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To those who signed the road tax petition....

50 replies

dassie · 18/02/2007 12:51

I wonder if you could give the same time to signing a petition to stop the genocide in Darfur.

The massacres in Chad/Darfur are ongoing - mothers are being murdered in front of their children, in the refugee camps there is hardly enough food or clean water for the survivors to survive on.

I find it shocking that 1.5m people have the time to sign a petition that is all about their back pocket, yet only 30 people have signed a petition to urge our Government to take action to stop this Genocide.

Please sign.

Darfur Petition

OP posts:

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PeachyClair · 18/02/2007 12:54

Will sign

Its NOT just about our back pockets though- please dont be so judgemental! FFor my family its about DH's ability to work, about moving around with our disabled kids, about being able to shop, about the fact there is NO public transport we can access in our town

CountTo10 · 18/02/2007 12:56

I agree with Peachy - perhaps if more thought was given to our own shores sometimes we wouldn't be currently providing the worst life/home for our children in the devpd world as we currently are. Attitudes like yours just put people off I'm afraid though I will sign this petition as it is something that needs to be stopped. But try a different tact in future.

lulumama · 18/02/2007 12:58

like it or not dassie, most people do care more and are motivated to do more for things that will affect them, their family and their locale

as Peachy has said, it is more than being about our back pockets...there was a lot of really interesting stuff on here about this, how it will affect everyone, not just those who drive..

so , by all means ask people to sign, but don;t try to guilt trip people into doing it , it is human nature to care more about what affects us directly..

Carmenere · 18/02/2007 13:00

Great way to rally support dassie Because I just love being told off.........
That said I will sign because I agree with you.

dassie · 18/02/2007 13:04

Ok - may have been a bit provocative there! (I have signed the road tax one too)but wanted to get some responses.

I picked on the road tax because you need more than 3/4 m in order for the petition to be taken seriously and the road tax one is the only one that has that many signatures.

OP posts:

CountTo10 · 18/02/2007 13:06

The dafur petition does not expire till june so that's plenty of time to start getting it circulated. If its not something that's reported in the news, then most people aren't going to know. You need to rely on the power of email for this I'm afraid.

saintmaybe · 18/02/2007 13:14

Thanks, dassie, I'm not in the least offended

batters · 18/02/2007 13:33

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

3andnomore · 18/02/2007 13:43

Have signed it

However...until I read it hear I didn't know about this petition...and can't sign something I am not aware off!
Since when was this petition open then?

batters · 18/02/2007 19:50

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Themis · 18/02/2007 20:04

Perhaps a change in thread title may help actually saying what the petition is about.

Jbck · 18/02/2007 20:41

I actually read through several petitions whilst I was on reading the road charging one, and signed a couple I wasn't aware existed. Like others have pointed out, if you don't know about it you can't sign. People have their own reasons for signing (or not) many of the petitions on there and to point it out was probably sufficient.
I had a Cancer Research lady at my front door the week after I had lost my aunt to cervical cancer looking for donations. I said I gave to various charities through my salary (it actually being one) & she threw a casual 'oh well don't let it bother you that you didn't donate' over her shoulder as she stomped away. . You never know people's circumstances so shouldn't presume. That said I'll sign it because it is a very worthwhile cause & I'll circulate to friends.

Jbck · 18/02/2007 20:42

The site is currently experiencing very high traffic, maybe you've alerted dozens of others dassie. The power of Mumsnet!

PeachyClair · 18/02/2007 21:30

Yes I signed a few as well, and out one that was hugely relevant to me (and anyone with SN- or anyone who cares about SN) in the Sn topic if anyone cares to find it - pretty please?

Jbck- fwiw this person was a volunteer, as a former charity fundraising manager, anyone who helped us and behaved like that would have bee politely thanked and shown the door . Never worked for cancer relief, but a very similar charity in the same sector, and they all work to the same values.

Unfortunately as long as charities have to rely on volunteers there is a risk factor

PeachyClair · 18/02/2007 21:30

sorry she was so awful- looked like I meant they'd be removed!

lissielou · 18/02/2007 21:40

have signed

batters · 19/02/2007 08:48

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

SenoraPostrophe · 19/02/2007 09:01

I agree whole-heartedly, dassie.

But then the tabloids aren't running a campaign about Darfur are they?

Anyway can I also draw people's attention to this petition:
petitions.pm.gov.uk/peace-not-war/

dassie · 19/02/2007 14:47

As I said - I was being provocative to get people to respond! Didn't mean to offend.

Unfortunately there are so many petitions on the website that without press coverage or a huge campaign by a big group with media prescence, people won't know about them.

I hope the government takes the road tax one seriously given the number of signatories, but it does look like thay will go ahead with what they were planning regardless. Weakens the whole principle of the petitions website if they do.

Since I put this on yesterday the number of signatories has almost doubled! Thanks to all who signed.

OP posts:

SenoraPostrophe · 19/02/2007 18:21

peachyclaire and countto10 - lack of public transport etc isn't a reason to reject the road charging scheme. The point of it is that they're going to charge more for busy routes at peak times, and less or nothing for small roads and roads where public transport alternatives don't exist.

But anyway, peachy you have to admit that most people who signed the raod petition did so out of concern for their own back pocket as dassie says. You didn't but I think that you are an exception.

Freckle · 19/02/2007 18:34

I think the title thread might be a reason why there are not as many posts as on the road tax thread. Perhaps people are all "road taxed" out.

The road tax petition got a lot of response because it was widely publicised through emails etc. Perhaps this petition could be promoted in the same way - if everyone on MN forwarded a link to everyone in their address books, it might attract the same attention as the road tax one.

CountTo10 · 19/02/2007 20:25

SP - I know what you're saying but people are still entitled to campaign for what they feel strongly about - and unfortunately that is not always going to be the big global humanitarian issues, especially when you will only know about them if you watch global news or ER!! To highlight an issue, you need to tell people about it. By being condescending (which I know was not the OP's original intention) merely further alienates people from said cause which should be avoided at all costs.

Mirage · 19/02/2007 21:40

DONE

SenoraPostrophe · 20/02/2007 08:51

I don't think she was condescending.

bossykate · 20/02/2007 08:56

neither do i. i agree with the op and will sign. didn't sign the road pricing one and got really peed off with the person who sent it to me in the "email your entire address book" way.

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