What do petitions achieve?

[Leinster Lass]

I've signed plenty of petitions in my time, but I'm not sure how many, if any, of them have actually achieved anything. Millions of people made it clear that they didn't want Donald Trump to visit the UK (or Ireland) but he still came. Supporters of the BBC are regularly invited to sign up in an attempt to save it from interference by the UK government or attacks from potential rivals, when what it really needs to do is save itself from its own bloated bureaucracy and spend more time rediscovering what its role is rather than setting up even more pointless internal meetings.
While I don't doubt the sincerity of people who leave flowers and other items by the side of the road as a mark of respect after a tragic death, or make an occasional donation to a worthy cause following a natural disaster, I do sometimes wonder whether, like petitions, such acts of kindness merely help us feel better about ourselves for having done our bit and move on with our lives.
It would be interesting to learn of cases where a petition has actually brought about substantive change. In the meantime, I shall carry on signing (although I've given up in the case of the BBC) donating and doing what else I can to help at least a few of those in need.

[Serial_Apologist]

I've signed plenty of petitions in my time, but I'm not sure how many, if any, of them have actually achieved anything. Millions of people made it clear that they didn't want Donald Trump to visit the UK (or Ireland) but he still came. Supporters of the BBC are regularly invited to sign up in an attempt to save it from interference by the UK government or attacks from potential rivals, when what it really needs to do is save itself from its own bloated bureaucracy and spend more time rediscovering what its role is rather than setting up even more pointless internal meetings.

Get 100k signatures to a parley mentally petition and it has to be considered for debate, barring the below. We have a lot to learn about the deficiencies in parliamentary democracy before illusions are to be dashed, but to constructive, not authoritarian dictatorial ends. But for all those, and bureaucracy in general, something that is always better than nothing can always be changed by pressure from below: the problem is getting people off their a*ses, prepared to turn up in large enough numbers to make a mark even the BBC can't ignore. Community action, or, to coin a phrase, villageance.

http://www.parliament.uk/get-involved/sign-a-petition/e-petitions

While I don't doubt the sincerity of people who leave flowers and other items by the side of the road as a mark of respect after a tragic death, or make an occasional donation to a worthy cause following a natural disaster, I do sometimes wonder whether, like petitions, such acts of kindness merely help us feel better about ourselves for having done our bit and move on with our lives.

With so many forces at work to make us feel inadequate, from religion to the greasy promotion pole by way of beauty ads, feeling better about ourselves while at the same time telling those close to tragedies others care, seems not such a bad idea!

It would be interesting to learn of cases where a petition has actually brought about substantive change. In the meantime, I shall carry on signing (although I've given up in the case of the BBC) donating and doing what else I can to help at least a few of those in need.

There was at least one, but right now I can't for the life of me recall the subject.

[Roslynmuse]

One other issue is that there are often multiple petition campaigns to achieve the same aims. Around two years ago there were several doing the rounds on Facebook to prompt a second referendum on Brexit - one in particular garnered huge support - but I can't help feeling that there is an element of dilution by having several similar petitions up and running. I often forget which I have signed or end up signing none of them. I can't think of any solution to this but the enthusiasm of campaigners maybe sometimes over-estimates the appetite of us more passive individuals for campaigns.

[LHC]

With regard to the BBC and petitions, the public outcry, which included a petition that attracted over 77,000 supporters, against the prospective closure of BBC4 earlier this year resulted in a very quick volte face from the BBC, so that one seemed to work.

There was also a petition this year calling for Rule Britannia to be dropped from the LNOP which I think only attracted a 1,000 supporters, whereas the alternative petition to 'save' Rule Britannia managed over 70,000. It is possible that the relative lack of support for the removal of RB influenced the new DG's decision to reinstate RB into LNOP.

[oddoneout]

Not everyone is in a position to go on marches or join demonstrations on matters they feel strongly about so petitions are a way of recording a point of view or criticism or demand for change/justice. They may be signed with an 'it won't make any difference no-one listens' resignation, but it is seen as preferable to doing nothing. Even if a petition doesn't directly result in action it helps to raise the profile of a cause, which may then go on to achieve a result.

[jayne lee wilson]

Plenty of successes here.....(this isn't an exhaustive list)....

https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/successful?gclid=Cj0KCQiA0fr_BRDaARIsAABw4EsD1TU_BLtyD4MYK5M-O1tT3BFV7j5DT6GQuWVE00tlCyzSzZQSXYcaAjNPEALw_wcB

Don't mock it. Don't mock what making your voice heard, most especially about the Independent News Service of the BBC, can achieve. Current government is deeply cynical, but also deeply sensitive, about image and popularity, often at the expense of wise policy (!!!); but they will still react to popular opinion. Just look what Marcus Rashford achieved through social media (reflected back through many years of 38 Degrees campaigning about child and key worker pay and poverty....). Support campaigns on social media if you find them worthy, and try to improve the quality of others' lives. Including those lovely Beavers!

You think freedom comes cheap or easy? LBGTQ campaigner all my life - where would the world be now if we hadn't done all that? And now it is being rowed back again by several rightwing governments round the world... Never stop fighting till the fight is done.

