From Lawyers of Light via Telegram
I have now read the Human Rights review documentation and I am seriously concerned.
The review seeks to impose a rights culture that displaces personal responsibility in favour of "the public interest”.
The proposed reforms say “the international human rights framework recognises that not all rights are absolute and that an individual’s rights may need to be balanced, either against the rights of others or against the wider public interest.
Further concerning statements are:
“The idea that rights come alongside duties and responsibilities is steeped in the UK tradition of liberty, but is also reflected in the qualifications in the Convention and is explicit in Article 29 of the UN Declaration of Human Rights (‘Everyone has duties to the community in which alone the free and full development of his personality is possible’). The increasing reliance on human rights claims over the years has, however, led to a culture of rights decoupled from our responsibilities as citizens, and a displacement of due consideration of the wider public interest”.
"Whilst human rights are universal, a Bill of Rights could require the courts to give greater consideration to the behaviour of claimants and the wider public interest when interpreting and balancing qualified rights. More broadly, our proposals can also set out more clearly the extent to which the behaviour of claimants is a factor that the courts take into account when deciding what sort of remedy, if any, is appropriate. This will ensure that claimants’ responsibilities, and the rights of others, form a part of the process of making a claim based on the violation of a human right”.
There are other concerning statements too, but you get the gist from the above.
Under the proposed reforms it is clear that Parliament is seeking to impose itself as arbiter of when a person can have human rights and when they cannot. This is disgraceful. It does not matter the crime, major or minor, a person must always have their human rights available to them and protected. It is abundantly clear to me that although the proposed reforms mention the courts power to decide matters, the govt expect the courts to be led on this by parliament, (and legislation), whatever the govt decide their rules to be at any given time.
This is an overt attack on personal freedoms in a bid to enforce communitarianism (which is worse than socialism, and is in fact totalitarianism). Wider interests should never trump an individual’s rights, the latter of which are fundamental freedoms that are God given.
These proposed changes seek to make sure that Human Rights are NOT fundamental and universal. Giving power to the courts to say you are not entitled to your human rights if they think your behaviour has not been what they consider "good" is a huge worry, knowing how much the courts are now refusing to challenge govt policy decisions and harmful legislation.
The separation of powers has been lost in this country for some time now. These proposed reforms confirm parliaments march to make itself the sovereign power and authority to decide on people's fundamental rights according to its own whim, and this must be stopped at all costs.
The consultation is open until 8th March and the link to respond to it is below. We desperately need everyone to take action and say no to these reforms.
https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/human-rights-act-reform-a-modern-bill-of-rights