The Digital Economy Bill. Again

[miss_s_b]

I'm going to put this simply, so that everyone understands. If this bill passes, Peter Mandleson will have the power to cut off YOUR internet. Not just your home internet, but your work internet, your school or uni's internet, ANY person or body's internet, because someone who uses your connection IS SUSPECTED of downloading copyrighted software. There's no court, no burden of proof, no appeal. Your entire family's internet could get cut off because your kid does something stupid. Your entire workplace could get cut off because of that one dude in sales.

This, like many other new Labour laws pisses all over the principles our legal system was founded on: innocent till proven guilty, punishment should not be collective for a single person's crime, beyond reasonable doubt, etc. etc. etc.

This bill is going to be pushed through in the wash up. That means no proper debate, no chance for further amendments, nothing. It WILL become law if we don't do something.

Now, we Lib Dems have done what we can. At our spring conference over the weekend, we bitchslapped our MPs into realising that this is not a good plan and they ought to vote against it. But there's only 63 of our MPs. There's nearly 600 of the other buggers. So we, as a country, as constituents, ALL OF US, need to write to our MPs and tell them that we don't like this. 38 Degrees have put up a webform for you to do just that, if you don't want to do it yourself. It takes 2 minutes, literally. Please go and fill it in.

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My March sponsor is Mark Reckons, and he wants you to write to your MP about this too.

Comments

[blazingskies.livejournal.com]

Am I going mad? I can't seem to get to that webform you link to, when I try it just diverts me back to this page. I want to fill in that form. Sodding megalomanical politicians trying to control everything in the world ever...

*frustrated*

[miss_s_b]

LOL that's cos I coded the wrong link in, I was so hopping mad. Hang on.

Fixeded.

[staceyuk]

I can't change the MP to my own in that link.

[blazingskies.livejournal.com]

Me either, and I can't seem to find that campaign from the main webpage. :(

[miss_s_b]

See below. Sorry!

[miss_s_b]

You should be able to now. I forgot to take off the thing with my postcode. I have done now.

[blazingskies.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

Have sent off an email. Here's hoping they actually listen.

[pmoodie]

Done!

[davegodfrey.livejournal.com]

Sent.

[happydork]

Here via network -- thanks for this link. Sent.

[karohemd]

My MP is LibDem (David Howarth) so I'll make it short and simply ask him to follow what was decided at conference.

The Pirate Party (I agree with most of their ideas but still think the name is ill chosen) posted a good reaction to the Panorama program from last night.

[bagpuss]

In my experience of writing to David Howarth about such laws is that he is a sensible chap who will do the right thing

[karohemd]

Cool!

[gominokouhai]

Thanks. I've been following this, but I needed a form letter before I could go into full-on Concerned Citizen mode.

Of course, my MP is Alistair Darling, so it's not going to do a blind bit of good.

[staceyuk]

Done it. Lets hope they listen.

[burkesworks]

Now done. Rooney replied within two days last time, and gave a long, detailed reply about how he was going to vote with the sheep, so I'm not expecting a lot from him. This is why we could do with poaching you and/or Mat from Hywel one of these Saturdays :)

In addition, check this out. Prof Edwards has it *nailed*, as she always does.

[burkesworks]

...and replying to my own post, I've already had a pro-forma stock reply from Rooney's assistant Dave Green (Bradford Labour councillor, sometimes drinks in the Shoulder of Mutton), which I'll blog later.

Incidentally, don't expect any support from The Register. El Reg's coverage has been appalling; Andrew Orlowski comes across as a patronising New Labourite in the Akehurst mould, and he would be very lucky to keep his teeth if he were to call Lilian Edwards "hysterical" within my earshot, as he has in the article.

[fabulousblueporcupine.wordpress.com]

His article also appears to be factually incorrect. He thinks the Lords Tim have dropped their amendment and allowed the ministerial superpower that was clause 17 back into the bill. From what I can see in Hansard they haven't. They've dropped the amendment they wanted to make to their amendment. The superpower is not back in the bill as it now stands. I and someone else have pointed this out to him but no change yet.

[captainlucy.livejournal.com]

Hope you don't mind, I've copied your entry to my LJ as I reckon this cannot be spread far enough on the interwebs. :)

[moviegrrl]

Done and signal boosted x

[el_staplador]

Done, complete with dark hints about How I'm Going To Vote Lib Dem Unless You Do Something About This, Dear Tory MP. It's not a lie, really. I am going to vote Lib Dem.

[telegramsam]

Don't know much about law in the UK but I can't fathom how that could be legal.