What's your view of petition sites?

[Cyclone]

If there were fewer petitions, maybe they would have more impact?

 

Here's a thought:

 

Say the government said (I know this is unlikely) that in order to improve engagement with the democratic process, voters can have one (online) referendum per year, and you get to vote beforehand what the issue is, and you get to vote on the wording of the question. And they'd debate the results immediately and action would be taken.

 

Would that heighten a general interest in politics, and be a step towards (real) engaging democracy? Or would the level of cynicism towards politics and politicians be about the same?

 

Every voter gets to have 1 referendum a year?

 

Or there is 1 referendum a year, which you first have to vote for to choose?

[DrNorm]

Hi Cyclone, It was a suggestion that there would be one referendum per year. Voters would decide what the issue was. Anybody could submit any number of suggestions for consideration, but only one issue would go all the way to a full referendum.

 

Of course nobody needs to wait for the government to initiate such a scheme. Connecting a website to a database, writing the code to implement the rules, although time consuming, that's the easy part.

 

Now. How do you gain people's attention? How do you persuade them that that their collective voice will have an impact, that it will be worth their time engaging with a process that can't guarantee to change politics immediately, but would definitely have some impact if a large number of members spoke with one voice?

 

It's tough stirring people out of apathy and getting them to believe in their own power to bring about change.

 

I think petition sites are having a small impact already, but how can they be improved for greater engagement and impact?

[Jeffrey Shaw]

And few people sign up only to disagree.

[DrNorm]

Online activists have governments worried:

 

"On 11 January 2013, a young American geek named Aaron Swartz killed himself, and most of the world paid no attention."

 

"Aaron did not commit suicide," said his father, Robert Swartz, "but was killed by the government. Someone who made the world a better place was pushed to his death by the government."

 

"... this insanely talented, idealistic, complex, diminutive lad was a poster boy for everything that we value about the networked world. He was 26 when he died, but from the age of 14 he had been astonishing those of us who followed him on the internet. In 10 years he had accomplished more than most people do in a lifetime."

 

John Naughton, The Guardian

 

Brilliant documentary shown on the BBC is available on YouTube

[Lotusflower]

I'll leave this to the dummys out there I think.

 

Hiya ash,

 

Is it safe for me to assume that everyone who disagrees with you is, by definition, a dummy?

 

---------- Post added 16-08-2015 at 12:36 ----------

 

They're pointless. The ease of clicking on the internet minimises any actual thought required regarding the subject at hand.

 

There have been examples on here of links to petitions - some which sound reasonable, others which were badly thought out and ill conceived - in either case, there will be a load of posts saying 'signed'... You just know that practically minutes later, some will have forgotten all about whatever it was they've just added their voice to.

 

Re my bold.

 

I've been patronised by more intelligent people than you judging by this reply!

 

---------- Post added 16-08-2015 at 13:09 ----------

 

I'm afraid it's deadly serious...But there's some wacky stuff on there for sure.

 

Yes Pete, there is some "wacky stuff" out there. It does not mean that it's all "wacky" does it!

 

I have signed quite a few of those petitions myself as it happens! I will hold hold my hand up to charges of wackiness but I was "deadly serious" about those causes I supported by signing.

 

I signed against pesticides killing bees by the millions!

I signed against MP's being allowed to hide the expenses they claim from us!

I signed to get NHS England to reveal exactly how they spend our money!

I signed against the Infrastructure bill to stop the selling of public land!

I signed against benefit sanctions being imposed on the sick and disabled!

I signed against the "bedroom tax!"

I signed against Monsanto growing GM crops and being given Carte Blanche to sue governments who opposed them!

I signed against the destruction of healthy trees in this very city on the flimsiest of pretexts!

I signed against the imposition of fracking.

I signed against forced marriage!

I signed against female genital circumcision!

I signed the petition to get Iain Duncan Smith to publish the number of disabled people dying from hunger and homelessness after having benefits removed!

I signed against the goalposts being moved to redefine child poverty in this country which hides the true figures!

 

And there's more...but I'm sure...or at least I hope...I have made my point!

 

 

 

 

Well Pete...I may well be "wacky"...but I fight for what I believe is wrong!

 

These petitions may not always succeed in achieving their aim but at the very least the vast majority of them do raise the issues to a greater level of public consciousness and make our elected representatives and the corporations aware that somebody is watching...as opposed to whining about

wackiness.

 

---------- Post added 16-08-2015 at 13:47 ----------

 

I forgot this one...

 

...https://blesma.org/media-centre/press-releases/2015/the-white-report/

 

I signed to get the government to fulfil their obligations to these people.

 

Just how hard did you look ash?

[DrNorm]

Well done Swami! (I guess you're an Avaazer)

 

and although as you say

 

These petitions may not always succeed in achieving their aim ...

 

petitions and other online activism is getting some governments worried.

 

If only there were more people like Aaron Swartz to inspire more people to get active ...

 

"Growing up

 

I slowly had this process of realising that

all the things around me that people had told me

were just the natural way things were, the way they always would be,

 

... they weren't natural at all.

 

There were things that could be changed

and there were things that, more importantly,

were wrong and should change.

 

And once I realised that

there was really kinda

no going back."

 

Aaron Swartz

1986 - 2013

Edited August 16, 2015 by DrNorm

[TJC1]

Petition sites are freeking annoying. Next question.

[Lotusflower]

Petition sites are freeking annoying. Next question.

 

Maybe you might like to tell everybody what it is that annoys you.

[TJC1]

Maybe you might like to tell everybody what it is that annoys you.

 

endless emails about other causes I have no interest in.

digital quivalent of chugging.

[Lotusflower]

endless emails about other causes I have no interest in.

digital quivalent of chugging.

 

I'm with you on this up to a point. It's like a microcosm of life in general...wade through the myriad of "stuff" that presents itself and sort the wheat from the chaff to satisfy our own personal dictates.