Thursday 15 September 2016

You only need 10 signatures for the Assembly to discuss it?



The BBC and Wales Online recently give space t former Plaid councillor turned Ukip candidate Mohammed Sarul call to rename Cardiff Airport after Princess Diana

He claimed  changing the name would generate publicity and act as a memorial.

Mr Sarul  has put forward a petition  (with just 16 names remember that)calling on the Welsh Government to change the name.

The call does not seem to generate the support both the Editors at the BBC an the Wasting Mule  were trying to generate


George Atkinson: "How about we call it after Owain Glyn Dwr instead? At least he was Welsh and did something for our country. This is just sucking up to a foreign royal family who have done absolutely nothing for Wales apart from using our countries name to promote themselves to something other than being a complete waste of time and money. What a joke. This shouldn't even be considered and should be laughed off by our politicians."
Hywell Roberts: "It already has a name. What it needs is more flights and better road access. Some more shops and taxis wouldn't go amiss either."
Leigh Richards: "No disrespect to the late Diana but I think it should be named after someone who was from Wales and who has contributed to Welsh life. The likes of David Lloyd George and Nye Bevan certainly spring to mind - and what about Gareth Bale? Roald Dahl Airport is growing on me too."
Judith Evans: "Ridiculous - she had no connection with Cardiff and, as Princess of Wales, made no effort with the country, language or people!"
A petition needs a minimum of 10 signatures to be discussed by the Assembly Petitions Committee, under current assembly rules.

I was loath to give this claptrap any more publicity  but for a byline which intrigued me
Assembly members will consider the petition, which gathered 16 signatures, on Tuesday
A petition needs a minimum of 10 signatures to be discussed by the Assembly Petitions Committee, under current assembly rules.

Now I totally support the Assembly listing to the Assembly  but  "10 signatures" you could gather that by calling for Wales to open an embassy on Mars!

A mischievous group of people could easily gather over 10 signings on different petitions every day in various parts of Wales .

I don't know how much this would tie up the Assembly bu or how much it costs but the petition committee probably would have to meet on a daily basic   

Surely  (i never thought I'd say this) its a rule that carries "direct democracy" to far.Y

3 comments:

Gav said...

On past form, the petitions committee would probably spend less time on it than it will take to type this comment.

Shortly after Rhoose airport was re-named CARDIFF WALES (presumably to distinguish it from Cardiff Maryland) the "W" fell off the sign and for a while it proudly advertised "CARDIFF ALES". Then some bounder stole the "a". Cardiff Les was unavailable for comment.

There was a move some years ago to name the new hospital then being built in Llantrisant the "Camilla Parker Bowles" because it came between the "Prince Charles" in Merthyr and the "Princess of Wales" in Bridgend. Sadly it all came to nothing.

Alan said...

It's a little more complex than that. See Welsh Assembly standing order 23.4:

A petition is not admissible if it:
(i) contains fewer than 10 signatures;
(ii) fails to comply with Standing Order 23.2 or is otherwise not in proper form;
(iii) contains language which is offensive;
(iv) requests the Assembly to do anything which the Assembly clearly has no power to do; or
(v) is the same as, or substantially similar to, a petition which was closed less than a year earlier.

So nuisance petitions such as asking the Welsh government to establish a Martian embassy would be rejected on other grounds.

Owen said...

At the end of the last Assembly term the Petitions Committee review recommended raising the signature limit to 50. Obviously nothing came of that.