Petition

(18-10-2011 00:33 )eccles Wrote:  Hi Winston, long time no hear. Always good to get an alternative take.

100,000 signatures would be nice, but difficult to achieve. But thats not the end of the story. For starters its important to show that there is more support for liberalisation than restriction. Failure to do that would give a green light to censorship.

Second, MPs are very sensitive to voter pressure. Every MP will tell you that one letter gets their attention but not for long. Two makes them take a bit more interest. But if they get just 3-5 letters on the same subject they realise something is going on. They know that only a tiny minority of people actually interested in an issue will put pen to paper, so a handful of letters often represents much larger local interest, and that can affect their chance of reelection.

Dont kid yourself, some MPs will browse the petition website to spot the latest bandwaggon or just see which way the wind is blowing. And even if they dont, the relevant Ministries should.

Poor promotion? Yes, Ill put my hand up to that. Theres only so many hours in the day and some ideas have not taken off the way I thought they would. But there are huge areas I havent even started yet. Other members are promoting it elsewhere, and a slow burn campaign will gradually gain momentum and may suddenly capture the imagination. In the meanwhile it is going forward.

The numbers so far are respectable compared to Ofcom consultations over the years:
> Broadcasting Code initial consultation (14/7/2004) - lots of media attention, organised campaigns, total of 576 responses for & against regulation/deregulation.
> Participation TV (15/12/2006) - proposal to basically close babe channels, just 18 responses
> Particpation TV 2 (9/4/2008) - revised response after Ofcom backed down a bit - 42 responses
> Broadcasting Code Review (15/6/2009) - another opportunity to permit R18 or tighten up, organised campaign by a Church group - 220 responses
> Regulation of Video on Demand (14/9/2009) - licencing & controlling VOD - just 35 responses
> Participation TV 3 (3/11/2009) - 28 responses
300 may not be masses, but even 300 proves a higher level of interest than most of the above.

As for Hillsborough and other blockbuster petitions, these tend to be backed by a newspaper campaign (Hillsborough, cuts) or are linked to high profile events (Hillsborough, riots, cuts). Of course this campaign doesnt attract the same level of interest, but the powers that be know that the rate at which interest translates into action varies.

Please share if you have ideas for making the petition take off, otherwise all mentions on other sites and social media gratefully recieved.

(18-10-2011 00:43 )eccles Wrote:  Winston did ask some good questions that I overlooked

Which channel owners and industry investors have you pitched this petition to?
I have contacted some privately, but private communications are exactly that, private. Obviously not much take up yet. This evening I started new threads, but need to rethink that.
Have you contacted any high-profile names in the adult industry?
I dont have contacts. Volunteers?
Who have you contacted in the media?
A few names you would recognise, but private comms are private. Will start working the press when I get round to it. Again, all help appreciated specially from people with experience in this area.

Just so you know, as things stand, I'm only considering giving your petition my support and getting it from elsewhere - but, at the moment, I've got too much on my plate.

PS - I know an owner of a mainstream film company, but I don't think he would appreciate you using the film industry as an example in your campaign. Just a thought...