Which UK Members of the European Parliament betrayed our liberties over the Data Retention Directive vote ?
The vote on the final resolution(.pdf) was adopted by 378 votes in favour to 197 against, with 30 abstentions.
Since this document is structured according to the multinational European Parliament political groupings, mostly just by Surname, with no indication of UK Political Parties or Constituencies, we have tried to decode this vote to see which United Kingdom Members of Parliament cannot be trusted with our freedom and liberty, and should therfore be punished at the next election.
There seems to have been a backroom deal between the Party of the European Socialists (PES), which includes the UK Labour party, and the European People's Party (Christian Democrats) and European Democrats (EPP-ED) groups, which includes the UK Conservative party - the two largest groups in the European Parliament, who mostly voted for the Directive. Although the Liberal Democrats voted Against, their political grouping the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) was split.
Of the UK political parties, only the Conservatives were split, with 9 rebels voting Against.
Of the 78 United Kingdom Members of Parliament, only 66 of them voted on the Directive, with none of them actually recorded as abstaining.
35 UK MEPs voted Against:
10 Conservative
10 Liberal Democrats
1 Greens
1 Sinn Féin
8 UK Independence Party
1 Democratic Unionist Party
3 Independents
1 Scottish National Party
12 UK MEPs who Did Not Vote - presumably they were away from the Plenary session as they are not recorded as having abstained:
3 Conservative
2 Labour
2 Liberal Democrats
1 Greens
1 Plaid Cymru
1 Scottish National Party
2 UK Independence Party - N.B. both of these voted Against on the previous vote on the modified text i.e a full complement of UKIP MEPs voted
5 of these UK MEPs (2 Labour, 1 Conservative, 1 Liberal Democrat and 1 Green) were part of the European Parliament delegation to the World Trade Organisation talks in Hong Kong i.e. a reasonable excuse for absence.
31 UK MEPs voted For the directive, and should be punished via the ballot box accordingly.
13 Conservative
17 Labour
1 Ulster Unionist Party
Most people have little clue who their Members of the European Parliament are. You can find their contact details on the UK Office of the European Parliament website, which, astonishingly, provides no easy links to the voting record of any individual UK MEP. Alternatively you can use WriteToThem to let them know your opinion about how they voted on this fundamental reduction in our freedom and liberty, which will have no demonstrable effect on terrorists or serious criminals, but will cost the public more money for telecommunications and internet services, and make Europe less competitive in global markets.
Scotland | |
Mr David Martin Labour Party of the European Socialists (PES) | absent @WTO |
Mr Ian Hudghton Scottish National Party Greens / European Free Alliance | absent |
Mr Struan Stevenson Scottish Conservative & Unionist Party European People's Party (Christian Democrats) and European Democrats (EPP-ED) | For |
Mrs Catherine Stihler Labour Party of the European Socialists (PES) | For |
Mrs Elspeth Attwooll Liberal Democrat Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) | Against |
Mr Alyn Smith Scottish National Party Greens / European Free Alliance | Against |
Mr John Purvis CBE Scottish Conservative & Unionist Party European People's Party (Christian Democrats) and European Democrats (EPP-ED) | Against |
Northern Ireland | |
Mr Jim Allister QC Democratic Unionist Party Non Attached Members | Against |
Mrs Bairbre de BrĂșn Sinn Féin: Confederal Group of the European United Left - Nordic Green Left (EUL / NGL) | Against |
Mr James Nicholson Ulster Unionist Party European People's Party (Christian Democrats) and European Democrats (EPP-ED) | For |
North East | |
Mr Stephen Hughes Labour Party of the European Socialists (PES) | For |
Mr Martin Callanan Conservative European People's Party (Christian Democrats) and European Democrats (EPP-ED) | Against |
Mrs Fiona Hall Liberal Democrat Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) | Against |
North West | |
Mr Gary Titley Labour Party of the European Socialists (PES) | For |
Mr Den Dover Conservative European People's Party (Christian Democrats) and European Democrats (EPP-ED) | For |
Mr Chris Davies Liberal Democrat Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) | Against |
Mrs Arlene McCarthy Labour Party of the European Socialists (PES) | For |
Mr John Whittaker UK Independence Party Independence and Democracy (IND-DEM) | Against |
Mr David Sumberg Conservative European People's Party (Christian Democrats) and European Democrats (EPP-ED) | For |
Mr Terry Wynn Labour Party of the European Socialists (PES) | For |
Rt. Hon. Sir Robert Atkins Conservative European People's Party (Christian Democrats) and European Democrats (EPP-ED) | absent |
Mr Sajjad Karim Liberal Democrat Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) | absent @WTO   |
Yorkshire & The Humber | |
Mrs Linda McAvan Labour Party of the European Socialists (PES) | For |
Mr Timothy Kirkhope Conservative European People's Party (Christian Democrats) and European Democrats (EPP-ED) | For |
