Representative democracy in action in RobespiBlaire’s Gulag UK. The Government is to press ahead with preparations for nationwide congestion charging despite the millionth signature on a petition opposing the idea.
An experiment in internet democracy, in which people were invited to place petitions on the No 10 website and vote for them by e-mail, has embarrassed ministers. The petition calling on the Government “to scrap the vehicle tracking and road-pricing policy” was due to gain its millionth signature last night, less than three months after it was posted on the website.
It received 92,000 signatures on Wednesday alone, thought to be a record for a single day.
Douglas Alexander, the Transport Secretary, said last night that the signatures showed the strength of feeling among motorists but would not deter him from commissioning large-scale road-pricing trials.
