By Simon Darby-Thankfully that ACTA initiative was well and truly crucified by the European Parliament on Wednesday. However of just 39 MEPs that voted for Orwellian Internet censorship and controls we find, rather paradoxically, a Liberal Democrat.

Perhaps Bill Newton Dunn, the East Mids LibDem MEP could be investigated under the Trade Descriptions Act?

That little anomaly is nothing though compared to the list of MEPs attempting to vote down Wednesday’s Paulsen resolution together with its sensible and compassionate measures for the treatment of animals. The measure contained this important paragraph:

49. Points to the concern among European citizens, expressed through their petitions to Parliament, about abuse of the derogations for un-stunned slaughtering in the EU; is particularly concerned that the current derogation for un-stunned slaughter is abused to a large extent in some Member States, to the detriment of animal welfare, of farmers and of consumers; urges the Commission to accelerate its evaluation on the labelling of meat from animals slaughtered without stunning and to present its report before 2013, following its commitment to undertake this evaluation in 2011; highlights that the question of consumers not being informed as to whether or not the meat they are buying is from animals slaughtered without stunning is an issue of great public interest for reasons of both transparency and animal suffering; underlines, however, that labelling is not an alternative to proper enforcement as it can only guide consumers if the information provided is verified and correct;

There's no prize for guessing that Conservative North West MEP and ritual slaughter enthusiast Sajjad Karim would be doing his best to slit the throat of this initiative.

However, the shameful list of those joining him makes for interesting reading:

Conservative
Philip Bradbourn - West Midlands
Martin Callanan -North East
David Campbell Bannerman - Eastern
Giles Chichester - South West
Vicky Ford - Eastern
Ashley Fox - South West
Julie Girling - South West
Daniel Hannan - South West
Malcolm Harbour - West Midlands
Sajjad Karim - North West
Timothy Kirkhope - Yorks & Humber
Anthea McIntyre - West Midlands
Jim Nicholson - Northern Ireland
Struan Stevenson - Scotland
Kay Swinburne - Wales
Geoffrey Van Orden - Eastern
Marina Yannakoudakis - London

UKIP
William Dartmouth - South West
Stuart Agnew - Eastern
Marta Andreason - South East
Gerard Batten - London
John Bufton - Wales
Derek Clark - East Midlands
Roger Helmer - East Midlands

Labour
Mary Honeyball - London
Richard Howitt - Eastern
David Martin - Scotland
Linda MaAvan - Yorks & Humber
Arlene McCarthy - North West
Brian Simpson - North West
Peter Skinner - South East
Catherine Stihler - Scotland
Glenis Willmott - East Midlands

In fact when you crunch the numbers, over 40% of the 82 MEPs, who voted to block criticism of ritual slaughter and scupper other important animal protective measures, were from Britain.

It's taken me a little time to compile and provide you with this information this morning, perhaps you might be so good and make sure as many people as possible are familiar with it.

The public really ought to know exactly what they are voting for.