Yesterday, a debate in Parliament illustrated once again that most Labour party politicians wouldn’t know an ethic if they were joined at the head with one. Eighty-two Labour MPs signed three Parliamentary motions, going back to 2005, opposing the unbalanced Extradition Act which allows the US to try British citizens in the US and/or had opposed sending Asperger’s sufferer and Pentagon hacker Gary McKinnon to the U.S. for trial. Come the vote on the Conservative call for an 'immediate review' of the one-sided treaty, 59 of them decided that justice was a less important concept than supporting their government masters and 15 more thought they would avoid thinking about justice and did not vote at all. Only 8 stuck to their previous position and conviction.
Alan Johnson a former postman (a very nice chap according to newspapers) is the recently appointed Home Secretary and the responsible minister. He expressed a belief (based on advice) that he was unable to interfere, said he was not a lawyer and described himself as merely a hack politician. Liberal Democrat and Conservative MPs who were lawyers assured him that he did have the legal right to prevent McKinnon being sent to the US but Johnson preferred to remain helpless. Chris Grayling the conservative Shadow Home Secretary said: 'It's exactly this kind of behaviour that brings Parliament into disrepute.'
The hypocrite politicians displayed the same rubber backbone and false concern that former Home Secretary David Blunkett displayed (see letter below) when in Opposition (and when it cost him nothing) regarding the tranquilliser scandal. When he assumed office how quickly he forgot what he had said and put his own career first. Ironically, Blunkett was the former Home Secretary responsible for the unbalanced extradition-treaty and did not attend the debate.
The Daily Mail today provided a list of the MPs who abandoned their former position:
TURNCOATSDiane Abbott (Hackney North and Stoke Newington), David Anderson (Blaydon), John Austin (Erith and Thamesmead), Joe Benton (Bootle), Clive Betts (Sheffield Attercliffe), Lyn Brown (West Ham), Russell Brown (Dumfries and Galloway), Richard Burden (Birmingham Northfield), Dawn Butler (Brent South), Martin Caton (Gower), Ann Cryer (Keighley), Jim Cunningham (Coventry South)
Quentin Davies (Grantham and Stamford), Janet Dean (Burton), Jim Dowd (Lewisham West), Jeff Ennis (Barnsley East and Mexborough), Hywel Francis (Aberavon), Neil Gerrard (Walthamstow), Roger Godsiff (Birmingham Sparkbrook and Small Heath), Helen Goodman (Bishop Auckland), John Grogan (Selby), Patrick Hall (Bedford), David Heyes (Ashton under Lyne), Kelvin Hopkins (Luton North), Joan Humble (Blackpool North and Fleetwood), Brian Iddon (Bolton South East), Eric Illsley (Barnsley East) Glenda Jackson (Hampstead and Highgate), Brian Jenkins (Tamworth), Martyn Jones (Clwyd South), Sadiq Khan ( Tooting), Mark Lazarowicz (Edinburgh North and Leith), Tony Lloyd ( Manchester Central), Kerry McCarthy (Bristol East), Jim McGovern (Dundee West), Anne McGuire ( Stirling), Shahid Malik (Dewsbury), Gordon Marsden (Blackpool South), Anne Moffat (East Lothian), Madeleine Moon (Bridgend), Julie Morgan (Cardiff North), George Mudie (Leeds East) Nick Palmer (Broxtowe), Gordon Prentice (Pendle), Joan Ruddock (Lewisham Deptford), Joan Ryan (Enfield North), Martin Salter (Reading West), Andy Slaughter (Ealing, Acton and Shepherd's Bush), John Smith (Glamorgan), Sir Peter Soulsby (Leicester South), Gavin Strang (Edinburgh East) David Taylor (North West Leicestershire), Desmond Turner (Brighton Kemptown), Rudi Vis (Finchley and Golders Green), Lynda Waltho (Stourbridge), Bob Wareing (Liverpool West Derby), Betty Williams (Conway), Anthony Wright (Great Yarmouth), Iain Wright (Hartlepool).
ABSTAINERS Roger Berry (Kingswood), Roberta Blackman-Woods (City of Durham), Harry Cohen (Leyton and Wanstead), Andrew Dismore (Hendon), Bill Etherington (Sunderland North), Frank Field (Birkenhead), Fabian Hamilton (Leeds North East), John Heppell (Nottingham East), Peter Kilfoyle (Liverpool Walton), Christine McCafferty (Calder Valley), Bob Marshall-Andrews ( Medway), Chris Mullin (Sunderland South), Edward O'Hara (Knowsley South), Marsha Singh (Bradford West), Mike Wood (Batley and Spen).
H O U S E OF C O M M O N S
LONDON SW1A 0AA
DAVID BLUNKETT MP
Shadow Secretary of State for Health
and Member of Parliament for Sheffield Brightside
24 February 1994
Dear Mr Haslam
Thank you for your recent letter regarding Benzodiazepine Tranquillisers.
Dawn Primarolo and myself have been taking up cases and have advised on how best the groups involved might organise a parliamentary lobby and keep attention on these issues.
We have also tried to assist through both Parliamentary Questions and raising the matter on the floor of the House, in pushing the Government to accept its own responsibilities and to take action now to ensure that it does not happen again.
This is something we will be returning to both in the House and in terms of our own future policy development.
I am passing your letter to Paul Boateng who, as the legal affairs spokesman, has specific responsibility for the litigation side of what is a national scandal.
With all good wishes
David Blunkett MP
Shadow Secretary of State for Health