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Faking Public Consent!; An online tool that changes your answers is not the only problem with this attempt to fake public consent[..]
Topic Started: Nov 30 2015, 03:12 PM (91 Views)
skwirked
On Enforced Vacation
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http://www.monbiot.com/2015/11/26/putting-the-con-into-consultation/

Quote:
 

[...]

Five weeks ago, the Welsh government launched a consultation to open a “strictly protected” reserve in Bae Ceredigion (Cardigan Bay), that is ostensibly set aside to protect the UK’s largest breeding population of bottlenose dolphins, to scallop dredging. Yes, scallop dredging. The reserve in question is a Special Area of Conservation

[...]

On Monday, some sharp-eyed people spotted an unusual feature of the consultation. If you clicked “No” to the first question, then clicked “Yes” to the next question, the previous question was automatically changed to Yes. They made a short video, showing how the feature works.

The Welsh government assures me that this political breakthrough was caused by an electronic glitch, and I believe them. But this makes it the only feature of the consultation that has not been deliberately rigged.

[...]

What the consultation is supposed to do is to allow you to say whether or not you believe the special area of conservation should be opened to scallop dredging. But nowhere in the questions does it present you with this choice. Instead of asking whether or not you agree with dredging in the reserve, it asks this question:

“Do you agree with the introduction of a Scallop permit scheme which would apply to Cardigan Bay, allowing conditions to be applicable out to 12 nautical miles?”

So, if you disagree with the proposal, what should your answer be?

If you say Yes, it means that you approve of scallop dredging in the reserve, but with conditions attached. If No, it means that you approve of scallop dredging in the reserve, with no conditions attached. In either case, you will be deemed to have approved of scallop dredging, and the Welsh government can claim that the public endorses its scheme.

You might also note that neither in this question, nor in any other question the consultation asks is the Special Area of Conservation mentioned, though this is meant to be the topic of the whole damn exercise. So even if you were allowed to provide an intelligible answer, you still couldn’t address the issue at hand.


To paraphrase a certain Welshman: A glitch? My fragrant continental arse.

The article points out that the same consultation will be run again but this time 'fixed'. No shit.

It just makes a mockery of the thought that we live in a democracy, the entire narrative is framed for you and you must only ask the right Qs and offers the correct As..or you are to be disregarded.
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Steve K
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Once and future cynic
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Appalling

But it is Wales, unspeakable deeds are said to go on there.
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johnofgwent
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It .. It is GREEN !!
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"and unspeakable deeds go on there"

Bloody right. I see the first to enjoy having his organs stolen was transported west to cardiff where the theft will be legal as opposed to east to bristol (nearer the crash site, and a better trauma unit too) where it would not be. Bear this in mind, if you find yourself in the back of an ambulance near the marches demand to know which way it's going and if west, punch the driver's lights out asap ...
Edited by johnofgwent, Nov 30 2015, 10:31 PM.
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