I'm the dehumanizing master, you better start your talking 'cos I get what I go after

[venta]

So, last night a controversial bill passed its third reading. This isn't obvious: even the BBC carries only a mashed-over story covering people's comment on what would happen if the bill were passed, with a sentence buried a couple of paragraphs in mentioning that it was passed last night by a majority of 142. Is there a rule about not reporting such stories until the Queen's corgi has formally licked it or something ?

As far as I can tell, via a friendly Guardian blog, the only people who showed up to the actual debate part were those who were against and Stephen Timms, the fantastically-titled Minister for Digital Britain; everyone else just trundled in at the end to vote with the Whips.

Can anyone tell me how to deduce which way my MP voted ? Public Whip doesn't seem to be having April yet.

Comments

[venta.livejournal.com]

Hmm. Weird. It appears that my MP was there for the debate (referring to Stiff Little Fingers, as "a band of transcendent genius" (http://www.theyworkforyou.com/debates/?id=2010-04-07a.1107.5&s=speaker%3A10484#g1116.7), no less). He just apparently didn't vote. Odd.

[uitlander]

Ask him why?

[venta.livejournal.com]

Well, I'm waiting (I believe) on a letter from him. So I may reply in writing to ask why. Nothing scares people like someone who can be arsed to find an envelope and buy a stamp. I may get my special green ink out.

[rabbit1080.livejournal.com]

I've been meaning to ask - what's the significance of green ink in letter-writing?

[venta.livejournal.com]

It's supposed to be significant of being a nutter - nice normal people write to newspapers, etc, in sensible black or blue ink. If the letter's in green ink, you've got a genuine nutter.

Hmm. Is this a common thing, or peculiar to my family? Ah, no... it's a common thing, Wikipedia has an article about it and everything (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_ink) :)

[undyingking.livejournal.com]

That sounds like he was supporting the bill, or at least that clause of it.

Strange that he specifically mentions SLF and the Undertones. SLF were famously screwed over by Island Records, while Sharkey is famously a commercial record industry mouthpiece.