Category Archives: Government

Britain, Government, Legal, Politics, Society

Society calls on UK Government to keep the Human Rights Act

BILL OF RIGHTS

MORE than 150 civil society groups have written to the UK Government urging a commitment to retaining the Human Rights Act and rule out its replacement by a British bill of rights.

The position of the prime minister in regard to the proposed legislation is in doubt but Dominic Raab, having been reappointed as justice secretary, appears adamant to push through the new laws. It had previously been shelved under Liz Truss’s leadership.

The British Institute of Human Rights (BIHR) and 157 other organisations including Amnesty International UK, Human Rights Watch, Liberty, Child Poverty Action Group, End Violence Against Women Coalition, and Unison, have written to Rishi Sunak calling on him to abandon the plans to scrap the HRA once and for all.

The letter, which was written to coordinate with global human rights day – Saturday, 10 December – says they “write with heavy hearts that the UK government’s approach to our domestic law risks taking us further and further away from the legal protection of human rights”.

It continues: “Human rights laws are, necessarily, uncomfortable for governments because they set limits on the exercise of power, limits which are for the benefit of people.

“No UK government need fear this … [it] should embrace the fact that our Human Rights Act provides universal protections for everyone and ensures those with public power are accountable.”

The 1998 legislation incorporated into domestic law rights are set out in the European convention on human rights. The convention, which was ratified by 46 member states (including the UK), was intended to ensure governments could not dehumanise and abuse individuals’ rights.

Giving evidence to parliament’s justice committee, Mr Raab, who has also returned to the role of deputy prime minister, said the bill of rights would “restore some common sense to articulate a more UK-wide set of priorities for human rights and to curb some of the abuses of it”.

He also claimed it would protect victims and the public “perhaps more than was possible under the HRA,” for instance by boosting free speech.

But critics of the proposals have called it a “rights removal bill”. The BIHR specifically highlights several weaknesses and says it would:

. Fundamentally weaken the right to respect for private and family life.

. Remove the legal duty on courts and public bodies to interpret other laws compatibly with human rights, exposing people to the arbitrary use of laws with no checks.

. Limit access to justice by adding barriers to bringing a human rights case to court.

. Destroy the positive obligation on public bodies to take proactive steps to protect people from harm, including protecting domestic and child abuse survivors.

Sanchita Hosali, the chief executive of the BIHR, said: “Despite the rhetoric, even a cursory reading of the rights removal bill shows it does not create new rights or strengthen existing protections. It does the exact opposite, weakening people’s current rights and access to them.

“The rights removal bill is unprincipled, unevidenced, unworkable and unnecessary.”

BIHR said the signatories represented the interests of millions of people across the UK.

Other organisations that have put their names to the letter include Stonewall, the Muslim Council of Britain, Freedom from Torture, the Runnymede Trust, Rethink Mental Illness, Parkinson’s UK, and the Prison Reform Trust.

A spokesperson for the government said: “The government is committed to protecting human rights and will always continue to champion them internationally and at home.”

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Government, Policing, Scotland, Society

Cybertraining for all police officers in Scotland

CYBERCRIME

EVERY police officer in Scotland is set to receive specialist cybertraining to boost Police Scotland’s ability to tackle “new and complex crime types”.

The force is stepping up its war on cybercriminals amid a shocking explosion in the number of Scots falling victim to digital offences and the revelation that almost no crime is now without some form of “cyber element”.

A crack unit of 29 digital forensic experts is being recruited to strengthen the ability of the force to gather evidence in an increasingly digital world.

Reported cybercrime has nearly doubled in a year as more people than ever shop, bank, date and socialise online. The latest Annual Police Plan has named “tackling crime in a digital age” as a priority.

A senior officer in charge of cybercrime has urged the public to be vigilant. The officer said: “Anybody can be a victim of digital crime. We increasingly live our lives in a digital space, whereas traditionally that would have been a public space or a private space. It’s now online where the majority of activity is happening. We are seeing a tripling of reports in the last few years. We know that is only the tip of the iceberg. There are now very, very few inquiries and investigations the police are involved in that do not involve some form of cyber element.”

The pandemic is believed to be partly to blame for the exponential rise in digital offences, with more people communicating online due to Covid-19.

In 2020-21, an estimated 14,130 cybercrimes were recorded by Police Scotland – an increase of 95 per cent from 7,240 in 2019-20.

Cybercrimes include offences committed over the “dark web” – “hidden” internet sites only accessible with special software – and sophisticated large–scale frauds.

However, it also covers dating site cons, where crooks pretend to seek romance in order to trick people out of cash or personal details, online shopping scams and fraudulent “bank” emails trying to lure recipients into divulging their passwords.

It can also include sextortion, where criminals disclose or threaten to disclose an intimate image of someone online, and child abuse.

The Scottish Police Authority (SPA) – which oversees Police Scotland – is planning a new programme that would involve extra basic training for 14,000 police officers and 2,000 additional staff, with “in-depth learning” for 3,000 personnel. A further 400 people will get training on subjects including the dark web and cryptocurrency.

Digital forensic experts are being recruited to extract evidence and data from electronic devices during investigations into a wide range of crimes, as well as providing expert advice, specialist recovery services and reports for court.

The Annual Police Plan states: “It is anticipated that demand on policing will continue to increase in complexity in terms of advancements and reliance on technology resulting in increased cyberthreats and cyber crime.”

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Britain, Government, Politics, Society

Sir Tony Blair

OPINION

THIS day was always going to come. Convention dictates that all British prime ministers eventually join the Order of the Garter – even the ones, like James Callaghan, that nobody actually voted for.

And let me make it clear that I have no loyalty or political affiliation to the Labour Party: in large part I’m a centrist who believe ministers should keep the ship of state afloat.

Certainly, like most people, there are aspects of Mr Blair’s behaviour that I find objectionable: his multi-billion money grubbing empire acquired from dodgy dictators after leaving office; his refusal to accept the Brexit result.

Despite that, though, there is also much to admire. He was the Labour leader who understood the concerns of Middle Britain, instead of dismissing them – as the Left so often does – with a sneer.

This open-minded, pluralistic approach allowed him to sell liberal policies to an essentially conservative nation.

The Labour of old redistributed wealth through vicious taxation, especially in the middle classes. New Labour under Tony Blair focused on growing the economy. Prosperity, this business-friendly party understood, increased revenue.

Instead of demonising aspiration, Blair openly celebrated it. He promised with political vigour to be “tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime”. Police numbers rose by twelve per cent during his premiership.

But equally he recognised that crime would never fall unless he also tackled deprivation and hopelessness.

Where Blair really stood out was in foreign policy. Few young people today understand how, before the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, the spectre of Irish republican terrorism hung over the streets of Belfast and London alike.

After 9/11, Blair saw Islamism for the threat to liberal democracy it was, cracked down on domestic extremists and asserted abroad the values of freedom, tolerance and the rule of law.

There are many that disagree with him on Iraq. I respect the principles these people hold but I continue to believe that Britain did the right thing in overthrowing Saddam Hussein. True leadership seldom wins friends.

More recently, too, he has been a voice of reason on the pandemic. He was an early advocate of mass-testing and for the vaccinated to be exempt from lockdown. Many lives – and businesses – might have been saved if ministers had listened.

Tony Blair created a fairer, more tolerant country at home and stood up for desperate people overseas. Whatever his flaws and mistakes, that is the legacy of a statesman. It is right that his achievements be so recognised.

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