Car snoop fear dominates PM petitions

British car lovers have told Prime Minister Tony Blair just how dearly they cling to the romantic idea that they can find freedom on an open road.

A protest over Department of Transport plans to have all cars in Britain tracked by satellite has topped the e-petitions web site launched by the Prime Minister last November.

A call for the government to "Scrap the planned vehicle tracking and road pricing policy" has attracted 152,628 signatories, nearly 9 times more than the second most popular plea, to ditch the hunting ban.

"The idea of tracking every vehicle at all times is sinister and wrong," said petitioner Peter Roberts in his call for road freedom, "Road pricing is already here with the high level of taxation on fuel. The more you travel - the more tax you pay."

In 2005 the government announced plans to have all cars install a black box that would allow satellites to track them and charge for every mile of their road use. The Association of Chief Police Officers also expressed a desire to use the system to remotely disable cars.

Such a plan could spell the end of the road movie as we know it.

A metropolitan theme can be traced down the list of top 50 petitions to the Prime Minister. No.3. on the list is an appeal to have identity cards scrapped.

Other petitions call for the banning of digital rights management (which prevents digital music being copied), fishing in British waters (to save fish stocks), and faith schools.

They also call for the government to prevent the Freedom of Information Act from being watered down, halt the proposed ban of violent pornography, cease the persecution of smokers, scrap tuition fees, legalise cannabis, build the world's best network of cycle lanes and give a knighthood to Ringo Star.

And blogger Tim Ireland has petitioned the Prime Minister to stand on his head and juggle ice cream.

Right on.®