Voting in the EU today: why it matters for digital rights
ORG is non-partisan, and the quality and chances of your candidates vary from region to region, so we are not recommending any party over another. Hopefully, the candidates’ pledges on key issues and their track records will help you decide who it’s best to vote for.
What is clear is that Labour have unfortunately refused to engage with groups like ORG who have asked questions about their candidates. We really don’t accept that Labour candidates are too busy to answer questionnaires for two key reasons.
Firstly, all the other parties have managed it. Secondly, elections are meant to be about debating the issues, and talking to the public, and groups like us are a major way of engaging with the real issues. Arguably, we’re one of the few real ways that an MEP candidate can talk about what they would do in Europe if elected, as most conventional media in the UK seem to think Europe’s not interesting enough to discuss in any detail.
Many Lib Dem, UKIP and Green candidates took the trouble to answer our questions. All of these parties have worked with ORG in the last parliament on copyright.
The Conservatives gave us a comprehensive answer, which we posted below the last blog post. We felt that several of the statements did not seem to tie with our stances, with the exception of backing the broader EU definition of personal data. The Conservative group, like Labour, backed copyright term extension. Both groups have an opportunity to revisit their exact stance as the issue has not yet been agreed at EU Council level.
Both Labour and Conservatives have supported the Data Retention Directive, which may yet be challenged as a breach of Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights. In a number of EU countries, including Sweden, there is obvious reluctance to implement the law.
Lastly, there is the question of ‘three strikes’ regimes and disconnection without court convictions. As research by the Communications Consumer Panel released yesterday showed, people now view the internet as a core service, and a key means to exercise their human right to freedom of expression. Yet the UK government and Conservatives seem reluctant to allow the Parliament to enshrine the rule of law, apparently for technical reasons. That is not acceptable.
It is vital for the EU Parliament to assert citizens rights in order for it to achieve legitimacy with the people who elect it. This is difficult enough, but the story of digital rights shows that citizens will act to defend their rights while others seek to erode them, and will expect Parliamentarians to act in citizens’ interests. Defence of our digital rights, based on our human rights and legitimate user expectations, is an opportunity for parliamentarians to gain the trust of citizens if they have the political courage to act.
Image credit: European Parliament