White House Follows UK Lead With E-Petition System

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White House.gov Intros E-Petition System
(By Elizabeth Montalbano, InformationWeek, September 01, 2011)
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The White House got the idea for the initiative from one already in place in the United Kingdom that allows people to create petitions online, Phillips said. "This work was very helpful as we developed our own," he said.
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The UK government e-petitions system was suspended in April 2010 but then reopened in a new guise in August 2011, with time allocated for parliamentary debate a possibility for petitions attracting more than 100,000 signatures.[6]
Some parliaments, government agencies and officials, such as The Scottish Parliament with the e-Petitioner system (from 1999), the Queensland Parliament in Australia,[7] German Bundestag[8] (from 2005) and Bristol City Council[9] in the U.K have adopted electronic petitioning systems as a way to display a commitment to their constituents and provide greater accessibility into government operations.[10]

The White House will soon offer people the ability to submit e-petitions online via its website to top federal officials in an effort to inspire grassroots political action on the Web.

Through an initiative called We the People, people can create or sign petitions that call for federal action on a range of issues, according to a post on the White House blog by White House director of digital strategy Macon Phillips.

If a petition gathers more than 5,000 signatures in 30 days, a group of appointed White House staff will review it, route it to an appropriate office, and generate a response to it.

The Downside of E-Petitions
There is some frustration around that during the recess the Government went ahead with a system for parliamentary e-petitions whereby the public can sign up to demand a debate in the Commons. The Government has suggested that anything getting over 100,000 online signatures will get its day in the Chamber. Unfortunately, the Backbench Business Committee, which is in charge of allocating debates, is granted only about one day every fortnight by the Government and there is already a substantial backlog. So the debate on restoring the death penalty promoted by the likes of Guido Fawkes may not see the light of day for many moons (if that's not a contradiction in astrology). It's something I regularly get asked about in the Rhondda, but I've always been clear that I will never vote for it. There is a real limit to government by referendum.

-Chris Bryant MP, September 10, 2011

MPs bow to e-petition pressure
(Computing.co.uk, September 16, 2011)

MPs have given in to pressure for a Commons debate on the e-petition demanding benefit cuts for the August rioters.

The Backbench Business Committee – which earlier claimed it had no time to spare for an early debate – has issued a statement in which it accepted a compromise under which there will be a debate next month on the response to the riots "including the issue of sanctions for those involved".

But the debate will be sidelined to take place in the secondary Westminster Hall chamber on 13 October.

The petition demanding rioters be stripped of benefits crashed under the weight of support, achieving over 220,000 signatures, well in excess of the 100,000 threshold past which Prime Minister David Cameron said it would need to be debated.

Earlier the committee refused, angry it had not been consulted over how to stage the debates, complaining no process had been agreed to handle successful e-petitions and that it had no space on its agenda for such debates.

There is also a problem that motions in the Commons have to be "moved" by an MP, which would be difficult, as in this case, where the Commons has no retrospective power to increase criminal punishments available to the courts.

The compromise involves debating the general issue rather than the specific words in the motion.

A similar debate on releasing secret papers on the Hillsborough football stadium disaster also demanded in a successful e-petition will be held on 17 October in the Commons itself.

The committee has launched a consultation on how future successful e-petitions should be dealt with.

Trivia does count for something
(Neil Warwick, Commentary, The Journal, September 21, 2011)

RARELY do lawyers get asked to participate in pub quiz teams as there is an assumption that all they really know about is obscure pieces of legislation.

However events of the summer have meant that knowledge of obscure pieces of legislation has had a brief popularity.

The first trivia-question posed was a result of the riots and civil unrest prompting lawyers (and insurers) to read up on the Riot Damages Act of 1886. Strangely, despite its age, this piece of legislation is still valid and allows anyone who has sustained damage to property as a result of a riot to make a claim against a local police authority.

However before the police authorities in various London boroughs are inundated with claims it should be noted that claims should be lodged within seven days of the incident and the definition of property probably only extends to physical premises and personal contents, not stock.

The second trivia style question which had popped up falls under the heading of the law of unintended consequences.

One initiative launched by the coalition is e-petitions. If you can persuade 100,000 like-minded citizens to go online and sign an e-petition on any topic the Government has committed to consider debating the topic in Parliament.

Unfortunately one e-petition that may reach the 100,000 signature threshold is a request to restore the death penalty to the UK. It has led to a debate in legal communities as to whether you can restore something that already technically exists.

