[Fsfe-ie] swpat MEP voting guide?

[Justin Mason]

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Ciaran O'Riordan writes:
> [1 skipped, as I respond later]

> 2. The MEPs that are vocally on our side are Patricia McKenna, Avril Doyle,
> Brian Crowley, Eoin Dubsky, and Ivana Bacik. (and?)

Nuala Ahern if I recall correctly, but she's not runnign as you say.

> 3. The 11 MEPs that voted "our way" last year are:
>    -Mary Banotti (FG)
>    -Gerard Collins (FF)
>    -Brian Crowley (FF)
>    -John Walls Cushnahan (FG) (mostly "our way" anyway)
>    -Avril Doyle (FG) (is she running?)
>    -James Fitzsimons (FF)
>    -Liam Hyland (FF)
>    -John Joseph McCartin (FG) (mostly "our way" anyway)
>    -Patricia McKenna (Green)
>    -Sean O'Neachtain (FF)
> 
> (plus Nuala Ahern (Green) who is not running)
> 
> >   - The Labour Party, sadly, haven't yet come up with a concrete policy on
> >     the issue -- but the Dublin candidate, Ivana Bacik, has (verbally)
> >     stated her opposition.
> 
> DeRossa was their only MEP and he abstained from the vote (later he said he
> couldn't vote on the issue because he hadn't understood it.)  So there's
> nothing to go on for a party generalisation, but Ivana Bacik (Dublin) is
> vocally against swpats.
>
> Labour are part of the EU party "PSE" (Party of European Socialists), most
> (60%) of whom voted against us.

Yep.  IMO, I'd be happier with a party line (as the Greens have), as
there's some internal conflict there I'd say....

> Warning: Do not jump to the easy conclusion that we should all avoid Labour.
> If we could get some known anti-swpat reps into the PSE, they could talk
> sense into others.  Like Avril Doyle (FG) did in the PPE-DE party.

hmm, PPE-DE didn't seem to vote too well last Sep, by the beauprez
database...

> >   - The Greens, however, are actively campaigning against them, their
> >     candidates clearly understand and have communicated with voters on the
> >     issue in the past, and the cross-Europe party policy is clearly
> >     stated.
> 
> Yes, the Irish Greens and the EU party they are in "Verts/ALE" have a 100%
> solid anti-swpat record.  The polls predict that Patricia McKenna (Dublin)
> will just about lose her seat and they predict that Mary White (Nuala
> Aherns' replacement) won't get a seat.  So it would be worth helping them.

they're the 1 party to have really solidly made a position.  That's
a big plus IMO.

> >   - Eoin Dubsky is an independent candidate, standing on a primarily
> >     anti-war platform. He's stated his opposition to software patenting
> >     clearly and publically. He's also a total techie -- with RSS feeds and
> >     a Redbrick.dcu.ie account! ;)
> 
> (and he's released some php scripts under the GPL.)

cool -- the free-software candidate! ;)

> >   - FG's position is totally unclear, as usual... ;)
> 
> FG are in the PPE-DE (European People's Party & European Democrats) -
> similar to the PSE, most (70%) of the PPE-DE voted mostly against us.  Like
> Labour, it would be great to get to some anti-swpat MEPs into that party.
> Avril Doyle would be one example if she's running.
> 
> >   - And in the other corner: FF and the PDs as parties are whole-heartedly
> >     supporting software patenting; in fact, they're the ones running the
> >     EU Council which just pushed through software patenting law despite
> >     the democratic mandate from the European Parliament. boo.
> 
> BZZZZZZZT! 
> 
>  *All 6 of the FF MEPs voted as we asked them to!* (and none abstained)

I was under the impression that FF and PD were thinking the same way
on this issue -- at least at the higher levels of the party, and that
the MEPs just voted as they felt appropriate, but if it came down
to the wire, the party would whip them into the party line.

So that's not the case?  FF can be recommended?

well, that'll be a first for me then ;)

> Mary Harney (PD) steered the Directive into a wall at the first chance she
> got, but there are no PDs running for EU election AFAIK, so they can be
> ignored.

some good news! ;)

- --j.
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