Government Petition
Posted By : John Davies, 09-May-2007, 10:45pm
Oh, come on!
The more people who sign the petition the more money the Gov. will see itself losing in tax.
It's a self defeating petition.
Petitions, esp. this easy online petition thing are like bread and circuses - they occupy the minds of the proletariat, and make them think they have an influence, without having any power at all. It was fifty years after the Chartists' Great Petition of 1848 before even universal male suffrage was conceded.
John
The more people who sign the petition the more money the Gov. will see itself losing in tax.
It's a self defeating petition.
Petitions, esp. this easy online petition thing are like bread and circuses - they occupy the minds of the proletariat, and make them think they have an influence, without having any power at all. It was fifty years after the Chartists' Great Petition of 1848 before even universal male suffrage was conceded.
John
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Government Petition
Posted By : Jonathan Reed, 09-May-2007, 11:40pm
This weekly Davies bating initiative is going very well! Keep it up.
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Government Petition
Posted By : Nigel Gibbins, 10-May-2007, 08:50am
You just start talking oil feeds and 'orifices' with him... takes me right back to the beginning of Davies baiting...
...ahh, those were the days 
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Government Petition
Posted By : Paul Carter, 09-May-2007, 11:44pm
john,
i never thought about it from that point of view but as i've already added my name it's a bit late now!didn't quite understand the second paragraph though(history wasn't my best subject)........
paul.-
Government Petition
Posted By : Paul Carter, 09-May-2007, 11:50pm
addendum to previous post,
surely it can't do any harm as we have to pay road tax anyway(post 72 or whatever it is) so if the petition was not raised the government would just carry on letting or rather making us pay it and say nothing.but i love a good conspiracy theory...........-
Government Petition
Posted By : Ann Lewendon, 09-May-2007, 11:57pm
Thanks Paul. It's people who sit back and think 'What's the point, we can't do anything anyway' that make this country what it is today. It can't do any harm to stand up and be counted. As you say, we have to pay it anyway.-
Government Petition
Posted By : John Davies, 10-May-2007, 09:32am
Okay, class. shut up and settle down.
British political history today.
In the Nineteenth century only land owners, 1 in 7 adult males, had the vote. The Great Charter was a demand for universal suffrage, the right to vote in elections to Parliament for all adults. In 1848, the Chartists presented a petition in favour of this to Parliament, that contained nearly 2 million signatures. This was at a time when the population of the UK was just less than 15 million. Did this have any effect on the right to vote?
No.
By 1884 - 36 years later - all male householders had the vote - this excluded 40% of men. Women had no vote.
It was not until 1928, that all adults (21 years) had the vote.
Eighty years after the Great Petition.
So if a petition in favour of something really important, the vote, that was supported by more than 13% of the people, took eighty years to have any effect, what hope do you have for something as relatively trivial as car tax on 25 year old cars? That would cost the Government several million pounds, when the vote costs the Government nothing?
And did the Great Charter and its Petition have an effect at all?
No, it took years of continual political pressure, lobbying and agitprop. .
If you want to have car tax rescinded for old cars, get down to your MP's surgery, write to them and to the Government, chain yourself to the Downing Street railings. As Ann says, 'What's the point, we can't do anything anyway' is what makes us what we are today, when that precious right to vote is ignored by 40% of the electorate. Take an active part in politics!
Petitions are not 'an active part in politics'!
Okay, class dismissed!
John
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Government Petition
Posted By : Philip Brammer, 10-May-2007, 12:26pm
The revolution begins just as soon as 'last orders' sounds!
D'you know, John Davies' membership renewal fee is such good value for money! A veritable wealth of knowledge. Should be 'WikiDavies'!
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Government Petition
Posted By : Calvin Andrew, 10-May-2007, 08:53am
Are you going then to deny classic car owners the right to free tax on a rolling programme in fifty years time because it won't help you, how unreasonable!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Baiting away, Calvin-
Government Petition
Posted By : Dan Owen, 10-May-2007, 10:45am
Up the revolution!!!-
Government Petition
Posted By : Nigel Gibbins, 10-May-2007, 11:09am
down with government!-
Government Petition
Posted By : Jerry Jones, 10-May-2007, 06:54pm
I am all for voting & referendums etc. I am also in favour on marching on Downing Street with plackard in hand.
But look what happened to the 'Countryside March'!
Petitians just express views of a cetain sector of the country' subjects - a minority. Yes I lodged my name on the car tax for classic cars, but never thought for a minute that any notice would be taken of it.
However, the recent petition commanding 1.6million responses had some effect. Are there 1.6m classic cars that pay road tax, no.
The other quirk regarding voting at the General Election is, in 1997 the current administration gained office on 25% of a 48% turnout!! (correct my figures if I'm wrong).
Voting should be compulsary,
Referenda should be compulsary.
The trouble with the G.E. vote is that the government always wins.
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Government Petition
Posted By : Dan Owen, 14-May-2007, 10:56am
The trouble with the countryside marches was that we weren't anything lke strong enough in numbers to do what is really needed, viz. grab hold of every one of the lying, cheating, self-serving b@$t@rd$, stick 'em on the Eurostar (seeing as most of them love the EU so much) and not let them back in. Ever!
Actually I have a wee idea to improve the democratic system. Basically I think nobody should be allowed to be an elected politician - whether as MP, district councillor or whatever - for more than 10 or 15 years. It would stop people making a career of politics as they do now. Most of our current problems, and the rampant cronyism in politics, are due to career politicians becoming totally divorced from reality in their ivory towers - if they'd had real jobs before, or knew they were going to have to get a real job in the future, they might think a bit harder!
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Government Petition
Posted By : Peter & Mick Lewis, 22-Jun-2007, 10:19am
http://www.number-10.gov.uk/output/Page12025.asp
this gives the link to the governments reply to the petiton which leaves the rules unchanged .
peter
this gives the link to the governments reply to the petiton which leaves the rules unchanged .
peter
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Government Petition
Posted By : Nigel Gibbins, 25-Jun-2007, 08:36am
Yeh - I was sent that and read it... complete pants excuses!-
Government Petition
Posted By : Calvin Andrew, 25-Jun-2007, 08:58am
why would they reduce revenue when they don't have to? I get really annoyed by successive governments who seem to take take take from their subjects. i know everything has to be payed for, but sometimes, the certainty of taxes is just plain irritating.
Calvin,
Rant over!-
Government Petition
Posted By : Nigel Gibbins, 25-Jun-2007, 09:04am
I thought the whole purpose was to benefit classic car owners who maybe would drive the cars for a couple of weekends a year... that's what we all do isn't it??
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Government Petition
Posted By : Clive Senior, 25-Jun-2007, 11:19am
There could also be a backlash by government who may want to reintroduce (paid) roadtax if they realise so many cars are not paying as it appears to be unfair. Or they may decide if we get it free then we should only do a very limited mileage or to/from official events type of thing. And that would be a pain.
The other thing is if a rolling 25 years was reintroduced, it would allow all sorts of cars to be classed as historic, and would be hugely detrimental to government plans to get old bangers scrapped and us all run nice EF cars.
Still, I'm all happy me. 3 historic vehicles and all that!
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