Complete sword ban proposed in UK - UK residents only

[Salvianus]

Even though I live in the U.S., can I still sign the petition if any of this crap gets pushed into motion?

As this is a piece of government consultation, you must be a British citizen or resident to sign the petition. This is what differentiates it from the usual internet petition which counts even less than paper petitions in official valuations and that is very low indeed.

The system is being trialled, in the face of some scepticism, with a view to establishing whether it is a valid way of accessing the opinions of a public slow to engage with the traditional methods, or just a magnet for internet junkies with an axe to grind.

Like most forms of consultation, the system may not be very representative and by no means equivalent to referenda. You can already see a) there are a lot of petitions, some attracting very little support b) many cover very similar ground c) some seem badly drafted and d) well organised pressure groups are hard at work on specific single issues. Er... such as this. None of this bodes well for the trial or how seriously it will be taken.

As with any issue, reasoned, balanced individual letters have far, far more impact, especially to praise some of the ideas considered in the Scottish proposals. As yet, I believe any action would be purely as a precaution.