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I’ll do it, but only if you’ll help

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Comments on this pledge

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• 2 points,
  
  1. This page still says 650 pledges are required. However, the publisher has agreed to match the pledges so really only 325 are needed and we are already over 2/3 of the way there!
  
  2. How do we co-ordinate the sending? Can a web page be set up where you say who you will send your copy to? Where have the people who have 'already done it' sent theirs? How did the Richard Dawkins campain handle this?
  Alistair Frith, 11 months ago. Abusive? Report it!
• To answer the above question, the organiser of the God Delusion pledge manually assigned people to constituencies/MPs, pretty much on a first come first served basis. He regularly updated an online list so people could see what was left.
  
  In the absence of a better idea, my suggestion for this pledge would be publicly editable Google Spreadsheet, pre-populated with a list of MPs and their constituencies, where people simply fill in their name next to their MP of choice. Sure, it's open to some abuse, but it has the advantage of taking about 10 seconds to set up. :)
  
  But then again, it's not my pledge, so maybe Dave Watts already has A Plan.
  Tim, PledgeBank admin, 11 months ago. Abusive? Report it!
• Fantastic idea.
  
  It would be interesting if, come election time, we could also send a copy to one other candidate in each constituency. It might just motivate the MPs to read it.
  
  Maybe if we aim for the original 650 pledges (and the publishers are kind enough to match each pledge) then this would be possible.
  Nick Sharples, 11 months ago. Abusive? Report it!
• Love to see this happen and love to have my natural cynicism proved wrong and receive some evidence that at least one MP does actually read the book!
  Ian Mason, 11 months ago. Abusive? Report it!
• I have pledged, gift wrapped and 2-dayed delivered so that it gets to them on Monday! I hope this message was good:
  
  "Geeks are very important to this country: past, present and future. Please read our manifesto :-)"
  James Hartt, 11 months ago. Abusive? Report it!
• All paid up :)
  
  Of course, best thing is that I managed to spell my OWN NAME wrong when originally signing the pledge.
  
  Stephen Parkes (not Parked)
  Stephen Parkes, 11 months ago. Abusive? Report it!
• Ha! Great satisfaction that I was able to send my book to Tredinnick - I thought he would be long gone! ;-)
  deborah roberts, 11 months ago. Abusive? Report it!
• all done. Hopefully he should have it by Monday. Someone nabbed my local MP, so I'm hitting my parents' one :o)
  vishal vashisht, 11 months ago. Abusive? Report it!
• You don't get many characters in an Amazon gift message do you :/
  
  I said this:
  
  "I'm sending this book to you as part of a campaign to send it to all MPs.
  
  I would be happy to discuss the subject further with you."
  
  I think I'll send her an email to explain in more depth.
  Dave Cross, 11 months ago. Abusive? Report it!
• Proud to have sent this my own MP, who is the speaker, John Bercow.
  I intend to check that he reads it too!
  Charles Massey, 11 months ago. Abusive? Report it!
• My MP Nick Clegg was already taken, so I have sent a copy to Tom Watson instead. He deserves it after all he has done this year.
  Dr M J Piff, 11 months ago. Abusive? Report it!
• Done! Jeremy Hunt was already taken (and is likely busy at the moment) so I chose to send it to Mr. Jonathan Djanogly, MP for Huntingdon. This the constituency I lived in when I was growing up. Here's my note:
  
  "As someone who believes strongly in evidence-based policy making, I found the ideas in this book very interesting. I hope that you do too."
  Sean Ellis, 11 months ago. Abusive? Report it!
• Being from the USA, and not knowing a single MP, I had to throw a dart to pick a name. I hope I didn't nab a name someone wanted! (Truss)
  IncredibleMouse, 11 months ago. Abusive? Report it!
• My local MP already had someone sending him a copy so I chose another MP.
  Ian Miller, 11 months ago. Abusive? Report it!
• Well done us Geeks. Mine went to Karen Lumley MP for Redditch where I went to school with fellow Kevin Turvey types.
  Tim Reynolds, 11 months ago. Abusive? Report it!
• Thanks all who signed up. I notice that more have continued to sign up since we hit the target... My suggestion is that we take up as many individual,pledges as possible -- books will have more impact sent that way. Then with any excess among my publisher's contribution, we'll send books either to senior civil servants or to ministers in the Lords.
  
