Don’t you just love the internet. Yesterday’s Digital Economy bill non debate has spawned some highly creative responses, which to a large extent goes to show why we should keep the internet free and open.
Did your MP turn up for the debate? – find out on didmympshoupornot.com.
Also some highly illuminating stats on last night’s action can be found here.
Register opposition to the bill here.
I haven’t made my mind up how to vote yet in this Election. It is the hardest decision I have had to make of all the Elections I have voted in. There is a groundwsell of opinion forming though that people might well vote against the Government that created this mess. This is despite the fact that the opposition by and large seems also hell bent on helping to make it a mess.
My vote will probably stay a secret but it would be interesting to hear others’ views on this.
6 replies on “Digital Economy Bill will influence voting behaviour #debill #ge2010”
I’ll vote for whoever has the balls to stand against the DEB when it is discussed this evening, as opposed to bowing and scraping to the entertainment industry. Let’s hope more than 3.4% of the elected MPs actually get up off their arses and do their job for once!
The problem with the debate in the House of Commons last night was the complete lack of understanding of the problem exhibited by MPs. We need to elect people who understand the changes brought along by the Internet and how we embrace the technology rather than seeking to control it using out dated (300 year old) ideas of copyright.
Of the 3 main parties only the LibDems have shown any grasp of the complexities, alas even though fully debated and a new policy created the MPs in place struggled to translate the real concerns of members and the public into cogent argument.
Electing people like Briget Fox and returning Evan Harris will go towards getting these things addressed but its time for the web2.0 to properly engage with MPs and educate them about the potential for good. As someone else mentioned what we need is MP2.0
Will be interesting to see if my MP actually turns up tonight! I have sent numerous emails and tweets to her about my opposition to the DEB but not even received so much as an automated response. In response to your blog posting I can say that this has had a very large influence on which way I believe I will be voting.
First of all, thanks very much for all your insightful comments on the Digital Economy Bill, which I’ve been following for the past few weeks. Personally, I’ll be voting Lib Dem now, though this was thrown in doubt when the party was involved in amendment 120a, which was all set to destroy the new media business model of a feature film I’d recently completed.
The model is still under threat from the Bill, which was evidently drafted by people who have no clue about the internet, creativity or civil liberties.
So I agree with James Blessing. Electing pro-net-freedom candidates up and down the country would make sure that the next Parliament will repeal the Bill or at least amend it into a law which lives up to its name by having something to do with stimulating both the digital revolution and the economy. The Open Rights Group is preparing a guide on this – see their forum.
I should declare an interest: amendment 120a galvanised me from being an inactive Lib Dem member to being part of the core team of Lib Dems Save the Net with Bridget Fox and Julian Huppert. They and other Lib Dem Prospective Parliamentary candidates rallied round at very short notice to help submit our pro-net-freedom motion and take it through to unanimous adoption by the party conference less than 3 weeks ago.
At least now the Lib Dems are unique among the mainstream parties in having a policy line which is pro-net-freedom and based on real research, rather than lobbyists’ spin: http://www.scribd.com/doc/29199796/Save-the-Net-Factsheet . The motion has also illustrated that the Lib Dems are unique among the mainstream parties in that they have genuine internal democracy. They also have a decent policy on constitutional reform which addresses the problem of corporate political lobbying, something which anyone following the Digital Economy Bill charade will realise is long overdue.
@James
Not sure why you hold Evan Harris up as a shining example for us all to look at – he couldn’t even be bothered to show up to the debate on the Digital Economy Bill, let alone speak against it.
If you really want freedom loving MPs look towards John Redwood who gave a fantastic speech against the bill the other day (you can read the text on my blog) in the HoC.
actually, evan harris did turn up and did speak against it.