You probably heard that 1 million petrol-heads have signed an electronic petition to scrap plans for road pricing. So far 299 concerned citizens have signed a counter-petition started by Tim Lewis in favour of the plans. YOU could make it 300!
here you go: http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/trainandbus/ "We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to Renationalise the railway and bus networks of the UK. Submitted by Joe Baldwin – Deadline to sign up by: 21 February 2007 – Signatures: 307"
I'm uneasy with the whole idea of officially sanctioned online petitions on pm.gov.uk ... the whole point of a petition is that it's supposed to be intrusive and invasive, forcing the powers that be to see a popular movement, not some official channel which can very easily be dismissed and disregarded at will as if it were just some kind of focus-group fact-finding "tell us what you think" kind of thing. I feel this official online petition thing devalues the currency of the petition...
lithium, I certainly see your point of view. However, given the situation we are in where the big story in today's Sunday newspapers is that 1m citizens are supposedly against the government's policy on road pricing, the counter-petition is one way for those of us who don't agree with the motoring lobby to combat this. then again, the govt may well take as little notice of the 1m car freaks as they did of the 1m+ anti-war marchers in Feb 2003...
I grew up in post-Nixon America, where petitions like this (from a .gov site) are viewed more as a government-gathering information site than the fact they'd actually do something about it. They'd know exactly who to silence if it came down to it...
I'd add to lithium's criticisms that it's pretty much impossible to verify these online petitions: you just have to provide a valid email address, and the name and postal address of someone who's a British citizen or resident in the UK. Are Downing St staff really going to check that each of these 1m+ signatories has given a valid name and address, and really is the person they claim to be?
Arguably, I'd say almost all petitions will be disregarded at will. At best they are a small measure of public opinion, and in themselves a dubious and unrepresentative slice of it. Petitions are not particularly intrusive or invasive. In fact they're fairly innocuous. The most influential markers for public opinion will be the officially sanctioned and representative polls precisely because they are a measure for the sustainability of a particular policy and the electability of a government. And even in these cases, public opinion polls can be framed and constucted in such a way that where opinion supports government policy, the polls will be championed and where they oppose it they will be buried. I'm not completely cynical of all forms of protest. I'd say demonstrations are a much more visible and practical application of people power. Direct action even more so where such action does not harm the cause, retains the moral high ground and actively prevents a particular course of action, eg the fuel protests, squatted social centres and bypass protests. As for this particular issue, I agree with trombonebleu's calls for re-nationalisation and for better, more affordable public transport. People will not be priced off the roads where no alternative is available, so the alternative must come first. Moreover, I'm more supportive of high fuel tax than road tax or toll roads, because fuel tax hits right at the heart of the matter - the pollutant....
True, but the million-motorists petition is not just directed at the government, but at public opinion - it's been taken up by the mainstream media to promote the interests of the road lobby. While the govt might not take much notice of a petition per se, they're less likely to ignore the Daily Mail. In this context I think it makes sense to support the counter-petition. It's a matter of tactics, not strategy - you have to start from where you are. On the issue of road pricing vs fuel tax: one advantage of road pricing is that it can be varied according to time of day and locality. So for instance someone living in a village that just sees one bus a week won't be hit as hard as eejits who want to drive to work in London. And if charging different rates according to the time of day even displaced some of the traffic to off-peak times that would still lower pollution, since cars use more fuel when they're constantly stopping and starting in slow-moving traffic. Of course the long-term solution has to include publicly-owned and subsidised train and bus networks, more and safer cycle paths and most importantly, fewer journeys, with encouragement for flexible working.
I take your points, your last one especially. The trouble is, for the vast majority of the population, their day is very rigidly structured around a set timeframe that necessitates rush hours and peak fares. The only way to alleviate the situation, in the long run, is through the very active promotion of flexible working hours for all citizens. It can be done. It should be done. And even MPs are beginning to take this issue seriously....
This is true, but at least handing a petition to Number 10 is a form of protest, of doing something uninvited. There's just something incredibly patronising and sinister about a government inviting you to petition them on an official form...
Me too. Perhaps we could start a petition for that!! I heard on the radio that the Scotish Executive may very well go on with the road tax despite what happens in Westminster.
You just know if everybody was allowed flexy time - riots will be on the street. It does work for some sectors but not for all.
The number of signatories to the pro-road pricing petition has more than doubled in just 2 days, to 689. If it continues to grow at this exponential rate, there could be over 2 million by the closing date of March 11th.
i have had to sign this petition, although I normally think that petitions dont really influence the gonvernments desisions. i work full time monday to friday 9am while 5pm & then i do a second job monday to friday 5.15pm while 8.15pm. when i first started the second job it was just because i was bord at home waiting for my partner to come home. but now i need that money, we are saving up for a deposit for a house & for a van & equipment so my OH can set up his own business & i also need to be still employed in my second job to get a mortgage in the first place. i need the car so i can get to both my jobs, relying on public transport is just not an option. i would have to get on two busses & walk for a mile in a morning to get to the first job, then catch another bus to my second job & end up getting there late therefore having to stay later. then i would have to catch 3 busses back home & i probably wouldnt get home till after 10pm. so its just not feasable for me. if they brought this road price taxing thing in to force i wouldnt beable to do both my jobs & i would never beable to get on the property ladder, its hard enough as it is with house pricing going up like never before, council tax rising, increasing the tax on everything. sometimes i feel asthough i work for nothing & only the rich people in this country will beable to survive.