  Any thoughts?
  Mark Henderson, 11 months ago. Abusive? Report it!
• Done. Graham Stuart's copy is on its way.
  Mark Lorch, 11 months ago. Abusive? Report it!
• Thanks pledgers. I have a vision of books flying to London from all over the country, even from the USA. I think Mark's idea of having as many "personal" pledges as possible and sending excess to ministers in the Lords is a good one. Keep sending messages and eMails, they are fascinating. Your enthusiasm is inspiring!
  Dave Watts, 11 months ago. Abusive? Report it!
• Thanks for making this so easy. My local MP was gone (a lot of science in my area!) so I chose the one where I went to University.
  Julia Maddock, 11 months ago. Abusive? Report it!
• Done - my local MP was taken, so sent to neighbouring MP Jacob Rees-Mogg.
  Bill Wilkinson, 11 months ago. Abusive? Report it!
• Mine was sent out on Friday, so my local MP will get it on Tuesday I guess and I told him on Twitter it was coming. I checked his previous tweets to find he was complaining the views of Christians are not taken seriously enough. On the other hand he supported the Rothamsted Research. Oh well, hopefully he might read it.
  Robert Williams, 11 months ago. Abusive? Report it!
• Copy sent to George Freeman, Elizabeth Truss, my local MP already having been sent a copy
  Robert Kybird, 11 months ago. Abusive? Report it!
• My local MP and my parents' MP were taken so I've picked David Lidington, who is MP for the constituency where I went to school - the place that helped me find a love of science as well as music.
  
  I put in the Amazon message that I'm going to email about it - I found emails for him and his parliamentary assistant so will send them the e-equivalent of a covering letter later this week when the book is due to arrive. Am thinking that 2 types of contact (both post and email) might cover more bases and they'll notice it.
  
  Although, on the "noticing" front, the orange cover really helps :)
  Helen Arney, 11 months ago. Abusive? Report it!
• @Stephen Parkes: I just corrected the spelling of your name in the list. I trust that helps.
  
  Regards,
  
  Tum, PledgeBank nadim
  Tim, PledgeBank admin, 11 months ago. Abusive? Report it!
• Done. Hope it clearly explains in a way politicians understand the difference between causation and correlation:-)
  Stuart G. Hall, 10 months ago. Abusive? Report it!
• Done.
  Naomi Cunningham, 10 months ago. Abusive? Report it!
• Purchased and sent :)
  Roderick Christopher, 10 months ago. Abusive? Report it!
• Just sent one to my MP, Dr Sarah Woolaston. Although I think she is one of the ones in least need of it, as she comes over as very balanced and knowledgeable.
  Patrick Collins, 10 months ago. Abusive? Report it!
• Sarah Woolaston is, I agree, terrific. An advert for open primaries if ever there was one! Hopefully the book Patrick's sent will encourage her to encourage her colleagues to read it...
  Mark Henderson, 10 months ago. Abusive? Report it!
• Mine is going to Philip Hammond MP, planning to burrow HS2 near here in Camden and beyond without, many believe, having fully considered the options.
  annabel huxley, 10 months ago. Abusive? Report it!
• I do hope everyone who is sending this book, has also read it themselves (or intend to in the near future). I am currently 40 pages in and am gripped, amused, shocked and livid in equal measure.
  Alistair Frith, 10 months ago. Abusive? Report it!
• I've signed the pledge but now can't see how to act on it - there doesn't seem to be a link to the list of MPs anywhere?
  William Read, 10 months ago. Abusive? Report it!
• Oops, it's here of course: http://www.secondthoughtfortheday.co.uk/
  William Read, 10 months ago. Abusive? Report it!
• A copy of The Geek Manifesto is winging its way to Jeremy Hunt, M.P. I hope he will find it interesting summer reading.
  Hilary Minor, 10 months ago. Abusive? Report it!
• What a brilliant idea to get evidence-based thinking to be a reflex by those making policy.
  Thanks, David, for setting up the PayPal option too, which saved me from having to faff about with packing and trips to the post office.
  Ellinor Michel, 10 months ago. Abusive? Report it!
• I just placed my order.
  I come from Germany, but I found your idea so brilliant, that I wanted to take part.
  André Sebastiani, 10 months ago. Abusive? Report it!
• Today I got a really nice handwritten letter from my MP, Jane Ellison (Com, Battersea).
  
  She thanked me very much for the letter and said that she already has one self-described "hardline rationalist" working in her office.
  
  She said that she planned to take the book home to read over the weekend.
  
  I've had a lot of contact with her in the two years since she became my MP, but this is the first time she has taken the time to write a letter by hand.
  Dave Cross, 10 months ago. Abusive? Report it!
• Letter received from Philip Dunne, MP for Ludlow, thanking me for his copy of the book: 'I agree that knowledge of good science has been under represented in parliament in recent years. As the Government Whip to the Education Dept, I can reassure you that the Government is seeking to reinvigorate teaching and our examination system, and the good news is that more students are already seeking to undertake the three sciences at GCSE that in recent years'. I'll write back to explain that it is not simply a matter of improving the scientific education available but also about bringing the scientific method to bear on policy-making. He needs to read the book. Good that he took the trouble to reply though.
  Susanna Wadeson, 10 months ago. Abusive? Report it!
• Apologies for being so slow but I've just sent a copy to the MP for my home town of Hull. I live in New Zealand now but wanted to get involved.
  
  Thanks for organising, Dave!
  Siouxsie Wiles, 10 months ago. Abusive? Report it!
• I've had such a great reply from Jeremy Hunt, M.P. He said:
  
  Dear Hilary,
  Following yesterday’s email the book has now landed on my desk As the Minister responsible for technology, I am sometimes called a geek myself! So I will read the Geek Manifesto with great interest. Thank you for so kindly sending it to me.
  
