Tuesday 14 October 2008

Let The Fightback Begin

Now that the House of Lords has thrown out the scheme to bang people up for six weeks without even so much as charging them with anything, let the bonfire be lit, and let it burn, burn, burn.

Let the fire of liberty consume identity cards, control orders, the admission of anonymous evidence other than from undercover Police Officers, the provision for conviction on anonymous evidence alone, the existing erosions of trial by jury and of the right to silence, the existing reversals of the burden of proof, the provision for majority verdicts (which, by definition, provide for conviction even where there is reasonable doubt), the provision for Police confiscation of assets without a conviction, stipendiary magistrates, Thatcher’s Police and Criminal Evidence Act, the Civil Contingencies Act, the Legislative and Regulatory Reform Act, and the Official Secrets Acts.

And once the fire has done its work, let us rebuild Britain. Where the minimum age for jurors is at least 21. Where the pre-1968 committal powers of the magistracy, and the pre-1985 prosecution powers of the Police, have been restored. Where we have preventative policing based on foot patrols, with budgetary sanctions against recalcitrant Chief Constables who failed to implement this. Where Police Forces are at least no larger than at present, and subject to local democratic accountability, most obviously though Police Authorities, but if appropriate by means of elected sheriffs.

Where each offence carries a minimum sentence of one third of its maximum sentence, or of 15 years’ imprisonment where that maximum sentence is life imprisonment. Where cannabis is a Class A drug, with a crackdown on the possession of drugs, including a mandatory sentence of three months for a second offence, six months for a third offence, one year for a fourth offence, and so on.

And where a Bill which runs out of parliamentary time is lost at the end of that session.

Just for a start.

Make it happen.

Nobody else will.

8 comments:

  1. Didn't you write this exact same post a week or so ago? Why are you reproducing it word for word here again? If there are any new readers who you think need to see it, why not just link to your previous post?

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  2. No.

    Read the first line and you'll see that I could not have written it before last night.

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  3. Auld Eck is right, pretty much. It's true that the first line dates it to last night or later, but in fact it's been very slightly amended from a comment you left here on October 6th.

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  4. Most of the this legislation is just political hooey that hasn't made a jot of difference to anyone. (Would you have included Section 28 of the Local Government Act, were it still on the books?) What about laws that actually affect real people, such as the Hunting with Dogs Act? What about the Human Rights Act, come to that?

    For all this tilting windmills at windmills, the fact remains that British "liberty" is not being eroded, it's not going to be, and pretending otherwise is just silly.

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  5. Foot patrols? Did somebody say foot patrols?

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  6. "Make it happen" is, of course, a Lib Dem policy document.

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  7. So my views have not changed in a week? So what? That was not what was suggested.

    The difference is that Parliament itself now officially agrees with me.

    Anyway, to serious business. Aelfhere, yes I would repeal the hunting ban. But to compare it to things like this is beyond abiurd.

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  8. Make It Up, more like. As a party, the Lib Dems don't have policies. They just make things up locally on the hoof.

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