Yesterday, Ally (Ducking for Apples)posted a link to an article in the Independent which examines the gradual dilution of our rights and freedoms here in the UK. Pete (The Quacks of Life) has also picked up on this, and airs his opinion in a very eloquent piece. Not wishing to be repetitive but I am also going to cover the subject because I think it is so important.

Consider this: In the the last nine years we have lost the right to trial by jury; hearsay evidence has been made admissible in court; we no longer have the right to take our protests to our elected and supposedly accountable representatives; it is very likely that compulsory id cards will be introduced after the next election; the government are attempting to push the (all be it modified) Legislative and Regulatory Reform Bill through parliament which will reduce the powers of MPs, and give it to unaccountable ministers who will be able to adjust laws at will. A system of unofficial house arrest now exists; and anyone can be placed under an anti social behaviour order (ASBO) for acts which are not necessarily illegal. Tony Blair is also hoping to override the Human Rights Act.

You may be thinking, the girl is off her trolley, none of this applies to me, these are simply measures to protect us from terrorism. If you are then I’m afraid you are wrong. (Well, except for the bit about me being off my trolley) Seriously, these measures do apply to you! Just because they are only used against those suspected of links to certain political or terrorist organisations at the moment, does not mean they will not be used against you, your family, neighbours or friends at some point in the future. In fact it may be sooner than you think:

A 63 year old health visitor from Hull, was electronically tagged and placed under curfew for protesting about the presence of the US listening post at Menwith Hill in Yorkshire. Protests at and against such places have been ongoing for decades now, but it is only this government which has sought to actively remove an individuals right to hold such a protest.

You may not spend your weekends protesting about American installations on British soil, but that does not mean you are immune or safe from falling foul of this new legislation. If you are reading this, then it is logical to assume you are a regular internet user, and, most likely, a blogger too. Suppose, at some point in the future you complain on your blog about the level of taxation in your area, or suggest that your visitors vote for political party A instead of political party B, or write to your MP complaining about some aspect of government policy you are unhappy with. That same government either have, or will soon have, the power to label you an anti-social person; keep tabs on everything you do; confine you to your home with no means of contact with the outside world, or arrest and imprison you without trial.

One of the most worrying aspects of the current situation is our PMs desire to remove the protection of the Human Rights Act. Contrary to what the tabloids and the spin doctors would have us believe this act is not something imposed on us by Brussels, it was a mainly British idea. It came from the European Convention on Human Rights which was thought up by Winston Churchill, drawn up by mostly British lawyers and which was designed to provide Europe wide protection for all people, and to reduce the chances of another despot coming to power as Hitler did in 1930s Germany.

Even more worrying is the fact that when I wrote to my MP about the Legislative and Regulatory Reform Bill in her response to me she cited the Human Rights Act as something which offered protection against it’s possible misuse by politicians. Now, we discover that if our dear leader has his way this protection will be removed.

I hope you have taken a few minutes to read the article Ally linked to, it is long, but interesting, and contains a lot of information I feel we need to know. The quote from Shami Chakrabarti of Liberty stood out for me. She says:

“If you throw live frogs into a pan of boiling water, they will sensibly jump out and save themselves. If you put them in a pan of cold water and gently apply heat until the water boils they will lie in the pan and boil to death. It’s like that.”

Lets not be like those frogs. We can stand up for and protect our rights and freedoms, and the Mother of Parliaments need not become a Big Brother state. Remember, Hitler did not seize power in a coup! He was elected democratically, then used legislation to further his political ends.

“If you will not fight for the right when you can easily win without bloodshed; if you will not fight when your victory will be sure and not too costly; you may come to the moment when you will have to fight with all the odds against you and only a small chance of survival. There may even be a worse case: you may have to fight when there is no hope of victory, because it is better to perish than to live as slaves.” – Winston Churchill

Further Reading and Campaigns:
Save Parliament – opposing the Legislative and Regulatory Reform Bill
No2ID – campaigning against id cards and a state database.
Charter 88 – campaign for a fair democracy
Liberty – UK civil liberties and human rights organisation.

I appreciate you dropping by,
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