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Online Petition May Force British MPs To Debate Restoring Capital Punishment
The UK government has created a scheme in which e-petitions about anything that the government is responsible for may be created, and if it gets at least 100,000 signatures, it will be eligible for debate in the House of Commons.Among the most prominent is one calling for legislation allowing child killers and those who murder on-duty police officers to face execution. It has been presented by Paul Staines, who writes the libertarian Guido Fawkes blog, and has already been backed by several MPs. If it is signed by the required 100,000 supporters or more, then the cross-party Backbench Business Committee will decide whether it will be debated. Sir George played down fears about airing the subject - which was effectively abolished as a sentence for murder in the UK in 1965. "The site has been widely welcomed as a realistic way to revitalise public engagement in Parliament," he wrote. "But there have been some who have been concerned by some of the subjects which could end up being debated - for example, the restoration of capital punishment. Conservative MP Priti Patel said such a debate was long overdue and that she favoured restoring capital punishment "for the most serious and significant crimes" - a position echoed by party colleague Andrew Turner. Another Tory, Philip Davies, told the newspaper he would like to see all murders punishable by death. "The last time this was debated - during the passage of the Human Rights Act in 1998 - restoration was rejected by 158 votes. "But, if lots of people want Parliament to do something which it rejects, then it is up to MPs to explain the reasons to their constituents. What else is Parliament for? "People have strong opinions, and it does not serve democracy well if we ignore them or pretend that their views do not exist." Posted by: Anonymoose 2011-08-04 |
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