New Labour turncoats: The case of Gary McKinnon.

When you vote for a party, you expect then to keep to what they said. Yes I know that Labour have a long record of going back on promises, from annoying the old guard with the removal of clause 4 through to the recent backing out on their promised vote on Europe. Oh and of course the many MP's who waved the flag to save their local post office, then hoped no one would notice and voted to close post offices. Yes Jessica Morden, I am referring to you.

Anyway Gary McKinnon for those not in the know, is wanted by the US over charges relating to "hacking" and admits hacking into Nasa and Pentagon computers looking for evidence of UFOs and sources of 'free energy'.

According to the papers he seems to suffer from Asperger's Syndrome and is a UFO nut; hardly an Al-Quada operative by the sound of things. More an oddball rather than someone out for financial/terrorist ends.

Dozens of MP's had previously given written pledges of support against his being deported to the US to face trial, yet only eight stuck to their guns and joined the Tories and Liberal Democrats in voting against the Government.

74 Labour MPs who had previously signed Commons motions backing Mr McKinnon or demanding a review of extradition agreements with the U.S. failed to go against the party line. Fifty-nine voted with the Government and 15 abstained.

In the vote detailed here, the Conservatives devoted today's opposition day debate to the matter of Mr McKinnon.

They recieved support from the Liberal Democrats, with 236 MPs supporting the motion. But the government defeated it with 290 votes.

So here they are, first the MP's who voted with the Government. Some of these I have growled at before and have added links.

Diane "throw eggs at me" Abbot (Hackney North and Stoke Newington), David Anderson (Blaydon), John Austin (Erith and Thamesmead), Joe Benton (Bootle), Clive Betts(Sheffield Attercliffe), Lyn Brown (West Ham), Russel 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 (Mogadishu/Bristol East), Jim McGovern (Dundee West), Anne McGuire ( Stirling), Shahid Malik aka Ali Baba (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 "I hate Gurkhas" Salter(Reading West), Andy Slaughter (Ealing, Acton and Shepherd's Bush), john smith ( Glamorgan), Sir Peter "bailiff" 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).

Then the abstainers, cowards who refused to vote.
Roger Berry (Kingswood), roberta blackman-woods (City of Durham), Harry "better than Winston Churchill" 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).

Now if you think Gary McKinnon should face trial in the US or not is not the point, the point is do we really want MP's in the House of Commons who for free PR say one thing at one point; then flip their decision as fast as they flip their 2nd home for expenses?

The story on Gary McKinnon is here. The edm 2388 is here - detailed below.

That this House notes the accepted practice of the governments of Israel and the Netherlands of requiring assurances from the US Administration prior to their nationals being deported to face trial in the United States in cases involving defendants suffering from medical or mental health disabilities, that those nationals will be repatriated to serve any sentence imposed by the relevant United States court; and urges the Home Secretary not to permit the extradition to the United States of Mr Gary McKinnon of Palmers Green, London, an Asperger's syndrome sufferer charged with computer misuse in the United States, until such time as she receives express assurances from the US Administration that in the event of his being found guilty and sentenced to a term of imprisonment that administration agrees to the immediate repatriation of Mr McKinnon post trial to serve any such sentence in the United Kingdom.

A list of MP's who voted against the Gurkha's being allowed to stay.

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