Tinnitus Week 2020: Focus on Research — Get Involved!

[Ed209]

I think there's a potential for misunderstanding what getting to 100,000 signatures actually means. Unfortunately, it doesn't provide any guarantee at all that there will be any extra government funding. It means that (probably) this petition will get some sort of parliamentary debate. Although looking at the average House of Commons debate sadly very few MPs normally turn up.

The government has no obligation at all to accept the results of any such debate. Looking at past debates based on petitions quite often there is no result - e.g., there was a petition recommending all retail shut down on Boxing Day - didn't happen.

On the whole, the petition debates which seem to have most successful results are those asking for things to be banned - e.g., certain plastic objects. The petitions which seem to have least successful results are - unfortunately - those asking for more government money to be spent.

In pointing all this out I should stress that I am NOT saying that this petition is a complete waste of time. Just that I think we need to be realistic about the results.

David, lobbying for change is a very long and difficult road and I'm pretty sure that nobody here is under any illusions that it will be easy and straightforward. It's absurd to believe that we will get the extra funding just because we managed to attain 100,000 signatures on a petition, but we have to start somewhere otherwise the ball will never start rolling and the status quo will be maintained.

The more signatures this petition gets, the louder our voice will be heard. An analogy I like to use is this: imagine you're somewhere where there are 100,000 people and you want to be heard saying something. If you are the only person shouting, very few people will hear you, so nobody will take any notice of what you have to say. Now imagine that 300 people join in, this would create little attention, but no doubt, some will hear what's being said. Now imagine that 1000 start chanting, at this point many people will start to take notice. That's just 1%. Now imagine if you can get 2,000 people to join in with the chant, or 4000, or even 10,000. As more people start to become vocal, it becomes harder to ignore. We need to make a huge noise if we want our chances of success to increase.

I don't understand your constant negativity and criticism of anything that is remotely positive. I discussed doing a petition with you about two years ago on a thread that is now deleted, and you were equally dismissive back then. I was asking for volunteers to help craft a petition with me and I'll never forget when you said it was a waste of time and shot the idea down - and you're still doing it now. I can't see how anything positive can come from doing nothing at all, and in your case, not only do you not contribute to anything but you actually criticise those who do by saying things like "it's a waste of time."

Why can't everyone just get behind this and propel it into the stratosphere! There is nothing to lose and everything to gain for such a minimal amount of effort. Don't discourage people, start sharing it and get other family members to do the same. Get out there and promote it.

I have written to my MP as I figured it goes hand in hand with the petition and we need to turn heads.

I look forward to the day when you have something positive to contribute, David, instead of trolling all the time.

 

[Ed209]

The same is true with a petition; more signatures equals more pressure on the government to take action.

 

[david c]

In pointing all this out I should stress that I am NOT saying that this petition is a complete waste of time. Just that I think we need to be realistic about the results.

I am just quoting what I said in my previous post above since as one particular forum member has, as so often (sigh!), deliberately tried to misconstrue what I said. I'm simply pointing out that we need to be realistic and pragmatic about what this petition can achieve. It doesn't guarantee extra funding and there have been other past petitions debated in parliament which asked for extra funding and didn't get it.

 

[Candy]

It doesn't but at the House of Commons roundtable the BTA was told that there needed to be patient voices to show that there is an unmet need for treatments and research funding.

This petition is huge given that normally the petitions I have seen have received only a few signatures.

My colleague at work received the email from Change.org and asked me if I knew about the petition... exciting.

 

[AVIYT]

We're actually working on some plans for US political lobbying and have a working group set up; are you interested to join?

Hi Hazel,

How could I help out? Thanks.

 

[OnceUponaTime]

This one is for you @Ed209!
100,000 signatures +!

 

[Lucifer]

Since the petition has over 100,000 signatures when do we expect the debate to happen in the UK Parliament?

 

[Hazel]

Hi Hazel,

How could I help out? Thanks.

I will reach out via PM!

 

[all to gain]

I will be writing to my MP, that may help. Have any of you done so?

Yeah, my own MP and four others as well.

 

[valeri]

@Ed209

Are you happy now? C'mon... you must be

 

[all to gain]

If this petition helps secure more funding for tinnitus research, who actually decides who gets the funding? Does the money first go to the BTA, and then it gives out research grants? Or is it the government who decides?

 

[david c]

If this petition helps secure more funding for tinnitus research, who actually decides who gets the funding? Does the money first go to the BTA, and then it gives out research grants? Or is it the government who decides?

It will be the UK government making any decisions about if any government funding is given and what it is spent on, although NICE may also play a role.

 

[Sytex75]

This one is for you @Ed209!
100,000 signatures +!

View attachment 36585

Being that I am in the USA... Where do I find this petition to sign?

 

[Autumnly]

Being that I am in the USA... Where do I find this petition to sign?

Link to the petition.

 

[Ed209]

@Ed209

Are you happy now? C'mon... you must be

I'll be happy when a cure/treatment is found that can help the ones who are suffering the most, but as far as progress goes, I'm glad that the petition made it to the 100k milestone.

Anything less than that in my eyes would have been a travesty.

 

[Ed209]

I would also add, just as @Candy as pointed out, that if all UK members here were to write to their respective MPs it would help corroborate what the petition has to say and it would no doubt make our message stronger.

I think it would be a good idea to find out approximately how many UK members have written to their local MPs. This kind of data would give us an idea of geographical distribution, and then maybe we could try and get more letters sent in the areas that haven't been covered. The more areas we can cover, the better.

UK Members: Have You Written to Your Local MP in Support of the Petition?

 

[Jaysterk]

We're actually working on some plans for US political lobbying and have a working group set up; are you interested to join?

Tell me more.

 

[all to gain]

I wonder if coronavirus has brought to a halt any realistic chance of further funding being put towards tinnitus research?

Obviously the virus needs tackling and is deadly, but unfortunately for those in the tinnitus world it seems to have struck at just the wong time. Of course, 7.5 million is a drop in the ocean, but it may be a drop too far for government in the present climate. Let's hope they can find a few pennies in the coffers all the same.

 

[Ed209]

So after all that hard work, the universe suddenly decides that what we need is a pandemic. It seems as though any time tinnitus gets a moment in the spotlight, something has to come along and take a big steaming shit on it. With budgets being blown across the board and with unprecedented measures being taken across the world, I can't envision Matt Hancock doing anything about our call for more funding anytime soon.