From (of course) the National Post: B.C. minister backtracks on park hydro project

“The about-face, which came a day after 1,000 people gathered in a school gym near the provincial park, shows the powerful effect of public opinion in swaying government projects. Joe Foy of the Western Canada Wilderness Committee said his group was “deliriously happy.”

But critics worry the about-face has emboldened environmental protesters in a province starving for new energy sources, showing that they can veto any proposal they dislike simply by packing into a community hall.”

What shall we call this dangerous new trend, where suspiciously large groups of citizens affect government projects by organizing and publicly expressing their opinion, sometimes in a public place? Gym-mobs? Democropacking? Rights are important of course, but there needs to be reasonable limits to people’s ability to influence their elected representatives.