  Best wishes,
  Jeremy
  Hilary Minor, 10 months ago. Abusive? Report it!
• Letter received from Damian Green MP:
  
  Thank you very much for sending me a copy of The Geek Manifesto.
  
  I have had this recommended by friends of mine and I will read it with great interest.
  Richard Chiswell, 10 months ago. Abusive? Report it!
• Done it. Mine is off to Owen Paterson, MP for north Shropshire where I grew up. Thanks for nagging, Dave!
  Paula Woodward, 10 months ago. Abusive? Report it!
• My MP, Iain Duncan Smith, acknowledged receipt of the book (well, his staff did...!), but has turned down the offer of a meeting to discuss it owing to being a busy Minister...
  
  Just sayin'...
  Prateek Buch, 10 months ago. Abusive? Report it!
• I'm a US citizen living in Maine, but lived in the UK for eight years and think this is a brilliant initiative. I sent mine to Anne Main, MP for St. Albans, where I lived for two of those eight years. I live in hope that a US-tailored version of Geek Manifesto will be published one day so that I can send it to my senators and representatives here.
  Karen James, 10 months ago. Abusive? Report it!
• Mine's off to Chris Huhne as my MP had been done and he hadn't and also because once I saw him getting screwed by Nickel Egg on a TV sofa and felt sorry for him. Unfortunately I'd forgotten he'd disappeared for speeding related crimes so shared-first-name-goodwill might be washed away by the irony of my surname and he might not read...though if he ends up in the slammer he'll have plenty of time... DAMN!!
  Chris Slowe, 10 months ago. Abusive? Report it!
• Mine's done and added to the Google Doc. I'm in the US but my wife is of Scottish heritage. So, I selected Angus Robertson in Moray, Scotland.
  David Kroll, 10 months ago. Abusive? Report it!
• BBC Radio 4, World at One 11th July. Martha Kearney asks MPs what they are reading over summer. Guess what Jenny Willott said? Check it out here http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01... about 34 minutes in.
  Dave Watts, 10 months ago. Abusive? Report it!
• Or if you just want to here the Bit about MP summer reading, it's here http://tinyurl.com/cc8mzfa
  Dave Watts, 10 months ago. Abusive? Report it!
• Copy sent to Martin McGuiness at the start of June. No reply as yet.
  James Thomas, 9 months ago. Abusive? Report it!
• With Jeremy Hunt being the new health minister, it could be worth whoever sent him TGM (or someone in his constituency) asking for his views on it, particularly on the healthcare chapter.
  
  Likewise, after the reshuffle, all the new ministers could be asked for their views.
  
  --- Alistair.
  Alistair, 8 months ago. Abusive? Report it!

Current signatories (= they've done it)

Dave Watts, the Pledge Creator, joined by:

• Robert Wilson
• Mark Henderson
• James O'Malley
• Matt Swain
• Emlyn Corrin
• Greg Smyth
• Kenton Sumner
• Robert Williams
• Nic Gibson
• Tom Crick
• Elizabeth Lutgendorff
• Athene Donald
• Paul Fennell
• Linda Ray
• Sylvia McLain
• Chris Lindley
• Chris Chambers
• Jonathan Pritchard
• Julie Gould
• Mike Agg
• Hilary Minor
• Simon Singh
• Dave Cross
• John Hartwell
• Mark Hayes
• Laura Thomason
• Jo Brodie
• Dugald Foster
• Maggie Cunliffe
• Bernard Ennis
• Stephen Curry
• Stan Blakey
• Jon Schneider
• Andy Gardiner
• Tom Wells
• David Durant
• John Waterworth
• Alex Dawn
• Adam Smith
• David Wardrop
• Tom Druitt
• Charlotte Hooson-Sykes
• Kash Farooq
• Alom Shaha
• Chris Gerhard
• Harriet Gliddon
• James Wilsdon
• Martyn Norris
• Alan Henness
• Prateek Buch
• Johnnie Shannon
• Maria MacLachlan
• Bryan Tookey
• Pete Etchells
• Gergely Cziraki
• Gary Frewin
• Alan Crowe
• Dave Bailes
• Neil Williams
• James Smith
• Paul Avis
• Trent Burton
• Jenny Woods
• Dr*T
• Adrian Ogden
• Ian Scott
• Clare Thorpe
• Michael Nadasdy
• Laurence Burris
• Vincent Gauci
• Ewan Birney
• Matt Parker
• Bill Wilkinson
• Mun-Keat Looi
• Deb Swinney
• Trish Hann
• Christopher John Stephenson
• Rich Honess
• Andrew Beale
• Andromeda Wood
• Siouxsie Wiles
• Andrea Sella
• Ned Clack
• Ian Sample
• Tim McGregor
• Bob Watts
• Phillipa Mills
• Hanne Stinson
• Ian Robisnon
• Dave Hughes
• Matthew Watts
• Abigail Amey
• Andy Lewis
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• David Pyle
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• 29 people who did not want to give their names, 22 of whom have done the pledge

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