On the Establishment of l'Agence des Pétitions et Sceaux Publics
Le Council does not, as a rule, take requests. Le Council is permanent. Le Council convenes when Le Council convenes. This is widely understood.
Le Council does, however, listen. Not always immediately, and not always in the manner the petitioner intends—but Le Council listens. The Almighty Ice has made clear, on a number of occasions, that the disposition of the league cannot be determined by Le Council alone. The penguins agree. The penguins have been consulted.
Accordingly, Le Council is pleased to announce the establishment of l'Agence des Pétitions et Sceaux Publics—a subsidiary office henceforth referred to as the A.P.S.P., which begins accepting filings immediately.
What the A.P.S.P. Does
The A.P.S.P. exists to receive, review, and—where deemed worthy—admit to the public roll the petitions of Hockay's citizenry. A petition is a formal request. It may concern a single team, Le Council itself, or the entirety of the league. It must be plainly stated. It must be filed in good faith. The A.P.S.P. will rule in due course.
Petitions admitted to the public roll are open for endorsement by fellow citizens. Endorsement is the mechanism by which a petition gathers the proof of public support required for Le Council to convene on the matter. Petitions that gather their proof in full and in time are heard. Petitions that lapse are returned to their senders, with Le Council's thanks.
How Endorsement Works
Each petition admitted to the public roll carries two thresholds, set by the A.P.S.P. at the time of admission:
- A goal expressed in Looneys, the established currency of Hockay.
- A goal expressed in S.T.A.M.P.S., a new instrument of public attestation described below.
Both thresholds must be met before the petition is considered convened. A petition that crosses one but not the other is, in the technical language of the A.P.S.P., insufficiently sealed. Le Council does not convene on insufficiently sealed petitions. Le Council has been firm on this point.
The Agence also sets a date by which the proof must be gathered. Petitions that reach both thresholds in time advance to Le Council for ruling. Petitions that lapse return every Looney to its sender. The S.T.A.M.P.S., having been pressed, remain pressed.
On S.T.A.M.P.S
A S.T.A.M.P.S. is the Seal of Trust Awarded to Meritorious Public Submissions—an instrument issued by the A.P.S.P. at the rate of one per citizen per administrative day. A S.T.A.M.P.S. is not a balance. A S.T.A.M.P.S. cannot be stockpiled. A S.T.A.M.P.S, once pressed, is not returned. A new S.T.A.M.P.S. is issued the following administrative day.
This is intentional. Le Council notes that an endorsement which costs nothing is worth approximately that much. A S.T.A.M.P.S. is worth one administrative day of the citizen's standing with the A.P.S.P., which is to say: it is the smallest unit of civic seriousness that the A.P.S.P. is willing to recognize. Petitions are gathered, in part, by the willingness of citizens to spend that unit.
The Looneys contribution, by contrast, is refundable. A citizen who endorses a petition with Looneys is, in effect, posting bond. Should the petition lapse without convening, the bond is returned in full. Should the petition convene, the Looneys are considered consumed in the act of bringing the matter before Le Council.
Filing a Petition
Any citizen of Hockay in good standing may file a petition. The interface is plain. The character limits are reasonable. Markdown is supported in modest form.
To prevent the spamming of the A.P.S.P.'s intake desk—a concern raised in early consultation, and one Le Council takes seriously—each citizen is limited to three petitions in flight at any time. "In flight" means: filed and awaiting review, admitted to the public roll, or convened and awaiting Le Council's ruling. Once a petition is ruled on, declined, or lapses, it no longer counts against the limit. The cap exists to ensure that filings are considered, not produced in volume.
Citizens whose petitions are declined will receive a written note from the A.P.S.P. indicating the grounds. They may amend the filing and resubmit. the A.P.S.P. reviews each resubmission as a new filing.
The Public Roll
The public roll is the live ledger of admitted petitions. It is, as of today, available at /petitions. Citizens may browse it by scope—Hockay-wide, Le Council-specific, or team-bound—and may endorse any petition currently open for endorsement.
Each citizen's own filings are accessible at /petitions/mine, alongside a record of every petition they have endorsed and the disposition of those endorsements.
A Closing Note on Tone
Le Council is aware that the establishment of the A.P.S.P. is a meaningful change in the relationship between Le Council and Hockay's citizenry. Le Council does not take this change lightly. Le Council was advised, by certain quarters, to introduce the channel quietly. Le Council declined that advice. A channel that is not announced is, in Le Council's view, not a channel at all.
The A.P.S.P. is now open. The first filings have already been received. The first S.T.A.M.P.S. have already been issued. The first endorsements have already begun.
Le Council looks forward to the matter at hand.
The Agence des Pétitions et Sceaux Publics—a subsidiary office of LPCHUIP. Filings accepted in plain text. Decisions rendered in due course. Bonds returned upon lapse.