Islington responds to Digital Economy Bill washup

By abi_silvester | Tuesday, April 13, 2010, 15:07

Since you're reading this online, you'll probably have some concerns over the impact of the Digital Economy Bill, which was rushed through parliament in last week's 'wash up', and voted in more or less unchanged at 189 votes to 47. Thousands of people complained about the proposals in the Bill on email and via Twitter, but were our MPs there to oppose it?

Jeremy Corbyn debating the Digital Economy Bill in the Commons.

Overall, fewer than half of the 643 members eligible to vote bothered to turn up to vote, and of those who did, most followed the party line and voted in favour of passing it. This poor show led to a spate of internet memes like DidMyMPShowUpOrNot?, which named and shamed those who stayed home.

It's no coincidence that it was the most internet-savvy of Islington's political figures that reacted most vocally to the proposals, which include the "temporary suspension" of Internet connections for repeat infringers of

Labour's Jeremy Corbyn, a prolific Tweeter and blogger not only showed up on the day, but defied the whip by voting against the proposals. The MP for Islington North has opposed many aspects of the Bill in Parliament, stating his concerns that it could 'criminalise large numbers of imaginative young people'. However, his counterpart in Islington South & Finsbury, Emily Thornberry, did not turn up to take part in the vote.

Meanwhile Bridget Fox, the prospective Liberal Democrat candidate in Islington South & Finsbury had been openly opposed to the Bill from its outset. Again, it comes as no surprise to not that Fox is active on social networking sites, while her Labour rival has apparently taken a 'conscious decision not to join twitter.'

What do you think about the passing of the Digital Economy Bill - and will it change the way you'll be voting?

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Comments

Happily Talk Talk have since declared that they won't suspend anyone's Internet access without a court order, so the battle's not quite over yet - I look forward to seeing how that one plays out.

tinyurl.com/ydyb8yk

By Seamus_McC at 04:00 on 14/04/10
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The Digital Economy Bill, now Act, has, and may well continue to be a central part of my decision on who to vote for. Aside from the likes of Messrs Corbyn and Fox, who seemed to have bucked the trend of many MPs seeming entirely ignorant of the trouble and damage such an act has caused. However, it seems that voting for Corbyn would prove detrimental, as it would support those in Labour who instigated the whole thing (pity we can't vote Mandelson out, really). I will be watching with interest the words and actions of those promising online improvements, such as "superfast" broadband, as it seems to me they may well come instuck, as they clearly have little idea of what they're actually promising, and how to bring it into effect.

By ravensable at 15:32 on 13/04/10
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