So that’s it… the Digital Economy Bill has now progressed through the Commons, not looking quite as scary as it might have done, but still a disastrous chunk of misinformed nonsense. Without any debate, even the few merciful modifications wouldn’t have happened, but imagine what could have been achieved with proper debate!
With that in mind, here’s the list of MPs who voted against the Bill… Who voted NO?
Now, that’s not to say that all of these people are suddenly paragons of political virtue; I’ve howled in rage at the TV over things that several of them have said and done in the past. But if your MP is not on that list, and if you use the internet (well, DUH!) I urge you to think very seriously about how you’ll be using your vote on 6 May.
Take other local and national issues into account by all means, but bear in mind that the DE Bill could have ramifications (for human rights, the use of big-business lobbying, the nation’s creative output and the very nature of parliamentary debate) far deeper than we can currently imagine. And it’s already looking pretty bad.