Online petitions...
Can't say I'm to impressed with this way of making a point:
'Reflect, yes. But anything online must be viewed with caution. I have 20 email addresses to play with. I don't know how effective the checking system would be should I decide to play with them all. But that's true of a paper petition.
It's certainly something that should be paid attention to, and not fudged and spun the way I have been seeing and hearing today.
I think we may need something like road pricing to handle traffic and environmental issues. But I don't trust this mob one jot to do it either effectively, efficiently, or even honestly. So trying to stuff things through with no idea where money was going to is what I was objecting to. That's not how some talking ministerial head was trying to weasel it around.
It will be interesting to see how this pans out. They have opened a Pandora's box and I don't know how they will dig themselves out. Leave it open and gawd knows what will happen. Close it down and the conspiracy buffs will be in clover. If there is a bandwagon to be jumped on it will be.
I don't think your 'poll' is smart of helpful. As a follower of the majority Jedi Knight faith at the last census that may seem hypocritical, but you are a major national broadcaster either trying to force a point or simply drum up ratings. We know the result you're after.
I hope you don't mess up an exercise in democracy others could gain from using.
After seeing what other media were up to, pitting sides against each other using this facility, I decided to give it a go myself, with a slightly more positive outcome in mind:
http://junkk.blogspot.com/2007/02/carbon-legacy.html
We petition the prime minster to enable the creation of a ‘Carbon Legacy’, as a direct, future generation-benefiting substitute for Inheritance Tax
IHT debate boils down into 2 main areas. Individuals get frustrated seeing a major % of savings go not to securing descendant’s futures, but to fund much that is... wasteful. To Govt IHT is an historical plum to good to be denied, justified by wealth being redistributed ‘for the common good’. Climate change is accepted by all as the most serious issue we face, Carbon Legacy is a fruitful compromise between entrenched positions, which remain deadlocked. A no middleman bequest, down to the IHT limit, donated to any initiative that is proven to be tangibly DOING something to improve matters on a measurable e-ROI, free from all but the most crucial instruments of management/oversight. No ‘redirection’! Funds straight to where most needed, to do the most good for the future. Some devils in the detail, but doable with consensus. In so doing it must surely satisfy both the needs and aspirations of all sides.
Keeping control of how we think and what we feed back seems mighty threatening to those used to being in control.
Let's see how long this all lasts.'
Surprise, surprise. Email to Newsnight Editor:
By all accounts your site has crashed again, as has Number 10's.
If you ask people what they think, and then put obstacles in the way of being heard equally, it can lead them to wonder what agendas are at play.
I have never felt more serious than about this issue, and want my petition heard.
Please do not mess it up with games.
Junkk.com promotes fun, reward-based e-practices, sharing oodles of info in objective, balanced ways. But we do have personal opinions, too! Hence this slightly ‘off of site, top of mind' blog by Junkk Male Peter. Hopefully still more ‘concerned mates’ than 'do this... or else' nannies, with critiques seen as constructive or of a more eyebrow-twitching ‘Oh, really?!' variety. Little that’s green can be viewed only in black and white.
Monday, February 12, 2007
2 comments:
I believe in freedom of speech. But I also don't like bullies on blogs, even verbal ones, as they can drive away those with something valid to say... or offer.
Subjective is fine, but well argued and substantiated is even better. Calm and polite tops. Anything that crosses my personal line will not go up. There may be reasons given, but not guaranteed.
I'm not too keen on 'Anon' as a handle (and the content usually explains why), so if that's what you opt for it may not make it. Sorry.
Re: The road charging e-petition.
ReplyDeleteAs of 15:00 on 13/2/2007 more than 1.3 Million have now joined the petition.
Interestingly, as a percentage of the electorate in 2005, 1.3Mill represents getting on for 5% of those who voted (27.15 Mill). If Uncle Tone, and Gord's secondary crew in waiting, think that that is unrepresentative and insignificant, they’re going to get an awfully bloody nose at the next election.
That, of course, assumes that NuLab haven’t abolished elections by the time the next one’s due.
Dave.
One spinmeister tried to get it as a % of the population. Bless.
ReplyDeleteThe sad thing is we need to do something, and this will just swing things so far to the no-enviro side it will take years to recover.
That is their legacy - the paralysis that a total lack of trust can create.
I'm hoping my little IHT idea may gain ground as an attempt to do something non-confrontational.