I decided to write this short diary after reading this discussion on slashdot.
The deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg has started a website asking for people to offer ideas on laws to be repealed. He calls the website as freedom website to reduce bureaucracy. More details at this BBC article.
From the BBC article :
Nearly 350 ideas have, so far, been posted on the website - including calls to repeal the smoking ban, review speeding laws and stop the "harassment or arrest of innocent photographers" under counter-terrorism laws.
More:
In his speech, in London, Mr Clegg said he believed the process would identify laws that make people "feel under threat" and "serve no real purpose".
Ofcourse, not everyone agrees with this approach.
"Allowing people to vote and add comments online can only get you so far. The government needs to encourage a much deeper public debate which informs as well as listens in order to avoid a kneejerk response." -Alexandra Runswick Unlock Democracy
So this is similar to America's OpenGov. UK website : http://yourfreedom.hmg.gov.uk/
So what happened to the ideas submitted at the opengov website ? Has any of them implemented. Was repealing the drug laws the most popular one ? Will it be a eyewash in UK like in the USA ? Was it really a eyewash in the USA ?
can citizens participation in government websites create positive changes in the way government functions and help the people ?