5 Things You Must Know About Campaign Ideas

I have been involved with a number of pressure groups over the years. I guess growing up in the 1960s left me with an urge to get out there and try to change society for the better. The campaign ideas that I have supported include anti-nuclear weapons, anti-nuclear power and the stop hunting whales movement. Over the years, I have made many friends in these organizations and learned a lot about communicating a message.

There are various strategies that protest movements can employ. Marches with placards has a long tradition, going back to the Depression era when men marched for the right to work. Most marches are peaceful, recent anti-globalization marches being the exception. They are fine as long as they don't get highjacked by other people with another agenda.

I was in an organization, which stood against nuclear warfare, which some people wanted to use to speak out against the government in general. This was during the Thatcher era in the UK. I didn't support Mrs. Thatcher in any way either, but that wasn't what we were there for. When thinking of campaign ideas, you have to have a clear message and defined goals.

Another method is direct action. This isn't for everyone, as it entails civil disobedience and conflict with the police. I went on a DA, as they are known, with Greenpeace. 600 of us went to London and we based ourselves near Downing Street, lying in the road and blocking the traffic. We were protesting against the construction of a nuclear power station and wore skeleton suits to represent the number of potential deaths a year due to radioactive contamination. A well known Member of Parliament joined in for a while and local politicians came to give their support. After the police made 40 arrests, they relaxed and the next few hours were good-natured. We even got to feed the police horses! The power station went ahead anyway.

How much do protests achieve? It's a difficult thing to quantify. I think that they have a drip, drip effect on the public and politicians. Eventually, there is a shift in attitudes. There would not be the concern for environmental issues today, had it not been for the campaign ideas stemming from the 1960s onwards. I think that the Vietnam War would have carried on longer if there were no protests on American streets and campuses.

Petitions, rallies, door-to-door ballot votes and boycotting of goods are all means of getting the message out. During the apartheid era, the South African government was affected by people not buying goods from their country and by the world of sport turning their backs on them. Sometimes, isolation from the outside world can bring the just result. Campaign ideas can sometimes help to stop wars, save the planet and bring justice.