Original story published on 09 March 2009
A conference on civil liberties was held in London last week, amidst increasing concerns over the government’s “unprecedented programme of challenges to our rights, freedoms and democracy.”
The convention on modern liberty, the first of its kind, was held at the Institute for Education in central London. Identical conventions were held across the UK in Belfast, Bristol, Cambridge, Cardiff, Glasgow and Manchester with satellite links between them and the main event.
Talking to The Journal, Baroness Helena Kennedy QC, one of the speakers at the London event, praised the success of the convention and the participation levels across the UK: “The Convention was a great success because it brought together so many people from across the political spectrum from Lord Bingham the former senior judge in the House of Lords to Brian Eno the musician. 800 came in London and then another 500 in cities across England, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
“The only real absence was a good cohort from the Muslim community, which is actually at the receiving end of some of the worst excesses, with hugely increased use of stop and search powers against young Asian men.”
However, secretary of state for justice, Jack Straw criticised the conference arguing, in a comment piece published in theGuardian, titled ‘Our record isn’t perfect’, that any suggestions of a curb on civil liberties was exaggerated. According to the cabinet minister, talk of a police state is daft. “Despite the claims of a systematic erosion of liberty by those organising this weekend’s convention on modern liberty, my very good constituency office files show no recent correspondence relating to fears about the creation in Britain of a ‘police state’ or a ’surveillance society’.”
The University College London Student Human Rights Programme (SHRP) published a report late last month focusing on the loss of human rights and liberties in the UK over the past ten years.
The research report, commissioned by the convention on modern liberty and produced by students, looked at acts and legislations passed since 1997.
Jon Butterworth, president of SHRP, said that the research proved the drastic decrease of civil liberties as a result of government’s actions.
“The breadth and depth of rights erosion it uncovers has sparked a strong media outcry and has armed the public with an extensive and accurate account of liberties lost in the UK.”
The convention on modern liberty was sponsored by the Guardian, Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust, Liberty and openDemocracy.
Read the full story here
No comments:
Post a Comment