Lies, Damn Lies, And The Labour Party

I received a reply from Matilda Quiney at the office of Harriet Harman, Shadow Deputy Prime Minister and Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media, and Sport, regarding a query referred to my MP Hazel Blears about websites being shut down by the City of London Police without due process.

Basically, she replied, "Oh, no, the press says they're not," along with some drivel that I'll reproduce below.

Mrs Cockcroft has asked about website (sic) being shut down without due legal process in defiance of the law.

Recent press reports relating to websites infringing copyright say that due legal process has been carried out prior to them being closed.

We will lose £1bn to copyright infringement over course of the Parliament (sic). Labour is doing all we can to support content creators so that they can make a livelihood out of their work and also to protect consumers' long term interest in the availability of content.

However we are also certainly in favour of due legal process being observed.

Oh, dear, oh, dear. Where to start? With a proper perusal of your work before printing it off and posting it, love.

Next, the stonewalling in which you failed to engage with the question I raised and answered a parallel one instead. Nice bit of dismissal, there. Guaranteed vote-winner, that.

Then there's the Hollywood Maths; where are her sources for this figure? Sticking up for Hollywood is sticking it to the consumer, Matilda.

Finally, there's the bleating "We are also certainly in favour of due legal process being observed." Oh, really? I'm still waiting for an answer to my question, dear.

Is this the reform we've been promised? More of the same? For the love of God, do NOT vote Labour in the next election. Please vote Pirate or Green instead.