Following the last report about libel reform, I sent the webmaster atwww.libelreform.org an email explaining exactly why I wasn’t signing. And they’ve changed it. I can now sign (and have signed) the petition without also spamming Evan Harris.
Excuse me for feeling smug, but apart from once signing up to a demo at university that I never actually went on, this is about as activist as I’ve ever got, so I may milk it.
I’ve blogged previously about Simon Singh being sued by the British Chiropractic Association for libel, in a case that debases both science and the libel laws of our glorious land. So far, so good.
An update email from the campaign today asks me to sign a fresh online petition. “Sense About Science has joined forces with Index on Censorship and English PEN and their goal is to reach 100,000 or more signatories in order to help politicians appreciate the level of public support for libel reform.” Brill! Point me at it!
It’s at www.libelreform.org. Fired with enthusiasm I go there and hit the “Sign the petition” button. I fill in my details and hit the “Sign now” button to record my total opposition to the ludicrous law that lets dogma triumph over facts.
… And rather than feel a smug glow of righteousness, I get presented with a pre-filled in letter to my MP (his identity presumably gleaned from my post code). There is a note at the top saying “[Please put your address here – MPs often do not respond otherwise]”, and a button at the end saying “Send the message”. Nothing about the petition that I thought I was signing.
Hang on, hang on. This is not what I signed up for. (a) I don’t believe MPs pay any attention to a form letter, even if it has been individualised with the addresses of their constituents. And (b) how do they know I haven’t already written to Dr Harris? Maybe I don’t want to spam the poor man with duplicate messages. But actually signing the petition (if I haven’t already: there is nothing to say either way) seems to lie beyond that “Send the message” button.
So, no, I won’t, sorry. This is completely the wrong way to do it. This is a petition about transparency, for Pete’s sake. So be transparent! Have a button marked “sign the petition”, and have it sign the effing petition. Don’t lower yourself to the level of the opposition. Stop trying to be clever. Don’t try to orchestrate our campaigning for us.
The email also asked us to “please spread the word by blogging, twittering, Facebooking and emailing”. Glad to oblige.
Driving to Oxford and back I had to decide what to set the iPod to. Of late I’ve worked through all my REM songs, my collection of carols, all the classical stuff, all the synth pop … I know, I’ll set it to shuffle through the musical tracks.
And then I’ll pass the time by working out a plot to encompass them all.
Track 1: “At the end of the day” (Les Mis). Easy. There’s a lot of poor, discontented people and one woman in particular is forced to prostitution for losing her job.
Track 2: “Everything’s alright” (Jesus Christ, Superstar). Sounds like she landed on her feet, falling in with a nice guy who stands up for her even when one of his friends complains about her expensive tastes in perfume. Mind you, he also comes out with the slightly bummer comment that the poor will always be with us, which coming after track 1 is perhaps a little smug.
Track 3: “Invitation to the Jellical Ball” (Cats). Our girl’s luck is still in: she gets an invite to the coolest party on the block.
Track 4: “I feel pretty” (West Side Story). Her star is truly in the ascendant. She’s met an even nicer guy – or maybe she’s just fallen properly in love with the nice guy from track 2 – not sure (the libretto could do with a bit of work here). Her friends are sceptical. To be quite honest, though the tunes are fun this is turning out quite a dull, feel-good sort of thing that Doris Day might have starred in.
Track 5: “One day more” (Les Mis). Aha! Revolution is brewing. That’s more like it. I knew there had to be something more.
Can’t wait for Act 2.