[ubuntu-uk] Digital economy bill

[Rob Beard]

On 09/04/10 17:06, jim.cameron at buhlersortex.com wrote:
> Andy:
>> 189 MPs voted Yes (Aye), 47 voted No (Noe).
>
> The majority of whom weren't present at the debate. You might very well think the bill was railroaded through by whatever MPs the whips could round up and herd into the chamber to vote the party line without even hearing it; I couldn't possibly comment.
>
>> There are 646 MPs so most of them couldn't even be bothered to vote.
>

Sounds like a right shambles.  I contacted my local MP who I see on the 
list didn't vote at all, kinda makes me wonder if there is any point in 
MP's if they don't listen to the constituents.

> And some 20,000 letters and emails in opposition, according to 38degrees. On average, that's more than 30 each. Surely there's only so many times you can send out a form letter full of platitudes before you start to think, maybe people /don't want/ this thing to pass?
>

Yep, I dare say any normal person would think... hang on a minute, maybe 
they have a point, but these are MP's.

> So what can we do now? Donate to the Pirate Party (unfortunately, there is no pirate candidate in my constituency), donate to the Open Rights Group, email our candidates, buttonhole them when they come round canvassing ... anything else?

I'll certainly look at mentioning it to the candidates in my 
constituency, I wonder if it's worth contacting the local press for 
instance mentioning that I contacted my local MP but they didn't vote 
(either they couldn't be bothered or they had good reason not to vote, 
I'd certainly like to know either way).

> I was somewhat heartened to see that the front page article in today's Metro was strongly critical (in so far as a newspaper article can be in these days of journalistic "balance") both of the bill and the appallingly undemocratic way it was rammed through Parliament.

It's a shame that I can't get the Metro newspaper down here, at least I 
haven't seen it (last time I saw it was when I was working in Sheffield).

Rob