A perennial quote at criminal law lectures for a number of years was that the Murder (Abolition of Death Penalty) Act of 1965 which was finally passed after much controversy in 1969, left a number of offences which were punishable by death (such as treason, privacy, regicide and sabotage to Her Majesty’s Docks).

This was the case until 1998 when the UK signed the sixth protocol of the European Convention on Human Rights which prohibited the death penalty in signatory states.

Renewed hope for Hillsborough justice
(By Jonathan Birchall & Sheena McStravick, JMU Journalism, September 22, 2011)

A debate is to take place in Parliament to discuss the issues surrounding the release of files relating to the Hillsborough tragedy, in which 96 Liverpool FC fans lost their lives in 1989.

On 17th October, politicians will gather in the House of Commons to discuss the disclosure of the cabinet minutes that are thought to hold information about the approach of Margaret Thatcher's Conservative government in the immediate aftermath of the disaster, after an e-petition calling for their release reached 138,000 signatures, including that of current manager Kenny Dalglish.

The Hillsborough Independent Panel, set up by the Labour government in 2009, is looking into the circumstances that led to the crush at Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield, where the Reds were facing Nottingham Forest in an FA Cup semi-final on 15th April, 1989.

The panel's report is set to be completed by next spring, then opening the door for the so-called 'Hillsborough files' to be released to the public.

A spokesman for the Cabinet Office said: “All papers had previously been shared with the Hillsborough Independent Panel. The Government is happy for all the papers to be released as soon as the panel so decides, in consultation with the families. We expect them to be shared with the Hillsborough families first and then to the wider public.”

The news comes ahead of the Don't Buy The Sun concert on 24th September, in which musicians such as Mick Jones and The Farm, as well as MP Tom Watson, will be attendance in order to show solidarity behind the widescale boycott of the Sun newspaper in Liverpool.

Under the editorship of Kelvin MacKenzie, the paper accused Liverpool fans of causing the tragedy at Hillsborough, as well as mistreating those who lay injured or dying. The Sun issued a front-page apology for the coverage in 2004. MacKenzie, however, has refused to apologise.

Speaking about the boycott, as well as the upcoming concert, Hillsborough Justice Campaign spokeswoman Sheila Coleman told JMU Journalism: "The boycott of the Sun newspaper has been ongoing in Liverpool and beyond since that paper printed lies about the Hillsborough Disaster in 1989.

"The Hillsborough Justice Campaign has played an active role in the boycott of the Sun for many years. The design on its posters, stickers and badges has become the iconic symbol of the boycott. We are proud to have played that role and will continue to support the boycott.

"Our reasoning is sound: the lies told, whilst causing immeasurable pain and suffering to families and survivors, also aided the ensuing cover-up. The resulting damage can never be undone and the time for saying ‘sorry’ has long gone.

"We do not want an apology. We want the Sun to go the way of its sister paper [the News of the World]. Then we would feel that we had done our bit as decent citizens to rid society of a tabloid that trades on sensationalism, vulnerability and lies.

"The Don’t Buy The Sun concert is an opportunity to further highlight the boycott, whilst simultaneously celebrating the integrity and commitment of those who have kept the boycott alive for so many years. The concert is dedicated to James McVey, who was tragically killed in 2010.

"All proceeds from the concert will go to a charity (Fazakerley9) set up by James' family and will be used to regenerate an area of parkland in his community. The HJC is pleased to be playing an active role in what is destined to be a memorable night."

Petition the White House with We the People
(Katelyn Sabochik, WhiteHouse.gov, September 22, 2011)

Today, we launched We the People on WhiteHouse.gov– a new platform that gives all Americans a way to create and sign petitions on a range of issues affecting our nation. And if a petition gathers enough online signatures, it will be reviewed by policy experts and you’ll receive an official response.

Throughout our history, Americans have used petitions as a way to join together around issues they care about. We the People brings that uniquely American tradition into the 21st century.

Here’s how it works:
1. Create or Sign a Petition: Anyone 13 or older can create a WhiteHouse.gov account and create or sign a petition on WhiteHouse.gov asking the Obama Administration to take action on a range of issues.
2. Build Support and Gather Signatures for your Petition: It’s up to you to build support for a petition. Use email, Facebook, Twitter and word of mouth to tell your friends, family and coworkers about the petitions you care about.
3. The White House Reviews and Responds: If a petition reaches a certain threshold (initially 5,000 signatures within 30 days), it will be reviewed by policy officials in the Administration and an official response will be issued.

