...I shall be fascinated to see exactly which of these #fundamental #rights and #freedoms this Government seeks to modify, diminish or remove in its consultation:

consult.justice.gov.uk/human-rights/h…

And for who.

TL;DR: However the Gov't tries spinning this, it ain't about creating a NEW "British #BillOfRights" at all.

On a swift first read, it looks a lot more like a bunch of #LittleEnglanders trying to cock a snook at #Strasbourg and make it harder to #exercise YOUR existing #rights...

...(see "permission stage" on p65), while trying to make bad #laws even less #challengeable - 'cos the Government always gets it right, right? - continuing to #demonise immigrants, and #diminishing EVERYONE'S #rights by making them somehow #conditional on "#responsibilities"...

Some of the proposed 'options' 👇 are such a weird combination of nutty banana, twisted logic and niggly small-mindedness that it's hard to know where to begin...

See, e.g. p 96, consult.justice.gov.uk/human-rights/h…

And, especially in light of recent history, the #tautology of some other 'options' is rather chilling. So if this or any Government can get a Bill or SI through Parliament, it should be considered *by definition* "#necessary in a #democratic society"?

Hmm... 🤔

See p 100, ibid.

N.B. For those who get confused about the #jurisdictions of the various #Courts in Europe - which appears to include the drafters of some of these 'options' - here's an explanation from our own #SupremeCourt:

supremecourt.uk/about/the-supr…

The consultation explicitly states (p5) it will "continue to respect the UK’s international obligations as a party to #ECHR" - which includes a right of #appeal to #ECtHR, once domestic remedies have been exhausted - but twists the #PrincipleOfSubsidiarity to breaking point...

...if, as it seems to be, the proposal is that the UK Courts and Government can simply disregard ANY decision or judgement of the European Court of Human Rights.

"We'll be bound by the Convention, except when we don't want to be" is not how things work! 🤦🏻‍♂️

Restricting our right to #protest, diminishing #privacy protections, removal of British #citizenship, #discriminatory #VaccinePassports, attacking #JudicialReview, imposing #VoterID - this Government lacks any credibility or moral authority when it comes to our #HumanRights...

...and for all its dog-whistling about "Foreign National Offenders", and tiresome spin on "wokery" and "political correctness" (PC, really? In 2021?) the Government singularly fails to articulate what #HumanRights have actually done - and do - for us.

So here's a few examples...

The #Hillsborough disaster - after a 30-year fight, during which the police lied and blamed, and powerful political and media figures tried to portray innocent fans as 'tanked-up yobs', the #HumanRightsAct helped the Hillsborough families secure justice:

liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool…

Proper equipment for #soldiers on the front line - families whose sons and daughters died in inadequately armoured "Snatch" Land Rovers deployed in Afghanistan and Iraq brought claims against the Government under the #HumanRightsAct:

independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-n…

The #MidStaffs hospital scandal – families affected by poor care at Mid-Staffordshire NHS Trust were able to launch 119 legal claims against the Trust using the #HumanRightsAct:

theguardian.com/society/2013/f…

#FreedomOfThePress - Milton Keynes Citizen reporter Sally Murrer was bugged by Thames Valley Police. After spending 19 months on bail, the case against her collapsed when the judge ruled the police had breached her #Article10 #FreedomOfExpression rights:

theguardian.com/media/2008/nov…

#EqualRights for gay couples - the #SupremeCourt ruled in favour of Juan Godin-Mendoza, deciding the #HumanRightsAct required courts to interpret "surviving spouse" to include the surviving partner of a gay couple, well before gay marriage was legal:

independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/…

The #DeepcutBarracks suicides - after an inquest failed to investigate the circumstances of her death, Anne-Marie Ellement's sisters secured a fresh inquest, relying on the #HumanRightsAct. Just this year, it was revealed a fifth young person died:

telegraph.co.uk/news/0/deepcut…

Improving #care - Jan has #MultipleSclerosis. Confined to her bed for most of the day because of the low level of care allocated by her local authority, she used #HRA to take legal action and get the #support she needed for a reasonable #QualityOfLife:

Stopping council #snooping - after Poole Borough Council used the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act to spy on her family 21 times, Jenny Paton won her #Article8 #HRA case against them for abusing #RIPA #surveillance:

bbc.co.uk/news/uk-englan…

The #GoodFridayAgreement - politicians on both sides of the Irish border have warned that changes to the #HumanRightsAct risk "fanning the flames" of Northern Ireland’s fragile politics, and undermining #peace:

ft.com/content/a3b05a…

Protecting journalists and their sources - Alex Thomson, Lena Ferguson & Toby Harnden faced down #contempt proceedings, refusing to name British soldiers they'd interviewed #anonymously about Bloody Sunday, knowing they were protected by #ECHR #Article10:

theguardian.com/media/2004/jan…

Keeping people together - Richard & Beryl Driscoll, both in their late 80s, were separated by Gloucestershire county council. A public campaign based on their #Article8 #RightToFamilyLife forced the council to reassess, and Richard & Beryl were reunited:

theguardian.com/society/2006/f…

Police retention of #biometrics - as a consequence of the 'S & Marper v UK' case heard at the #EuropeanCourtOfHumanRights, innocent people in the UK have the right to have their #DNA and #fingerprints (sometimes) deleted from police national databases:

acro.police.uk/Services/Recor…

Proper #investigation – two of John Worboys' earliest victims won their #Article3 case against the Met, after the police had originally dismissed their concerns and failed to take appropriate action. Worboys went on to rape and assault up to 100 women:

theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/f…

Patient involvement in #DNR decisions - after a landmark case when doctors at Addenbrooke's Hospital acted unlawfully, it became a legal #requirement to consult the patient and/or their family before putting a #DoNotResuscitate notice on their record:

bbc.co.uk/news/health-27…

Family support - arrested for a crime he didn’t commit, Hughes couldn’t contact his family because, as a 17yr-old, the police treated him as an adult. He won his #HRA case, and 17yr-olds can now access the same support as other #children when arrested:

@thesundaytimes

#FreedomOfThePress - pre-#HRA, it was a landmark #ECtHR ruling on @thesundaytimes' reporting of the #Thalidomide scandal that resulted in the Government having to replace draconian (note!) #CommonLaw contempt with the Contempt of Court Act 1981:

eachother.org.uk/todays-anniver…

https://twitter.com/libertyhq/status/732609240552988674

Protecting people with #disabilities - the #HumanRightsAct means *all* UK #legislation and #policy must uphold and protect disabled people’s human rights; leading to many all-but-invisible victories for some of the most #vulnerable of us:

https://twitter.com/libertyhq/status/732609240552988674

I'm sure there are many, many more - please add yours in replies!

We can't allow the Government to undermine the foundations of all these #rights & #protections in pursuit of its own narrow, self-serving goals.

A true #BillOfRights would give MORE power to the people. Not less.

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