Mrs Diana Wallis Liberal Democrat Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) | Against |
Mr Godfrey Bloom UK Independence Party Independence and Democracy (IND-DEM) | absent |
Mr Richard Corbett Labour Party of the European Socialists (PES) | For |
Mr Edward McMillan-Scott Conservative European People's Party (Christian Democrats) and European Democrats (EPP-ED) | For |
Wales | |
Mrs Glenys Kinnock Labour Party of the European Socialists (PES) | absent @WTO |
Mrs Jill Evans Plaid Cymru Greens / European Free Alliance | absent |
Mr Jonathan Evans Conservative European People's Party (Christian Democrats) and European Democrats (EPP-ED) | absent |
Mrs Eluned Morgan Labour Party of the European Socialists (PES) | For |
West Midlands | |
Mr Philip Bushill-Matthews Conservative European People's Party (Christian Democrats) and European Democrats (EPP-ED) | For |
Mr Michael Cashman Labour Party of the European Socialists (PES) | For |
Mr Mike Nattrass UK Independence Party Independence and Democracy (IND-DEM) | Against |
Mrs Liz Lynne Liberal Democrat Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) | Against |
Mr Philip Bradbourn OBE Conservative European People's Party (Christian Democrats) and European Democrats (EPP-ED) | For |
Mrs Neena Gill Labour Party of the European Socialists (PES) | For |
Mr Malcolm Harbour Conservative European People's Party (Christian Democrats) and European Democrats (EPP-ED) | Against |
East Midlands | |
Mr Roger Helmer Independent | Against |
Mr Robert Kilroy-Silk Independent Non Attached Members | Against |
Mr Phillip Whitehead Labour Party of the European Socialists (PES) | For |
Mr Christopher Heaton-Harris Conservative European People's Party (Christian Democrats) and European Democrats (EPP-ED) | Against |
Mr Derek Clark UK Independence Party Independence and Democracy (IND-DEM) | Against |
Mr Bill Newton Dunn Liberal Democrat Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) | Against |
Eastern | |
Mr Geoffrey Van Orden Conservative European People's Party (Christian Democrats) and European Democrats (EPP-ED) | For |
Mr Jeffrey Titford UK Independence Party Independence and Democracy (IND-DEM) | Against |
Mr Richard Howitt Labour Party of the European Socialists | For |
Mr Robert Sturdy Conservative European People's Party (Christian Democrats) and European Democrats (EPP-ED) | absent @WTO |
Mr Andrew Duff Liberal Democrat Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) | Against |
Mr Christopher Beazley Conservative European People's Party (Christian Democrats) and European Democrats (EPP-ED) | For |
Mr Tom Wise UK Independence Party Independence and Democracy (IND-DEM) | Against |
South West | |
Mr Neil Parish Conservative European People's Party (Christian Democrats) and European Democrats (EPP-ED) | For |
Mr Graham Booth UK Independence Party Independence and Democracy (IND-DEM) | Against |
Mr Graham Watson Liberal Democrat Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) | Against |
Dr Caroline Jackson Conservative European People's Party (Christian Democrats) and European Democrats (EPP-ED) | For |
Mr Glyn Ford Labour Party of the European Socialists (PES) | For |
Mr Roger Knapman UK Independence Party Independence and Democracy (IND-DEM) | Against |
Mr Giles Chichester Conservative European People's Party (Christian Democrats) and European Democrats (EPP-ED) | Against |
South East | |
Mr Daniel Hannan Conservative European People's Party (Christian Democrats) and European Democrats (EPP-ED) | Against |
Mr Nigel Farage UK Independence Party Independence and Democracy (IND-DEM) | absent |
Mr Nirj Deva Conservative European People's Party (Christian Democrats) and European Democrats (EPP-ED) | Against |
Baroness Nicholson of Winterbourne Liberal Democrat Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) | absent |
Mr Peter Skinner Labour Party of the European Socialists (PES) | For |
Mr James Elles Conservative European People's Party (Christian Democrats) and European Democrats (EPP-ED) | For |
Mr Ashley Mote Independent Non Attached Members | Against |
Mr Richard Ashworth Conservative European People's Party (Christian Democrats) and European Democrats (EPP-ED) | For |
Dr Caroline Lucas Green Greens / European Free Alliance | absent @WTO |
Mrs Sharon Bowles Liberal Democrat Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) | Against |
London | |
Mr John Bowis OBE Conservative European People's Party (Christian Democrats) and European Democrats (EPP-ED) | Against |
Mr Claude Moraes Labour Party of the European Socialists (PES) | For |
Baroness Sarah Ludford Liberal Democrat Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) | Against |
Dr Charles Tannock Conservative European People's Party (Christian Democrats) and European Democrats (EPP-ED) | For |
Mrs Mary Honeyball Labour Party of the European Socialists (PES) | For |
Mr Gerard Batten UK Independence Party Independence and Democracy (IND-DEM) | Against |
Mr Syed Salah Kamall Conservative European People's Party (Christian Democrats) and European Democrats (EPP-ED) | Against |
Mrs Jean Lambert Green Greens / European Free Alliance | Against |
Mr Robert Evans Labour Party of the European Socialists (PES) | For |