Protests, Petitions and Referendums

We all know that the 'People' get to vote at elections, albeit an increasing number don't bother, but between them the only avenues available to express dissent is to take to the streets or raise a petition.

The street protests over the war in Iraq, on 13th February 2003, numbered around million in the UK and 36 million around the world but as we know achieved nothing. In general street protests come and go and seldom achieve their aim.

Petitions, have now been formalised by the government with the ability to raise a petition on the government’s website. The petitions are up for six months like this one currently running on Net Zero started by me under THA banner.

 https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/599602

After 10,000 signature you are guaranteed a government response, which we have had, and if the petition reaches 100,000 you might, but it is not definite, get a debate in parliament. The petition currently has over 21,000 'votes' and runs until 27th April this year.

Private petitions delivered to No 10 Downing Street are another route to go but, unlike the government's official website, do not guarantee a response let alone a possible debate in parliament. 

Either way, petitions or protests, are fairly blunt instruments and will change little with government's able to ignore both. This applies to protests and petitions against or demanding changes to government policy or demanding the government consider a new policy not on their current legislative programme. In the first case it is true parliament has to approve the policy but a government with a reasonable majority is seldom defeated.

So, unless the government initiates a referendum, as they did over staying in the Common Market and EU exit, the votes on devolution and the one on AV, then the people are pretty powerless to change a government's mind having to wait until the next election to voice their opinion.

Our fourth demand 'The People's Consent' gives the people the power to initiate three types of referendum. The first is to recommend the government considers new laws, the second is to stop a piece of legislation and the third allows the people to challenge the decisions of their government or official bodies - by elected and appointed officials, including ministers and judges.

To prevent endless referendums being raised they would need to meet set benchmarks before being approved and would only carry weight if the vote, when held, passed a set turnout criteria and a received a clear majority for the proposal.

As is apparent government policy is often determined by well-funded professional lobbying groups so it is time the 'People' had the mechanisms to demand its government take certain actions or stop a particular policy. Our petition for a referendum on the government's £3 trillion Net Zero policy, which has no democratic mandate, is of course a case in point.

After a quick start voting has slowed so I recently arranged for 100 postcards, promoting our petition, to be sent to likely MPs asking them to support and promote our petition. I have other avenues I shall pursue over the coming months but without our fourth demand set in law it is very difficult for the people to be heard.

 Finally, as the 'Establishment' discovered, to their costs, with the Brexit vote, the ‘People’ do have their own opinions and real democracy should have the mechanisms for the ‘People’ to demand a referendum.