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I thought I'd collect up some of the other responses from MEPs to constituants who asked why they voted the way they did. My thanks to The Dossing Times, who gave me permission to repost the letters from here. (You can also see the letter he sent at the end of that link as well).
I haven't seen this anywhere else and a number of the comments in the earlier post voiced a specific disappointment with Proinsias De Rossa's decision, alone amongst Irish MEPs, to vote in favour of the Data Retention Directive. So in the interests of fairness, I reproduce below his statement on the matter.
Data Retention Hits the Front Page Originally uploaded by Editor_Tupp. The Data Retention vote in the European Parliament is today the front page story in Dublin's Metro Newspaper. 'Stop the Net Spies' it gratifyingly says.
Now, after a little help from Europe Direct I can bring you the votes of Irish MEPs in relation to the final Data Retention Directive vote yesterday.
Rubbish debate. Watching the stream of the Debate on the introduction of Data Retention Directive. The live stream is all the excitement of the European Parliament on your very own screen.
Why is it that I don't get a coherent view of what's happening from my papers and telly? I want to see dots joined up- stories in one part of a paper make reference to related stories in another part. And I want to see a clear presentation of cause and effect- if you let x happen then Y will occur.
The Data Protection Commissioner's Office today confirmed that, having investigated the Primary Online Database, they found that parental concerns raised were valid and that, even following changes to the scheme in April, the POD would require further legislation to be lawful.
The Department of Education is building a database of Ireland's children. It's called the Primary Online Database and, currently, its intention is to collect a full profile of data on all the children in education and to store that data until they turn 30. Yes, 30.
A defining point in the EU Data Retention saga (what an alluring set of words) will come next Tuesday/Wednesday, when the EU Parliament will vote on the latest version of the planned European law to force data retention on every member state. The last we heard of this matter, the parliament had produced a minimalist version of the Commission’s Directive.
Danny O'Brien had an article in the newly opened up Irish Times where he dreamed of an EU decentralised by technology so that power was scattered on the four winds to the edges of the Union. Failing that, he admitted, it would be nice if our magic boxes and invisable signals could be used to bring more of the centre to the edge. Well, yesterday I spoke to a German lady who was doing exactly that.
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