What's your view of petition sites?

[PeteMorris 10]

Personally, I think it's a bit like the boy who cried wolf...Sort of....

 

I mean I just had a quick look at the 38 degrees website, and on there, there's 4,229 campaigns...Bleating about all sorts of subjects....Yes there's lots of people in the UK, and we've all got our gripes and hobby horse subjects we care, or couldn't care less about. With so many 'campaigns' on the go, it devalues all of them in my opinion...But of course, that's only me..

 

https://home.38degrees.org.uk/campaigns/

[*_ash_* 88]

Personally, I think it's a bit like the boy who cried wolf...Sort of....

 

I mean I just had a quick look at the 38 degrees website, and on there, there's 4,229 campaigns...Bleating about all sorts of subjects....Yes there's lots of people in the UK, and we've all got our gripes and hobby horse subjects we care, or couldn't care less about. With so many 'campaigns' on the go, it devalues all of them in my opinion...But of course, that's only me..

 

https://home.38degrees.org.uk/campaigns/

 

'Celebrate Suffragettes not serial killers'; 'Save Whatsapp: Say no to the Investigative Powers Bill' are on the first page.

 

Is it a joke site or is it meant to be serious?

 

---------- Post added 11-08-2015 at 13:49 ----------

 

[/b]

 

You could say the same about voting then.

 

After looking at one, no it isn't.

 

I wouldn't take an hour off work to go to a polling station to vote on anything that I've seen on it.

[PeteMorris 10]

'Celebrate Suffragettes not serial killers'; 'Save Whatsapp: Say no to the Investigative Powers Bill' are on the first page.

 

Is it a joke site or is it meant to be serious?

 

---------- Post added 11-08-2015 at 13:49 ----------

 

 

After looking at one, no it isn't.

 

I wouldn't take an hour off work to go to a polling station to vote on anything that I've seen on it.

 

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

[*_ash_* 88]

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

 

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

[Stoatwobbler 10]

I mean I just had a quick look at the 38 degrees website, and on there, there's 4,229 campaigns...Bleating about all sorts of subjects....Yes there's lots of people in the UK, and we've all got our gripes and hobby horse subjects we care, or couldn't care less about. With so many 'campaigns' on the go, it devalues all of them in my opinion...But of course, that's only me..

 

https://home.38degrees.org.uk/campaigns/

 

You just have to exercise your judgement about which campaigns to support. Don't take the issues being discussed at face value either. Especially with Avaaz. And bear in mind that however little some issues like for instance, fox hunting matter to me, they are of great concern to others.

 

I actually got involved with 38 Degrees on the day they started, as the first issue they campaigned on is recall elections, which I am strongly favour of. When campaigning websites like 38 Degrees are campaigning for something you want, they are a big help.

[DrNorm 10]

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?

[Jeffrey Shaw 93]

Do you think petition sites are a real force in global politics?

 

I'm talking about the likes of Avaaz, 38Degrees and Change.org

 

Does the number of people who sign their petitions make them a game-changing force in political decision making?

Why don't you launch a petition against them, in protest; but where?

[DrNorm 10]

Why don't you launch a petition against them, in protest; but where?

 

Well, that's the thing that has occupied me for some time.

 

I've signed quite a few Avaaz petitions, one or 2 38Degrees petitions and the odd change.org petition.

 

Does this have any influence at all on political decision makers? Maybe, just a small difference, maybe. You'd like to think that our representatives would at least pretend to care what a large number of people think (Avaaz claims millions of members world wide, not so sure about the others).

 

However, petitions can be a poor reflection of what the majority think, because there's only an option to "sign" or not "sign". There's no option to oppose, or propose an alternative solution.

 

There have been petitions I've been asked to sign that I oppose, but there's no mechanism to register that opposition.

 

And that's what I've been working on. A site that allows issues to be raised and prioritised, questions can be asked, proposals and counter-proposals submitted and voted on.

 

It could be worthwhile if enough people believe in clickitivism (That's one I'll have to read tomorrow!)

 

But it seems that belief, although it may be strong in some quarters has yet to really take hold ...

[Cyclone 10]

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 10]

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 93]

And few people sign up only to disagree.

[DrNorm 10]

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