On a web and a prayer

The Procedure Committee of the House of Commons has been reviewing the prospect for ePetitions within Parliament. Their just released report paints a positive picture for the future of ePetitions but raises cautions about their introduction alongside the traditional written petition. We're not likely to see anything on the parliament.uk website before 2010.

It's certainly positive that the committee has taken a strong line on the necessary procedures and practices that are required, rather than focussing narrowly on a technological solution. They state a hope that ePetitions will open up democracy, perhaps overstating the case a little, but what is clear is that Parliament is certainly keen to move further into the digital age, and that's a good thing.

Rightly, there is concern of overlap and confusion between a new parliamentary system and the existing ePetitions site at 10 Downing Street. Close it down and leave it to the House is the polite conclusion!  Sound advice as finally we're looking at an online petitioning system where citizens have a real chance of being heard.

If the recommendations are implemented, ePetitions will be assigned to the constituency MP of the petitioner. The format gets a bit of a makeover too, simplified slightly from the traditional paper-based system but the overall concept of petitioner, prayer, explanation and signatories is retained. Interestingly, the idea of a Petitions Committee is rejected in favour of the Procedure Committee retaining control and the process being managed by the Clerks.

I'm pleased to see that the feeling is to keep the system open and manage problem or malicious petitions within that system, rather than trying to lock it down from the start. That's a good approach. The Procedure Committee is also upbeat about managing the quantity of petitions too. The only recommendation I'm struggling with is the idea that three petitions a year get debated in Westminster Hall. It's a rather quantitative sore-thumb amid a set of recommendations that are refreshingly focussed on the qualitative nature of petitions. The significance of the topic and a well argued prayer seem to have won the day over a simplistic count of signatures and so it's hard to see how such debates offer anything other than a media-savvy gimmick!

Andy Williamson
Director, eDemocracy Programme
a[.]williamson[@]hansard[.]lse[.]ac[.]uk