Share this page!

Schona Jolly QC Profile picture
Twitter logo
Jan 17,, 16 tweets, 9 min read
Thank you to all the peers who are showing great commitment & integrity as they stay late to knock back some of the disturbing provisions in the #PolicingBill, despite govt attempts to prevent scrutiny by scheduling.

This is no way to run a democracy. But the govt knows that.
This image just shows the commitment and integrity of many members of our unelected House.

Scandalous that peers should be put in this position on some of the most important rights in any democracy.
Just proving the point. This just shouldn’t be happening. Every unscrupulous card being played by the government to ram through their #PolicingBill.
Bottom of the barrel stuff here from the Minister. #PolicingBill
As most of us get ready for bed, members of the Lords are still there, trying to put the brakes on the government’s brazen attempt to avoid scrutiny and ram through the repressive #PolicingBill.
And it’s the 7th defeat for the government shortly before 11pm on the #PolicingBill.
Coming in thick and fast and sending a furious message to the government.

The 8th defeat tonight on the #PolicingBill - and it’s 2315.
The government’s #PolicingBill is being absolutely hammered by the Lords tonight. Now on the 9th defeat.

There isn’t much good news from Parliament these days. This is a rare glimmer of fightback against a government unused and unwilling to be held accountable.
Precisely. Govt tried to sneak in amendments tabled in the Lords after #PolicingBill passed through the Commons on fundamental rights.

MPs ought to have heard the detail, considered & debated it.

Huge thanks Greens, @LibDemLords @LabourLordsUK, staying absurdly late.
Honestly, as good as it is to see this Bill’s repressive provisions slammed like this, this is truly no way for any Parliament to be conducting the most serious business.

It’s nearly midnight, for goodness sake. #protest
And another. Now onto the 11th defeat.

It’s almost 2350.
A fitting tribute to the dangerous provisions in this Bill.

Let’s hope for the 12th defeat - it’s an important one for civil liberties as the govt seeks to extend #stopandsearch powers without suspicion. A draconian provision with disproportionate impact on minorities.
Paging @PARLYapp to see whether there have ever been 12 defeats of the govt in a few hours before.

12th defeat, but no less important than those that came before.

Huge respect, and sending virtual chai and coffee, to those committed peers just staying & saying No.#PoliceBill
It’s gone midnight and sufficient numbers of the Lords are still there, holding on for Round 13.

Apologies I can’t manage to keep my eyes open now - huge respect to all of you still there. What you have done tonight - for all of us - has been so important.
Thirteen defeats, unlucky for the government.

It’s a wrap on the #PoliceBill.

A comprehensive defeat for the government on important civil liberties, with what seems like a lot of Cons peers abstaining or absent. Well done to all those peers who fought back.
A last bit of detail on that 13th defeat.

Good night!

• • •

Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to force a refresh
　

Keep Current with Schona Jolly QC

Schona Jolly QC Profile picture

Stay in touch and get notified when new unrolls are available from this author!

Read all threads

This Thread may be Removed Anytime!

PDF

Twitter may remove this content at anytime! Save it as PDF for later use!

Try unrolling a thread yourself!

how to unroll video
  1. Follow @ThreadReaderApp to mention us!

  2. From a Twitter thread mention us with a keyword "unroll"
@threadreaderapp unroll

Practice here first or read more on our help page!

More from @WomaninHavana

Schona Jolly QC Profile picture
Jan 19,
Starmer enjoying this. And that was a very good, crystal clear question.

“Sue Gray” is not any answer.
This is brilliant by Starmer.

Short, sharp questions to which the answer is never - in any plausible or appropriate way - “Sue Gray”.
“What’s the government offering? Nothing. Too distracted by their own chaos to do their job.”

Starmer nails this.

Incisive, personable, and even quite funny.
Read 4 tweets
Schona Jolly QC Profile picture
Dec 29, 2021
No pretence, no disguise left. Hong King’s National Security Law is being used as a tool to silence expression, crush dissent. One of HK’s most senior barristers is arrested again, as part of another crackdown, this time on @StandNewsHK where she was formerly a board member.
Nothing to see here. Only Hong Kong’s second most senior politician trampling over a free press, protected under Hong Kong’s Basic Law by the ICCPR, without qualms.

