"Ed Sirett" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 17 Jan 2007 20:25:04 +0000, Roger Mills wrote:

In an earlier contribution to this discussion,
Brian wrote:

"Roger Mills" wrote in message
...
A few weeks ago, in the discussion about nominating Part P for Radio
4's Christmas Repeal award, the suggestion was made that an
alternative approach would be to raise a No. 10 petition - which I
have duly done.

waste of time, there is a petition to get the pm to juggle whilst
eating ice cream - that will be more effective.

Are you saying that *all* petitions are a waste of time, just because
there
are a few frivolous ones?

The one on road pricing now has nearly half a million signatures - and is
still going at a rate - so the powers that be would wise to take notice!

I'm not expecting mine to be *quite* that popular - but it may have an
effect - who knows?!

If you support the principle, it doesn't cost much to sign!

If over 1 million people turn up _in person_ to say something and Phony
Bliar (and the others) take no notice. What chance has an mere petition
got?

Old style politics is dead and irrelevant. Except that the Westminster
people are still making laws (and that the more trivial the matter the
better it is enforced).

Writing a letter addressed personally to a minister or via your MP costs
them a lot of work directly and indirectly and they will take notice, but
they still won't change their policies.


--
Ed Sirett - Property maintainer and registered gas fitter.

AIUI; a letter addressed to a Minister will be answered by a
under-under-under-clerk
with a formulaic 'The Minister has noted your letter .... '
A letter from your MP will (should) be answered by somebody who actually
knows the minister ... (even if they don't actually talk to each other) .
A letter sent to one Minister _and_ another Minister (preferably reporting
to a different Secretary of State) _and_ your MP _and_ copied to an outside
organisation (RAC, Which, BBC, Newspaper, fr'instance) causes a considerable
amount of internal correspondence as they attempt to co-ordinate Reponses.
In the Civil Service, the Registry rules!
As Ed says ; " ... costs them a lot of work directly and indirectly and they
will take notice, but they still won't change their policies. "



--

Brian