I suddenly awoke to find myself living in a totalitarian state...

**Board Game Geek** · 21 February 2007, 22:38

Is it just me or are these E-petitions a rather convenient shopping list of "dissidents" with which the government can get happy with their permanent markers ?

I mean, what with all the fag police, and the home police in the pipeline, it's not far off to the "petition police".

"Right Sir. Next up on the list is Number 23, home of Arthur and Mary Willcott. Arthur is 62 years old and currently working in B&Q as a shop advisor. Mary is 64 years old and does voluntary work at the local hospice. Our records from the Ministry of Technology show that they took receipt of a Dell computer 3 months ago. The State-owned ISP reports no unusual surfing habits, detrimental to them being "model citizens", however, the E-Police did report that last week, Arthur Wilcott signed an online petition, along with 218,312 other signatories, objecting to the Privatisation of the NHS and the plans to allow Supermarkets to offer Shop & Doc services."

"Hmm, interesting. Well, let's knock on their door and have a little chat with them shall we, Smythe ?"

"Good idea Sir. Oh and Sir ?"

"Yes Smythe ?"

"Will we be needing the telescopic batons for this one Sir ?"

"Hmmmm. I doubt at their age they will put up much resistance. However, it always pays to be careful. It would be such a shame for all that publicly-funded self-protection combat training to go to waste...."

**Euro-commuter** · 22 February 2007, 08:36

Originally posted by bogeyman

The government are about to propose restrictions on photography in
public places. This could make 'street photography' and documentary
photography an offence!

There's a protest petition on the Downing Street website. Please, whether you take pictures or not, sign up to the protest petition.

http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/Photography/

The line being crossed here by the government is the one that separates an activity that a citizen may engage in at will, subject only to not breaking the law, from an activity which in in itself regulated by the government, however gently most of the time. Indeed it divides the idea that in general a citizen's activities are his own business from the idea that everything is the government's business.

This is a very serious distinction, related to 2 entirely different views of the place of government and the individual.

I am afraid that today most of Labour, and a lot of other politicians too, see the question as "how shall we regulate this?", not "shall we regulate this?".

**Troll** · 22 February 2007, 08:45

I was going to setup a petition to prohibit HGV's from using Motorways (& any road come to think of it) between the hours of 07:00 - 09:00 & 17:00 - 19:00

**Captain Lockheed** · 22 February 2007, 14:49

That website is rapidly turning into a joke; every tom, dick and paranoid harry can get on his high horse and get a load of attention for whatever particular bee he has in his bonnet at any time

Instead of being something potentially very valuable, it's becoming like public access telly - Petions.gov.uk "Home of the bizzare Rant"

**bogeyman** · 22 February 2007, 15:24

Originally posted by Captain Lockheed

That website is rapidly turning into a joke; every tom, dick and paranoid harry can get on his high horse and get a load of attention for whatever particular bee he has in his bonnet at any time

Instead of being something potentially very valuable, it's becoming like public access telly - Petions.gov.uk "Home of the bizzare Rant"

Do you consider it a "bizzare Rant" then, when people voice their opposition to the legislative steamroller of this awful government?

I see your point that the site is probably just a sop so that Tony and chums can say they're 'listening' but can safely ignore us poor plebs. But what should we do? Keep shtum?

**realityhack** · 22 February 2007, 15:26

Originally posted by Captain Lockheed

That website is rapidly turning into a joke; every tom, dick and paranoid harry can get on his high horse and get a load of attention for whatever particular bee he has in his bonnet at any time

Instead of being something potentially very valuable, it's becoming like public access telly - Petions.gov.uk "Home of the bizzare Rant"

Captain, dear Captain... so what do you want the General section of this bulletin board to be like then? I mean, this whole website is a useful resource, and Light Relief/General are here really for us to natter about silly/serious issues, surely?
Plenty of good threads out there - use the search function and go back a few pages if you don't like what's currently being discussed - find a topic of interest and revive it in the spirit of the Fleetwood thread.
That reminds me...

**The Lone Gunman** · 22 February 2007, 15:27

Originally posted by bogeyman

Do you consider it a "bizzare Rant" then, when people voice their opposition to the legislative steamroller of this awful government?

I see your point that the site is probably just a sop so that Tony and chums can say they're 'listening' but can safely ignore us poor plebs.

The shame of it is that some of the more meritable petitions will be lost due to the overwhelming amount of ridiculous and frivolous "bizzare rants" that are being posted.
The whole thing will lose all credibility.

**bogeyman** · 22 February 2007, 15:36

Originally posted by The Lone Gunman

(snip...) The whole thing will lose all credibility.

I imagine that would suit the govt nicely.

Originally posted by Tony Blair

Look, people of the UK!

We gave you the chance to voice your opinions in a fully inclusive and democratic way, but you behaved like a bunch of spaks, and said innapropriate things about me (the great leader), and also about the great leader in waiting (Gordon).

Therefore, we are withdrawing the Internet as from 5pm today.

Cheers

Tony

**Captain Lockheed** · 22 February 2007, 16:16

Originally posted by realityhack

Captain, dear Captain... so what do you want the General section of this bulletin board to be like then? I mean, this whole website is a useful resource, and Light Relief/General are here really for us to natter about silly/serious issues, surely?
Plenty of good threads out there - use the search function and go back a few pages if you don't like what's currently being discussed - find a topic of interest and revive it in the spirit of the Fleetwood thread.
That reminds me...

I was talking about the petitions website not this one!

and in reply to a previous poster - no, i'm not happy with a lot of the proposals that the government and floating at the moment; so there's all the more need to galvanise support against actual policies i.e the no2id campaign rather than muddy the waters by giving the oxygen of publicity to some of the garbage which is on that petition site

I suddenly awoke to find myself living in a totalitarian state...