There are no obligations on the UK government. The Scottish Parliament seems to be further on though see http://epetitions.scottish.parliament.uk/ This site is a product of mysociety.org, and related involved people who were/are behind theyworkforyou.com, and other on-line enterprises going back 10+ years. These are all examples of amongst other things making the proceedings of the legislature, and government, more understandable, approachable, responsive, accountable, and help check and hold the executive to account. The UK system is in many respects still a feudal form of government on which has been grafted over time various additional attributes, such that there is in the modern era now a government representing a minority of the popular vote exercising all the powers of the monarch (the 'prerogative' powers) plus those that had been taken under parliamentary or statute control. All in all, there is very limited scrutiny or holding to account by the legislature of either the passage of legsilation, or the actions of the executive. At the end of course, you can always throw the bastards out ........ :-) ..... but it may, in the database state, be too late by then. Mass petitions have a long history - Wat Tyler and the Peasants Revolt of the 14th century being an early example of a mass petition albiet with some bloody features, and a negative outcome. Listen also to the discussion from this morning's BBC Radio 4's In Our Time at http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/history/inourtime/inourtime.shtml Other examples might include the Pilgrimage of Grace http://englishhistory.net/tudor/grace.html; small scale ones e.g. one handed in by an MP on behalf of constituents http://www.derekwyatt.co.uk/news_item.aspx?i_PageID=113440 Petitions to Parliament concerning the Corn Laws http://www.historyhome.co.uk/peel/cornlaws/petition.htm Petitions to Mr Tony http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6147842.stm http://www.number-10.gov.uk/output/Page297.asp - he'll still accept paper petitions, and these often get good media coverage, which is part of the reason for so doing, but not all e-petitions will be accepted or put up on the government site. --- Ildiko Kaposi <pphkai01@phd.ceu.hu> wrote:
Wainer,
What's the reason for your disbelief?
I took only a cursory glance at the sight, so I'm not well-informed. First of all, I don't know what the online petitioning implies exactly, i.e. whether there are any obligatory consequences for the Right Hon. Blair or government policy. But online petitioning as such is practised elsewhere, and e-democracy has been something of a priority for the UK government, so this seems to fit the pattern. Am I misreading the initiative?
Ildiko
"Wainer Lusoli" <w.lusoli@lse.ac.uk> 11/17/06 1:56 PM >>> http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/
Still rubbing my eyes in disbelief
Any thoughts, anyone?
<snip> Dominic Pinto BA MIEEE MCMI MRi FRSA http://www.ecademy.com/user/dominicpinto e-m: dominic.pinto@ieee.org M: +44 780 302-8268 Ph: +44 207 379-8341 In the U.S. M/Cell: +1 215 667-3001