On 13 Mar 2010 at 21:29, Polly Rubery wrote: > Hi Liz > > There is a petition see: > > http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/grocertificates/ > > Polly > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Liz" <e.newbery@btinternet.com> > To: <bristol_and_district@rootsweb.com> > Sent: Saturday, March 13, 2010 6:21 PM > Subject: Re: [B&D] Changes to certificate ordering > > > Hi Polly > > I'm surprised there has been no petition to Downing Street on this new > charge. It is well above the pay rises and as the vast majority of > people who send for certificates are pensioners and our pensions are > only going up by something just over 2% I think this increase is > appalling. > I am sorry to seem like a wet blanket and a party pooper but if anyone seriously thinks a petition to Downing Street is going to make an 'aporth of difference, then the moon is made of green cheese and I'm George Formby! Many years as a professional cynic tells me that petitions to the government are about as much use as the proverbial catflap in an elephant house. Surely you can see that they are simply a highly cynical device to make us, the great British public, believe that our views matter, whereas the truth is that nobody in government, whether MPs or civil servants, could give a monkeys! The whole object of these online petitions is to deceive us into thinking the government is being democratic and listening to the electorate, whereas once the next election is over they will treat us with the same contempt that they always do. Has anyone ever heard of one of these petitions changing anything? I fear we will have to swallow the GRO increases and pay up if we want to continue with our researches. -- Roy Stockdill Genealogical researcher, writer & lecturer Newbies' Guide to Genealogy & Family History: www.genuki.org.uk/gs/Newbie.html "There is only one thing in the world worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about." OSCAR WILDE