The Governments 'Control Freak' mentality.
Government denied Left-wing Labour MPs the
chance to vote. (17th December 1998)
There were chaotic scenes when Labour MPs led by Tony Benn, the veteran Left-winger, protested that they had been prevented from registering their vote against military action.
The Government avoided a vote by not putting up "tellers" - vote-counters - for a division on a procedural motion to adjourn the House. If there are no tellers for one side, then a vote cannot proceed.
Mr Benn said: "This was a parliamentary trick to prevent Parliament from registering its opposition. The Government called for a debate on Iraq and then denied the House of Commons the opportunity to vote.
"The effect of the bombing is to destroy democracy in Britain at the very moment we are supposed to be defending it abroad."
Mr Blair faced angry protests from Labour Left-wingers led by Tony Benn, the MP for Chesterfield, who said that military action was "deeply immoral", contrary to the United Nations Charter and Labour's ethical foreign policy. Mr Benn served notice that he would force a vote at the end of last night's emergency Commons debate on the crisis.