If you want to propose a change in the law, you need to specify exactly what law(s) you want amended. If you are proposing to take away rights previously enjoyed by a category of people (presumably without compensation) you need to provide a clear justification for the change. This proposal seems to impinge on conveyances of land by imposing fresh obligations on purchasers, and also to impose fresh obligations on planning authorities by limiting their powers to consider objections to applications for planning permission. Maybe. The whole petition is so vague and generalised it amounts to no more than wishful thinking, so it is hard to tell.
... and there is always the possibility that the legislation and processes currently in place work perfectly well, which is the government view. I haven't quite understood, in the light of the government answer, what the beef is and why there is a petition (even if I did misguidedly sign it...).
I won't attempt to contradict Pete here. He's possibly right. Instead, let's ask a hypothetical question: Is there any difference between a poorly worded petition signed by a few dozen people and a poorly worded petition signed by tens of thousands? If the answer to this question is "No", then no purpose is served by raising such issues in this way. If the answer is "Yes", what is the difference?
You may like to consider what happens to poorly thought-out proposals here in Switzerland. If you can get enough signatures for your petition, you can force a popular referendum. The result of this will become law. There are many things we have to vote on which never get passed because although the idea is quite sound, the detail hasn't been worked out to make it practicable, or it includes some bit of it which you really don't agree with - proposals going too far, or involving a combination of elements. Happens all the time.
A poorly worded petition obviously stands no chance of having any practical effect. Makes no difference how many or how few people sign it, vague wishful thinking does not magically turn itself into legislation. Just one point though: if there is a germ of a good idea hidden among the nonsense, perhaps somebody who understands what they are doing might draft a fresh, sensibly worded petition and have another go. Then it just possibly might get somewhere.
