Despite massive public opposition the Digital Economy Bill was voted into law last night. Here’s how Sheffield MPs behaved:
| Constituency | MP | Party | At 2nd reading? | At 3rd reading? | How they voted |
| Attercliffe | Clive Betts | Labour | No | No | FOR the Bill |
| Brightside | David Blunkett | Labour | No | No | ABSENT |
| Central | Richard Caborn | Labour | No | No | FOR the Bill |
| Hallam | Nick Clegg | Lib Dem | No | No | ABSENT |
| Heeley | Meg Munn | Labour | No | No | FOR the Bill |
| Hillsborough | Angela Smith | Labour | No | No | FOR the Bill |
Frankly, I’m appalled. Any illusions I had about Britain being a representative democracy have been shattered. What’s the point of voting when the people we elect just ignore their constituents and do whatever their party whips tell them to? I find it especially hard to understand how an MP can vote on something without even bothering to take part in the relevant debates. Surely that’s a dereliction of duty? If they won’t scrutinise legislation on our behalf then what are we paying them for?
If any of these so-called “representatives” would like to explain themselves to the people of Sheffield we would love to hear their excuses in the comments.
Oh, and would the last person to leave Digital Britain please switch off the Internet?
Richard, you probably got the same form reply from your MP, but here is a copy of the email I received from Angela Smith explaining why she was going to vote for the bill.
http://stubblog.wordpress.com/2010/04/07/why-i-would-have-voted-for-the-digital-economy-bill-by-angela-smith/
It amounts to little more than a hysterical scream of “WONTSOMEONETHINGOFTHECHILDREN!!!”
@Stuart I know a few people who received identical letters from Angela Smith. The depth of ignorance it reveals is breathtaking and she fails to address any of the controversial aspects of the Bill.
To support an entire 50-clause Bill full of fail because you agree with a couple of it’s least contentious measures is like voting for someone because you like their hair style. It’s absurd.