Thread by @thatginamiller

Tomorrow #Govt isn't introducing a new Act as some are reporting. It’s a vote to renew powers as required by S98 #coronavirus Act 2020 legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2020/7/s… . Motion “That the temporary provisions of the Coronavirus Act 2020 should not yet expire.”
whatson.parliament.uk/event/cal34363
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1st review was in Sept 2020 when I & others urged #MPS NOT to renew the powers as HMG already have necessary powers under existing legislation & due to our concerns of mass scale curtailing of our civil liberties & the creation of an unintentional wave of #authoritarianism
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In the Sept review, at least crisis changes to the Mental Health Act were removed as they had reduced the number of doctors needed to make decisions about someone's care, mental health capacity, sectioning & had increased timeframes people could be detained against their will
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BUT what remains amounts to the largest peacetime increase of Exec Powers = huge concerns about our fundamental #civilliberties being restricted even with a roadmap out of #lockdown I’m not a lockdown or vaccine sceptic but I’m a power grab & lack of accountability sceptic
4/9

If the last year had been a sensible trade-off betw Govt intervention & individual rights & freedoms, would be less worrying. But the long term implications & impacts of laws adopted in the #pandemic raises great concerns as they appear not to be the exception but the rule
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Eg of concerns in #COVID19 Act 2020:
- powers to detain ‘potentially infectious persons’ Sch. 21
- powers to prevent mass gatherings Sch. 22
- mass surveillance powers s. 23
- imposition of criminal sanctions for disease transmission
All unnecessary due to existing Acts
6/9

Civil Contingencies Act 2004 confers extensive emergency powers on Govt - but unlike the Covid Act, regs under the 2004 Act can be amended by #Parliament & must be approved by a vote every 30 days.
Health and Social Care Act 2008 allows for medical health emergency measures
7/9

Both Acts afford greater Parliamentary scrutiny & checks & balances. They've done Ace job on #vaccines & there's a #roadmap so don't need 6 more mths of unchecked power! History shows that emergency powers often outlive the phenomenon that triggered them in the 1st instance
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So tweet/email your #MP to stop #government by ministerial decree, stop suspension of Parliament’s #sovereignty & re-start checking what Govt are up to. Less draconian measures, more #democracy !
We must learn from history.
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