E-petty

The Tory Government's new craze e-petition is nothing new.  We previously had the right to place a petition on the Downing Street Website and if it raised sensible concerns about Government policies, these would be raised and a public response would be issued.  I have received many a response.  This new system which requires 100, 000 signatures is likely to phase out but is dangerous because it attracts dangerous, right wingers like those who support the death penalty.

There are many petitions related to driving such as age limits and even 22 people signing up to the eelimination of speed bumps.  Either these are boy racers or bankers with really fast cars.

What is really concerning is the number of petitions calling for the return of capital punishment - some for murder and some for serious offences. One calls for the return of capital punishment for crimes of murder and has elicited 75 signatures.  http://order-order.com/2011/08/04/the-petition-goes-live/

All I can say to the supporters of capital punishment have they never heard of Ruth Ellis, domestic abuse, rough justice etc.

A further petition calls for withdrawal from the European human rights act and has 132 supporters.  this just shows the ignorance of the people supporting the petition.  The whole point of the Human Rights act is that it is domestic law not European Law.

I was even more shocked at the petition on 'ban the introduction of sharia law in the UK' which has 42 signatories.  I did not even know that we had a bill going through Parliament (which we have not) on the introduction of Sharia Law.  And this is one of the petition that has been allowed through and one that is divisive and racist.

My only consolation the most sensible ppetition I saw was to retain the ban on capital punishment with 2088 signatures so far.  Keep signing this.

I do not know what the others are yet and what have been denied because when I got to page 8, I keep getting the message saying due to the high volume of traffic we cannot process your request.

But once again on a last note, this has all been done before.  The only difference time if they get so may signatures that it will go to parliamentary debate we need to make sure that we have our MPs on well briefed and on the side of sanity.