We petition the Obama administration to:
Keep On Doing What You’ve Been Doing

We, the resigned and undersigned, realize that the Administration doesn’t really care what we think, but does want our votes for its reelection campaign.

Therefore, we urge the Administration to continue with Bush’s 3rd term in the Departments of Justice and the Interior.

Keep finding new places to blow up foreigners with killer robots, thus ensuring that the ‘War On Terror’ will be as unending as the Wars on Poverty and Drugs.

And most of all, continue attending to the interests of America’s most important citizens, her multinational corporations. They’re the people who really count.

Hillsborough tragedy documents 'will not be blacked out' to protect government embarassment
(By Luke Traynor, Liverpool Echo, September 27, 2011)

MPs will take part in a four-hour debate next month at the House of Commons about the forthcoming disclosure about the tragedy.

It follows a 140-000-strong e-petition backing the full release of all papers relating to the 1989 tragedy, which has been promised by the government.

Some of the grieving 96 Liverpool families, however, believe the independent Hillsborough panel’s terms of reference may still give them power to potentially black out certain passages if there is an issue of collective Cabinet responsibility.

Campaigner Anne Williams, who lost her 15-year-old son Kevin in the Sheffield crushes, today spoke of her worry some redaction could take place.

Ms Williams told the ECHO: “I am worried there could be documents or sections we cannot see.

“The fear is always, ‘Will this be a fair hearing?’ The doubt can put you off and starts you wondering what have they the government got to hide?”

“In my son Kevin’s case, I don’t need hidden documents to reopen a new enquiry. I have enough in the research I’ve amassed over the years.

Walton MP Steve Rotheram, a regular supporter of the families, has expressed a similar view, citing the possibility of redaction and “get-out-clauses” to keep certain information secret.

But the ECHO understands no such deletion by the government is to be permitted by the Independent Hillsborough Panel.

Only irrelevant names of junior ministers and members of the public, or anything of legal concern, will be erased from public view.

And, controversial or sensitive material will not be removed merely to avoid any potential embarrassment for the government.

Anne Williams will attend the debate in Parliament next month, along with other families who lost loved ones 22 years ago.

They have been told Home Secretary Theresa May will give a speech on the day of the debate.

Ms Williams added: “This day is very important for the families.

“Dave Church, for example, who lost his son Gary, 19, wants to know who took his lad to the gymnasium at Hillsborough. Because of the 3.15pm cut-off point, he doesn’t know what happened to him.

“For me, the truth is what happened after this time. Years ago, the jury didn’t hear evidence after 3.15pm, which for me secured the accidental verdict at the inquest.

“We didn’t get to hear about the police failures, and so nobody was to be blamed. That verdict needs striking down. Kevin and others died due to a lack of care.

"Fans were still alive, but the ambulances couldn’t get into the ground and the oxygen wasn’t available to keep people alive. I will continue to campaign for a fresh enquiry specifically between the time of 3.15pm-4pm.”

A Cabinet Office spokesperson said: “The Government has confirmed its commitment to full transparency about the Hillsborough disaster through full public disclosure. All papers had previously been shared with the Hillsborough Independent Panel.

“The Government is happy for all the papers, including Cabinet papers, to be released as soon as the Panel so decides, in consultation with the families.

"We expect them to be shared with the Hillsborough families first and then to the wider public.”

Frozen pensions campaigners start new petition
(By Leah Hyslop, The Telegraph, 28 Sep 2011)

The petition, called "End the unfair frozen overseas pension policy” is the first appeal to be lodged by campaign group the International Consortium of British Pensioners (ICBP) on the Government's new e-petitions website.

If it gains more than 100,000 signatures, the petition could force the issue to be debated in Parliament, as the Government promises that any e-petition which receives this level of support will become eligible for discussion in the House of Commons.

So far, over 7,600 people have added their name to it.

John Markham, a spokesman for the ICBP, said that the petition provided “the perfect opportunity for British citizens and those resident, or normally, resident in the UK, to take action against the unfair freezing of pensions".

The petition comes hot on the heels of another attempt by the ICBP to have the issue reviewed by Parliament, which took the form of an Early Day Motion or EDM. The EDM, which was tabled in June, attracted the support of a number of cross-party MPS, but was not selected to be debated.