Cameron’s Voting Record
John Rentoul points out on the Open House blogthat David Cameron voted against the majority of his party on the fertility Bill. Rentoul elaborates,
He was one of 37 Tories voting in favour; 49 voted against. The rest found something better to do. According to the incomparable Professor Philip Cowley of Revolts.co.uk, this is the fourth time he has been in a minority in his own party in Commons votes recently.
The others were votes cast in favour an 80-per-cent-elected House of Lords (where the Conservatives split 80/103 against); gay adoption (where the Conservatives split 29/85 against); and the abolition of blasphemy (where the Conservatives split 37/51 against). In each case, the party leader found himself in a minority of his party.
The cynic in me wants to argue that he had voted like this to deny Labour the chance of labelling him undemocratic, homophobic, radically religious and anti-scientific. Indeed, I suspect that he has these concerns at the back of his mind. But there is one important comment to make: he had the opportunity to skip the votes. Add these numbers up and you see that his party was not in full attendance - he could easily have made excuses and ducked any of the issues. He has chosen not no; chosen to be in the minority in his own party. Good for him.
For what it’s worth, Cameron seems to have been on the right side of each vote apart from the Lords suggestion. His greatest concern, surely, is that his party are not nearly as progressive as he is.
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