Are government e-petitions a waste of time?

[rov1100]

Just look on their web site. Most petitions are lucky to get over 100 votes. For a petition to be successful you need 100,000 votes even before it can be discussed in parliament.

http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/

[bednobs]

i think the problem is that people are stupid. There are a lot of petitions on there that are incredibly similar, therefore split the signatures

[DaisyNonna]

Yes

[craft1948]

The one for capital punishment qualifies doesn't it?

[TonyV]

It's a media thing IMHO - but I see it easily being abused

[hedgebeater]

Yes they are a waste of time, as are rallies. I cannot think of one that has stopped the government from doing what it intended in the first place. Do not make the mistake of thinking that MPs are there to carry out peoples wishes. An election or a referendum are the surest means.