Just do whatever you can - support everything that you agree with. Don't give in to despair or cynicism. Never give up. Never give up.

[Leinster Lass]

I wonder whether more notice might be taken of people's opinions if they made their Parliamentary representative's lives miserable by constantly bombarding them or their minions with emails, phone calls and even old-fashioned letters. A clogged inbox usually provokes some sort of response.

[jayne lee wilson]

I wonder whether more notice might be taken of people's opinions if they made their Parliamentary representative's lives miserable by constantly bombarding them or their minions with emails, phone calls and even old-fashioned letters. A clogged inbox usually provokes some sort of response.

Emails and letters to your own or other MPs are precisely what groups like 38 degrees allow you to do, collectively and more powerfully.... they will give you suggestions or a template to help...... all you need to do is sign up, wait for the alerts, decide what to support.....

As I said, it is all about numbers and persistence....

[LeMartinPecheur]

Emails and letters to your own or other MPs are precisely what groups like 38 degrees allow you to do, collectively and more powerfully.... they will give you suggestions or a template to help...... all you need to do is sign up, wait for the alerts, decide what to support.....

As I said, it is all about numbers and persistence....

I get loads of petitions, often much the same from different sources, and sign most of them. Difficult of course to say that I've made any difference but, as they say, you gotta be in it to win it. And sometimes we do win. Even if we don't, the pressure may still do some good, e.g. in making them think twice about the next proposed stupidity!

And I just adore getting those yellow House of Commons letters from my completely useless MP, with another duplicated response. Well, they are just occasionally mildly informative

[alywin]

It would be interesting to learn of cases where a petition has actually brought about substantive change.

This one certainly did:

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/221033

Unfortunately, it took the death of someone's child to bring it about :(

[muzzer]

Plenty of successes here.....(this isn't an exhaustive list)....

https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/successful?gclid=Cj0KCQiA0fr_BRDaARIsAABw4EsD1TU_BLtyD4MYK5M-O1tT3BFV7j5DT6GQuWVE00tlCyzSzZQSXYcaAjNPEALw_wcB

Don't mock it. Don't mock what making your voice heard, most especially about the Independent News Service of the BBC, can achieve. Current government is deeply cynical, but also deeply sensitive, about image and popularity, often at the expense of wise policy (!!!); but they will still react to popular opinion. Just look what Marcus Rashford achieved through social media (reflected back through many years of 38 Degrees campaigning about child and key worker pay and poverty....). Support campaigns on social media if you find them worthy, and try to improve the quality of others' lives. Including those lovely Beavers!

You think freedom comes cheap or easy? LBGTQ campaigner all my life - where would the world be now if we hadn't done all that? And now it is being rowed back again by several rightwing governments round the world... Never stop fighting till the fight is done.

Just do whatever you can - support everything that you agree with. Don't give in to despair or cynicism. Never give up. Never give up.

I agree wholeheartedly with Jayne. If there’s one thing elected officials are scared of, it’s losing their seats, however much they behave to the contrary. In my locality we can point to public pressure on councillors having a positive effect on local traffic issues. It may not be a sufficient cause of change but it’s a necessary one. Groups such as 38 Degrees facilitate action on national issues, and all you have to do is click a few times, likewise change.org. I don’t do it often enough.

[Leinster Lass]

I agree wholeheartedly with Jayne. If there’s one thing elected officials are scared of, it’s losing their seats, however much they behave to the contrary. In my locality we can point to public pressure on councillors having a positive effect on local traffic issues. It may not be a sufficient cause of change but it’s a necessary one. Groups such as 38 Degrees facilitate action on national issues, and all you have to do is click a few times, likewise change.org. I don’t do it often enough.

Can different people vote using the same email address?

[french frank]

Can different people vote using the same email address?

Don't know about 38 Degrees or change, but this is the Full Fact on petitions to Parliament:

'A House of Commons spokesperson told us “Many people share an email account with a partner or do not have access to email. To ensure that the petitions system is as accessible as possible, up to two people can sign from the same email address. An email address can only be used twice.

“The number of these signatures is strictly monitored to ensure that this feature is not abused. The number of these signatures on the article 50 petition is within the normal range—around 1%." '

This was in response to a Brexiteer claim that the Revoke petition could be signed many times by the same person, hence don't be surprised there are so many signatures.

https://fullfact.org/europe/possible-repeatedly-sign-parliamentary-petition/

[Leinster Lass]

Don't know about 38 Degrees or change, but this is the Full Fact on petitions to Parliament:

'A House of Commons spokesperson told us “Many people share an email account with a partner or do not have access to email. To ensure that the petitions system is as accessible as possible, up to two people can sign from the same email address. An email address can only be used twice.

“The number of these signatures is strictly monitored to ensure that this feature is not abused. The number of these signatures on the article 50 petition is within the normal range—around 1%." '

This was in response to a Brexiteer claim that the Revoke petition could be signed many times by the same person, hence don't be surprised there are so many signatures.

https://fullfact.org/europe/possible...tary-petition/

Thank you!