Government will go humbly down on bended knee on prisoners votes!

Government will go humbly down on bended knee on prisoners votes!

Mr Hollobone: On 10 February, this House voted overwhelmingly, by a majority of 10:1, to continue the ban on giving prisoners the vote, since which time the European Court of Human Rights has effectively ignored the will of this House. It still insists that the law be changed and has given the Government until October to bring forward proposals. Will Her Majesty’s Government bend their knee to the European Court or will they stand up and insist that on this issue Britain will not budge?

The Prime Minister: My hon. Friend is absolutely clear that the House of Commons has given a very clear view that prisoners should not have the vote and my own view is that prisoners should not have the vote. I think that we should do two things. First, we should be trying to reform the European Court, as we are doing; my right hon. and learned Friend the Justice Secretary is leading this charge to make sure that it does pay more attention to national judgments and national Parliaments. But at the same time we will have to consider our response to this issue, and I want it to be as close as possible to the clearly expressed will of the House of Commons.

Source: Hansard

Comment: On 6 October 2005 the ECtHR ruled the UK guilty of a breach of convicted prisoners human right to vote. Since then the UK has ignored the Court ruling. The House of Commons did not vote overwhelmingly on this issue, in fact the vast majority of MPs abstained from voting. So, a minority of MPs are in favour of continuing this breach of human rights in spite of the UK's obligations under the Convention. Because HMG is not bound to follow the views of a minority of MPs, but is bound to follow the Court judgment HMG will humbly go down on bended knee.

Has David Cameron not heard of the saying parents have for demanding children? I want never gets! He will do as he is told or else!