Tag Archives: demonstration

Progress on Civil Liberties – something all liberals can agree on.

Apologies. I haven’t posted in a few days – I like most of you who are reading this was glued to the TV listening to the cabinet and ministerial appointments and just generally trying to get my head, and heart, around our ‘new way of doing politics’. I still don’t have answers on that front, but having read and re-read the pithily titled ‘Conservative – Liberal Democrat Coalition Negotiation Agreement‘ there are some areas where I can whole-heartedly agree, not least that of Civil Liberties.

As a former member of the Labour Party one of my biggest disappointments was the gradual but continual attack on our civil liberties. Over 13years the last government chipped away at our freedoms – curtailing the right to protest, holding DNA profiles of innocent people (including children), the introduction of ID cards, even the finger-printing of children at school. It is a depressing fact that we are now the most watched country on earth – with more CCTV cameras per head than any other nation. Liberals, by definition, have to abhor this state of affairs – and now, with liberals in government, there is an opportunity to do something about it.

It seems likely that later this month the Queen’s Speech will announce the Con-Lib coalitions intention to put forward a ‘Great Repeal’ or ‘Freedom’ act to parliament. Not all details of this act have yet been finalised, but it seems likely that it will include the following.

  • Scrapping the ID card scheme – along with the National Identity register and the next generation of biometric passports.
  • Scrapping the Contact Point Database – a register of all 11million children in the UK
  • Outlawing the finger-printing of children at school without parental permission
  • Extending the remit of the Freedom of Information act to improve transparency of all public bodies
  • Ensuring that only those found guilty, or charged with a serious sexual/violent offence are placed on the DNA database
  • Ensuring that trial by jury remains at the heart of our justice system
  • The restoration of rights to non-violent protest.
  • Safeguarding freedom of speech through a review of libel laws
  • Safeguards against the misuse of anti-terrorism legislation.
  • Further regulation of CCTV.
  • Ending of storage of internet and email records without good reason.

Not bad for a first bill and, in a stroke undoing much of the negative legislation brought in by successive home secretaries over the last decade. True, there is more to do – I would like to see a commitment to cutting the number of days suspects can be held pre-charge as a start. It is however an example of what a Liberal-Democrat government can do in office – and an answer to all of those who argue they have not ended up with what they voted for.

Clegg’s biggest challenge – the future of his party and the country is down to him.

It is fair to say that Nick Clegg is not quite where he intended to be, the dream of 100+ seats is, for now, just that. There is no doubt that the failure to realise the potential of the early polls will impact on his negotiating position. However, whatever he might of said on the steps of Lib-Dem HQ the fact remains that neither Labour or the Tories can govern without him; he is still the kingmaker and he knows it. The next 48hours will be the toughest of his leadership and could well make or break the party for a generation. Get it right and proportional representation and the hard wiring of a genuine three-party system in Westminster follows. Get it wrong and the Lib-Dems risk being split right down the middle and ceasing to be any kind of force in British politics for a generation.

I am a recent convert to the Lib-Dem cause. Their manifesto really resonated with me – particularly their focus on fairness. But right at the heart of my support is their passionate campaigning for meaningful electoral reform. As I have written in previous posts – it seems to me that unless you get this right you haven’t a hope on any of the other major challenges facing the country. And it is this that has to be Nick Clegg’s price for co-operation.

I have never been shy about suggesting my ideal in this election was a hung parliament, delivering a workable Lib-Lab coalition that could make real progress on electoral reform and finally lock out the damaging forces of conservatism. It is still possible that this might happen and, until it can’t be done it will always be my preferred option. That said, I respect Nick Clegg’s decision to stick to what he said in the campaign and publicly state that the party with the biggest share of the votes and the largest number of seats should have the right to try and form a government first. Him talking to the Tories first is not a betrayal of his party, it is a reinforcement of his values and a reminder of his strength as a leader.

Talking to the Tories is one thing, agreeing to support, or even join them in government is quite another. Whatever David Cameron suggested earlier today about common-ground between the parties, there is just too much of a gap in both policies and values for any meaningful coalition to take place. I know I would not be the only one to find it very difficult to support a party working alongside the Tories. There is one exception to this however:  If Nick Clegg could negotiate commitment to a referendum on proportional representation followed by a 2nd general election all within an 18month time period then I could support the Lib-Dems working as part of a national stability government with the Tories. But it has to be this, any compromise from the central goal of electoral reform cannot be countenanced.

If, as I suspect is the case, Cameron is not willing to offer this then the only thing for Clegg to do is to work with the Labour Party (minus a certain Gordon Brown) and the nationalists to deliver exactly the same, probably within a shorter timescale. Doing nothing is not an option – letting a new government collapse and forcing a snap 2nd election will only weaken their hand with the country taking the decision in their own hands and almost definitely delivering a working Tory majority. Once this has happened so has his chance for any meaningful reform.

This is a huge 48 hours for Nick Clegg and for the future of politics in the UK – I am supporting him all the way in his negotiations, I just hope that he can deliver.

Reflections on Election Day and a call to protest

First may I apologise in advance for any typos, spelling mistakes or poor grammer… I, like a lot of you, have not really slept since Wednesday. I just wanted to get a few thoughts down whilst they were still fresh in my mind.

Over the last 24 hours there have been literally hundreds of stories playing themselves out up and down the country – some of success, some of despair and a number of utter shock and surprise. There have for me however been a few things that have stuck out.

1) Despite the millions of pounds spent, the thousands of leaflets, billboards and mailings, the hundreds of hours of TV and Radio and even the 3  leaders debates no single party has managed to win the trust of the majority of the public. No party, on its own, has a mandate to govern. The public has punished all parties in the poetic way that only democracy can bring. Whether it is the financial crisis, MPs expenses or a damning indictment on the current electoral system, politicians of all political persuasion need to work hard over the coming weeks and years to win back trust and authority.
2) Brown has to go – both as leader and PM. Not straight away perhaps, indeed he is right to stay on until the whole political situation becomes clearer, but in the coming days he is going to have to tender his resignation. Labour’s poor campaign and inability to command a fourth term was as much about the country’s dislike of Brown as any wholesale rejection of the party’s policies. Any potential collaboration with the Lib-Dems will depend entirely on him going and, even if this doesn’t come about, it is time
2nd – brown has to go
3rd – clegg, along with all other progressives need to force a referendum on the electoral system. Reviews are not enough, need commitment