Ignoring open petitions, of 21,000 only about 30 have crossed the 100k threshold, and even there the response is sometimes just a request for scheduling a commons debate. Some don't have champion MPs and the inference is they won't be debated. 23,000 were rejected. I have yet to sign one where the govt response differed from their position when the e-petition was opened, so I'm trending to the opinion that whilst this could be e-democracy, it's really just a venting board to keep us busy. Browsing the top hitters, it seems that arguably only Hillsborough caused a change in outcome. Anyone had more luck? Do we need an e-petition to take e-petitions seriously?

I think you are absolutely right. As you say, apart from Hillsborough, which I think got around 250,000 signatures and had enormous publicity from a sympathetic press, the rest of them get a bland answer and will be considered for debate, or they say that sufficient laws and/or protections are already in place.

There has just been a very fast-moving e-petition on FGM and the response is to say that it's illegal, and now just two prosecutions have started. That is not doing anything to really solve the problem at all. They could be prosecuting hundreds of people if they chose to. Anyone who attacks a small girl with a sharp instrument should be locked up for many years in my opinion.

We do need an e-petition to take e-petitions seriously.

The main problem is that the epetition needs to be run independantly. As it is, its the government that decides what goes to discussion. That needs to change as it is extremely biased. Basically any petition that challenges any goverment ideal will pretty much never get to the house for discussion.

And that applies no matter what party is in power

Absolutely. It gives the impression that there will definitely be a debate if the signatures reach 100,000 but we know that is not true.

I'm not sure independence would cure the problem. HMG promised debates for >100k and reneged on the promise. They stated they would respond to >10k signitures and can't always be bothered with that, even for petitions as high as 85,000 signitures. The (party line) responses are required to come from HMG anyway. e-petitions appear to vie with backbench motions for Parliamentary time, so an MP has to adopt and speak on behalf of a topic over any issues they have from their own constituency. Unfortunately, I think we need a Parliament that thinks that the concensed view of the (chattering) masses is something to which they should pay attention as opposed to just an opinion poll.