Letter: Human rights
In his Observer column, MP Henry Smith asserts that the ‘ so called Human Rights Act introduced under Labour’, has enabled the European Court of Human Rights to ‘ impose perverse notions of rights on the people of this country’.
The ruling that upset him was giving prisoners the right to vote. The possibility that retention of certain basic rights may assist their rehabilitation is not given any consideration whatsoever. No, that judgement provided the chance for the Tory Right and other fringe right-wingers to appeal to the baser instincts of many of their supporters.
What really upsets this government though is the fact that 60 million British citizens have the same access to the Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg as 500 million European citizens from 47 out of 48 countries. Why, with such facilities some of our citizens may even mount legal challenges to the £18 billion benefits cuts which will remove £1,400 from disabled children and £94 a week from the sick who don’t die or recover within a year.
Our MP’s support for Human Rights is conditional on opting out from the European definition of those rights and the introduction of a British version. Sounds OK in theory, but wait a minute, does anyone who gives Human Rights any serious consideration really believe that a British Bill of Rights introduced at the behest of a Cabinet of Millionaires and designed to placate hostile Tory Eurosceptic MPs can do anything other than restrict the rights of UK citizens?
Here is a quotation worth considering: ‘Forged in the aftermath of the atrocities of the Second World War. Fought for by Winston Churchill. So let me say something really clear about the Human Rights Act. In fact I’ll do it in words of one syllable: It is here to stay’ Who said that? Why, none other than Nick Clegg, Deputy Prime Minister.
Doug Mayne, Crawley
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There are 2 comments to this article
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AdamBrown
Thursday, February 16, 2012 at 06:34 PMI doubt there are many people who view Human Rights as wrong, my issue is that Human Rights are only half of the message. If I could change the way we look at Human Rights it would not be to remove Human Rights but rather to ensure that they were always mentioned along with Human Responsibilities. If everyone correctly carried out their Human Responsibility to protect the Human Rights of Others then the government would not have to get involved at all, but as usual it is the people who reject their responsibilities that cry loudest about their Rights, this is why there is so much feeling against it - Along with people that use it to try and score political points of course.
Spartacus1
Monday, February 13, 2012 at 11:50 AMHuman Rights are for Foreign & British Criminals,ImmigrantsAsylum Seekers,Economic Migrants,and assorted Scumbags that flock to this Soft touch Country....No Human rights for the Native Law abiding Population.Clegg and his woolly headed Do Gooders do NOT Live in the Real World that us normal people live in.I note that both France and Italy pay little heed to the Human Rights Courts rulings,when removing Illegals and suspected Terrorists from their Countrys.
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