Have petitions ever worked for anything?

flookdgates

I remember back in my school days the teacher made the class sign a petition to close Sellafield nuclear power station in the UK as part of a project. The petition was meant to be sent to Tony Blair or Prince Charles or someone. I highly doubt the petition was ever opened by either man, that's if it was ever mailed at all.

Nowadays the modern equivalent is to sign an online petition at change.org. I don't understand how this is supposed to effect change. What's stopping one person from signing it a thousand times with different fake names? Can someone explain this petition nonsense to me please?

TheValeyard

Sometimes.

PlaneSpeeking

In the olden days when I was a little un - they had some meaning but the electronic ones now are pointless.

You can have 100,000 eejits signing to ask for Emmerdale to be moved an hour and parliament has to discuss it!

Sonics2k

It very much depends on what it is.

In terms of politics, probably not.

In terms of video games, it's worked a few times. Notably the petition about a Classic World of Warcraft server after a famous one was shut down for copyright, Blizzard have now confirmed they're going to make one.

It's really just more a way of expressing outrage without actually doing anything at all.

DickSwiveller Returns

No. A way for lazy idiots to think they are changing the world while sitting in their bedroom.

Gunmonkey

Petitons are old news, online hate mobs on Twitter threatening boycotts and harassment are the new thang!

PlaneSpeeking

DickSwiveller Returns wrote: »

No. A way for lazy idiots to think they are changing the world while sitting in their bedroom.

Or how you instead of saying "dole scrounging w***ing idiot" when asked "what do you do ?" you can reply "activist".

Graces7

DickSwiveller Returns wrote: »

No. A way for lazy idiots to think they are changing the world while sitting in their bedroom.

Or for folk who hate what abuse is and can do nothing ,ever,to change things. feel a little less helpless if they sign petition..done that myself when too ill to be anywhere but bed...

I see petitions in small villages trying to save their Post Offices..all the old folk signing as they collect their pensions...

Ubbquittious

It worked for the gas installer crowd

The Backwards Man

We, in fifth class, successfully petitioned the parish council to let us sing Kylie's version of the Locomotion at the school concert.

Democracy at work.

Ipso

There can be a correlation with increased smugness.

For Forks Sake

DickSwiveller Returns wrote: »

No. A way for lazy idiots to think they are changing the world while sitting in their bedroom.

Hurrah for slacktivism :rolleyes:

freshpopcorn

Well they did free Katy in Fair City.

Capt'n Midnight

In the UK the Government must respond to a petition with 10,000 signatures. At 100,000 it gets debated in Parliament.

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/208170


Here we don't have those rules.
http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/government_in_ireland/national_government/standards_and_accountability/public_petitions.html

But
http://petitions.oireachtas.ie/online_petitions.nsf/Published_Petitions_EN

Make Mullingar the Capital of the Midlands

Stigura

flookdgates wrote: »

What's stopping one person from signing it a thousand times with different fake names? Can someone explain this petition nonsense to me please?

National Governments probably have better " Re Reg Troll " spotting apparatus in place than Boards.

imme

It is akin to praying op

People do it in hope.
Petitioning is nothing new, it happens all over the world, it has been a feature of every type of political system, save extreme dictatorship.

What's the harm?

Stigura

https://www.change.org/p/13274866/u/23060288?utm_medium=email&utm_source=petition_update&utm_campaign=387080&sfmc_tk=IHLw30H5FjuFwtx5AK%2bgls0Ymfr9zxgj7a5BhTF2TkzTNJwDhi3eXxEo71XZYo3L&j=387080&sfmc_sub=21917372&l=32_HTML&u=64755972&mid=7259882&jb=3


That face says it all!

flookdgates

imme wrote: »

It is akin to praying op

People do it in hope.
Petitioning is nothing new, it happens all over the world, it has been a feature of every type of political system, save extreme dictatorship.

What's the harm?

It's no harm but it's utterly pointless. Like shouting in an empty room. I think half the time it's all about virtue signalling.

Yer Da sells Avon

Knock petitions all you like, but without them we never would have got the 2009 Ireland v France match replayed. Nor would we have been accepted into the 2010 World Cup as the 33rd team.

Canis Lupus

Don't see Kony anymore do ya?