Where would we be without the excellent Spy Blog which does it usual sterling job of highlighting the failings (and the malign policies) of our current shambles of a government - shambolic and authoritarian to boot!
As Spy Blog correctly mentions (as I have pointed out here and in comments elsewhere many times over the years) the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) is NOT a body within the EU (the European Court of Justice fulfils that role). The ECHR has ruled against the UK government for its systematic abuse of human rights by its use of the Section 44 'stop and search' provisions of the Terrorism Act 2000 without reasonable cause and is thus in contravention of Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms. The abuse has occurred against photographers, tourists, trainspotters and, amazingly, Members of Parliament.
Will our government pay a blind bit of notice to this ruling (any more than it has to the ruling about the retention of the DNA samples of innocent people, which it lost over a year ago)? We badly need an election to rid ourselves of our dictatorial and, I don't believe I am being in any way melodramatic when I add 'proto-fascist' government, with its [unfortunately rather successful] efforts to turn the UK into a Police State.
Blogging from the Highlands of Scotland
'From fanaticism to barbarism is only one step' - Diderot
Wednesday, 13 January 2010
ECHR judgement against UK government on Terrorism Act 2000 s44 'stop and search' abuses
Labels:
DNA testing,
intimidation,
Justice,
Labour,
Police State,
Politics terrorism,
UK
2 comments:
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Well yes Bill to a point. From what the likely new Minister of Terror (Home Secretary), Paul Grayling has been saying in his public statements, I can't see he'll be any improvement on the curent mob - maybe worse since he has a tendency to seek cheap headlines. The rumour mill says that Cameron dumped Dominic Grieve because he was too sensible for the Sun.
ReplyDeleteTo my mind the basic fault lies in pandering to police officiousness which in aggregate has lead to the loss of freedom we now see so the problem lies in the Home Office where all the assaults on liberty and freedom originate. Everything the present government has done has been on their agenda for donkeys' years. Most Tory Home Secretaries like Whitelaw and Herd were too fly to fall for it but the authoritarians (Starting with Leon Britten and Michael Howard) lapped up the chance of machismo strutting.
I don't see Cameron has the instinct of liberty and although I hope to be proved wrong I think he will continue in the same way as Blair and Brown not to mention Major and Thatcher.
Hi Richard
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment - and a Happy New Year.
You are no doubt correct in certaiin respects, but your assessment of Britten and Howard is frankly not one I recognise or agree with. I agree that the 'agenda' you mention has been desired for many years by certain Home Office officials (and in my view rather too many CPOs too) - but it is only Blair/Brown that followed it up. Whatever you may think of Thatcher, or indeed Major, there is absolutely no way (in my view) they would have gone along with some of the wilder flights of fantasy which Blair foisted upon us. As you know I have many disagreements with Conservative policy, but I know which of the two (Labour or the Conservatives) I would and will trust woith my liberty any day of the week.
Cordially ...