The scandal over MPs' expense claims has left 'politics as usual' damaged beyond repair. Confidence in our elected representatives, already undermined by a crisis that few of them saw coming, reaches a new low with every fresh revelation. At the same time, we remain stuck in the middle of a recession, more in need of trustworthy, progressive leadership than ever before.

Recall MPs
As things presently stand, we will have to put up with disgraced MPs until the next election, no matter what they have done. However, today sees the launch of a campaign that could change that situation dramatically: a campaign calling for a new 'recall law' to give people the power to call a fresh vote in their constituencies and thereby sack disgraced MPs. You can sign up to the campaign by visiting: http://www.38degrees.org.uk/page/s/recall

The campaign is run by 38degrees.org.uk, an exciting new group that shares similar objectives to dsai. We've been in contact with the organisers a number of times over the last few months, and we believe they have the resources, the experience, and (most importantly) the progressive aspirations needed to have a real impact on British politics. It would be fantastic if you could tell as many people as possible about both the campaign and the organisation, to make sure their launch is as successful as it possibly can be.

TheyWantYourVote
We've updated the website to make it even clearer what we're fighting for, why we're fighting for it, and how we're going to succeed. A central part of this plan is a new website containing information on general election candidates, so members can make an informed decision about who to back in their constituencies come election time. We want this information to be independent, and we want it to focus on issues that matter to progressives, which is why we want your help collecting it. You can check out the site here. To create an editing account, you need to submit a request. Once your account has been confirmed (this may take a few hours), you can edit pages on the site. Check out the help pages for guidance on how to get started.

We need to assemble as much information as possible, as quickly as possible. In the present political climate, it's difficult to tell when the general election will be called. Furthermore, the MPs' expenses scandal has already resulted in one by-election, and there will be more if further resignations follow that of Michael Martin in Glasgow North East, and even more again if 38degrees' campaign for a 'recall law' is successful. If you can devote an hour of your week to researching candidates for us, we'll have the data collected in no time.

Spread the Word
The more people we can get involved in these initiatives, the more effective they will be. Please take a moment to spread the word by forwarding this email on to your friends and family.

Thanks for all your help!