congratulations for Saturday’s meeting — tremendous !  Brilliantly organised and truly impressive and valuable. Will there be coverage later in the week ?  There was so much to take in I’d be really grateful for an aide memoir of some kind, and I know my son would too.

Many thanks, and every good wish,

Penny Wesson

————-

The big question is whether the Convention can collect us into a network that will foster that hope and translate it into effective action. My personal view is that hope is a grand start. Now we need to bring back the alternative politics that older people remember how to do, to work alongside conventional politics, to get results. The conventional system alone has failed us.

But if it’s strengthened by alternative methods it could change. Let’s link across the generations, young and old together. Let’s link to find our common concerns and work out together what we can do. The most successful movements start by small groups of people getting together, discussing what they care about, and trying small steps together to act on that concern.

Shan

————-

Dear Clare,

Can I just take this opportunity to congratulate you on organising such a brilliant event. It was really well organised and the atmosphere was wonderful ( I think in large measure due to the great organisation that made it easy to follow talks and relax).

I really felt like I was at the start of something great.

Lets hope there is another event next year as a speaker proposed!

All the best

Gaverne

————-

It was moving, awesome, educational, important, dynamic and representative. Thank you all so much for giving me hope.

Kind Regards Tim Waygood

————-

Dear all,

This is a short note to congratulate you on a brilliant event. I hope it’s the beginning of more combined efforts to protect our fundamental rights and freedoms. I’m sure many new partnerships and initiatives will emerge out of the Convention.

A few times during the day I heard it commented that bringing civil liberties and human rights together was a very important achievement, and we’re certainly keen to continue forging these links.

I look forward to discussing next steps and future collaboration. It was also brilliantly organised, and a huge thanks to all those who made it such a success.

I personally really enjoyed the day and got a lot out of it. With thanks and best wishes,

Jean (Candler) BIHR

————-

I have never before become involved in anything like this campaign. The day was a real educational experience. I suspect that like many others I have been unaware of the way our society has been undermined. Now that I know more I want to react to future developments of government policy and add to my knowledge.

Janet Martin

————-

Dear Henry,

Sincere congratulations for your convention – it was a wonderful day and you have managed to mainstream this issue in an unpreceedented way. I think we should meet to talk about how we might hold the tories to account and ensure that a restoration of liberty bill is on their immediate legislative agenda.

Phillip Blond Director The Progressive Conservatism Project

————-

The whole day was extraordinarily uplifting and energising. It was the most surprising thing to find myself on the same side as Conservatives (and others) but there we are – that’s what New Labour has done to us. Congratulations to you, to Anthony and to everyone who put it together.

All the best

Philip (Philip Pullman)

————-

Congratulations! Saturday’s event was clearly a great success. I was very impressed by the quality of speakers not only on the panels but from the floor. But more importantly I think the convention really struck a national chord. Good luck with taking this momentum forward and please get in touch if there’s any way we can help with that.

All best

Tom

Tom Porteous London Director, Human Rights Watch

————-

Congratulations on a tremendous event.  It was quite inspiring.  I must say, I thought the Tories were particularly interesting.  What is the planned follow up?   Are you preparing that check list from which to badger MPs?

As ever

Tim

(Timothy Garton Ash)

————-

Fantastic occasion. Congratulations.

Well done again, John

JOHN KAMPFNER