Online petitions are the product of the Internet generation – clicking on a link and signing a petition is the new activism. What is worse, is that the denizens of the green benches are then expected to debate this claptrap – which, let’s be frank here, most of it is. Such as this one.
MPs are debating calls for shops to be banned from opening on Boxing Day, after an online petition attracted more than 100,000 signatures.
There are currently no controls on trading hours on that day unless it happens to fall on a Sunday, and campaigners say workers need more rest.
My immediate response is that what days businesses open should be no concern of the state. The rest issue is another matter entirely – one presumes that anyone working on this day will still have their usual days off – or days in lieu, as I did when shift working. It’s how it usually works.
Anyway, they are going to debate it despite a response already from the government:
In its response to the petition, the government said: “We do not believe it is for central government to tell businesses how to run their shops or how best to serve their customers. Therefore we are not proposing to ban shops from opening on Boxing Day.”
Absolutely right. So why are they going to waste time discussing this drivel?
Labour MP Helen Jones is leading the debate in Westminster Hall. It will not involve a vote so cannot enforce a change in the law, but is a chance for MPs to demonstrate whether it is an issue with much support in Parliament.
Yes? And? So? Go back to the response from the government; it is not the place of the state to legislate on such matters; it is a contract between the employer and the employee.
I don’t think it is a bad idea, in principle, for a sufficiently popular issue to be debated in Parliament. I think that currently the bar is set too low for the number of “signatures” needed for it to happen. If we are going to run with the idea, there does need to be a set number that, if exceeded, results in a discussion. This is essential if we don’t want to have politicians trying to wriggle out of doing things that they don’t like. 100,000 online signatures out of a population of over sixty million is a laughably small number. As for the workers, are there not enough people out there who hate Christmas?
Yet they legislated Sunday Opening, they legislate Christmas closure. They legislate on a lot of things they should just keep their fingers out of by default. I’m happy with the 100K limit. It may not be much but it allows us to get them working on what we raise as not everyone agrees with us. Downside is there are lot more prod noses than good guys but that seems to happen anyway.
And they shouldn’t legislate on those things. The petitions merely seem to be an excuse for people to demand bans…
Don’t worry LR: it’s a “Westminster Hall” discussion not a real one. In other words it’s an opportunity for those MPs who don’t feature in the serious debates in the Commons Chamber to get a mention in their local rag. Mind you, when was the last time we had a serious debate, with serious arguments in the Commons chamber? There were a couple of good speeches in the recent EU debate and before then . . . er . . . nothing since the 1980s I’d guess.