The #NSL - “a coup dressed up in statute.”
The powerful sentencing remarks of 73 year old barrister & former lawmaker, Margaret Ng, in her own mitigation earlier this year.

“The law should give protection to rights, not take them away, especially in Hong Kong, where structural democracy is still absent”.
Read 9 tweets
Schona Jolly QC Profile picture
Dec 20, 2021
#Egypt BHRC considers the continued prosecution & detention of activist @alaa, human rights lawyer Mohammed El Baqer & blogger Mohamed Oxygen are emblematic of the profound rule of law crisis.

Here is Laila Soueif in the @nytimes y’day on her jailed son.

Verdicts today.
We @BarHumanRights stand w/ the legal community & in solidarity with human rights lawyer Mohammed El Baqer, founder of Adalah Centre for Rights & Freedoms, as he awaits a verdict today in Egypt’s security court, on baseless charges. His client, @alaa & Oxygen should all be freed.
The vagueness of these serious but baseless charges, the lack of appeal. It doesn’t get easier. @alaa
Read 4 tweets
Schona Jolly QC Profile picture
Dec 14, 2021
There is so much political chaos & distraction that we often don’t see the detail of what govt does.

The promised warm welcome to Afghans has not materialised, the Afghan resettlement scheme is still not open, & today govt has made it harder for Afghans to seek safety here.
This leaves Afghan refugees at increased risk & facing harsh consequences & criminalisation under the govt’s #BordersBill.

Johnson promised:We will never forget the brave sacrifice made by Afghans who chose to work with us, at great risk to themselves.

This 🧵gives more detail.
See this detailed legal opinion by @UNHCRUK on #BordersBill. UNHCR warns it undermines the Refugee Convention, the policies would risk the lives & wellbeing of vulnerable people & would undermine govt stated goal of improving protection for those at risk. unhcr.org/uk/615ff04d4.p…
Read 4 tweets
Schona Jolly QC Profile picture
Dec 14, 2021
Dominic Raab’s long campaign against the Human Rights Act takes shape in a cynical attempt to water down rights protections, including for some of the most vulnerable in our society, under the nationalist guise of reframing arguments about what is ‘quintessentially British’. A 🧵
2. Although i need to read the details of the proposals, there are multiple alarm bells in this piece by a sitting Justice Secretary. It is hard to square any ‘common sense’ justification with the severe & regressive bills on rights before Parliament.
3. Current bills before Parliament:
-impair our right to meaningful protest
- permit citizenship to be summarily removed without notice
- violate the spirit & letter of our international legal obligations to asylum seekers
- introduce a controversial electoral Bill on voter ID.
Read 23 tweets
Schona Jolly QC Profile picture
Dec 13, 2021
“While the whole country is still compulsively debating whether, when, & how often its Prime Minister has lied and cheated…this government is hammering away at the very foundations of what Britain once stood for more than any other country: liberal democracy.” @annettedittert
We have had far too little focused debate on the detail of draconian legislation put forward by govt, ramming it through Parliament with a huge majority & little scrutiny. Protest rights, citizenship, electoral ID, refugees & aconstant chipping away at the separation of powers.
The comparisons with Jarosław Kaczyński’s Law and Justice Party (PiS) party in Poland, which won an absolute majority in 2015, and its subsequent “assault on the two pillars of any democracy – the judiciary & media” - are important. We assume it can’t happen in our democracy.
Read 5 tweets

Did Thread Reader help you today?

Support us! We are indie developers!

This site is made by just two indie developers on a laptop doing marketing, support and development! Read more about the story.

Become a Premium Member ($3/month or $30/year) and get exclusive features!

Become Premium

Too expensive? Make a small donation by buying us coffee ($5) or help with server cost ($10)

Donate via Paypal

Or Donate anonymously using crypto!

Ethereum

0xfe58350B80634f60Fa6Dc149a72b4DFbc17D341E copy

Bitcoin

3ATGMxNzCUFzxpMCHL5sWSt4DVtS8UqXpi copy

Thank you for your support!

Follow Us on Twitter!

Like this author's thread?

Get emails when @WomaninHavana has new unrolls!

Check out other threads from @WomaninHavana!

Read all threads by @WomaninHavana

:(