"The [European] Convention [on Human Rights] was drafted [...] in the aftermath of the horror of the Second World War, but over 70 years ago. And it's now clearly been overtaken by events"
— Conservative and Unionist Party MP for Rayleigh and Wickford, House of Commons, 2024-05-14
Your Member of Parliament yesterday represented you by stating that the #ECHR, guaranteeing freedom from slavery and torture, the rights to life and fair trials, so horrifically violated during WW2 and fought for by many, are now out of date and should be renegotiated by the United Kingdom in favour of more limited #HumanRights.
Is this your view?
Are you willing to espouse this view aloud in, say, Wickford Memorial Park?
Robert Jenrick, who has got his Adolph underpants on, says to #BBCLauraK, "I do support pulling out of the European Court of Human Rights."
Chakrabarti reminds him that the #ECHR has protected British people from abuses by its own government, and there are currently interim measures in relation to Putin's Russia preventing Ukranian prisoners of war from being executed
[She doesn't say because she is interrupted by Jenrick, that it was the UK that first evoked these measures.]
The good news:
Shabana Mahmood, the Labour shadow justice secretary has come out forcefully in support of the ECHR....
The bad news:
Shabana Mahmood, the Labour shadow justice secretary thinks the solution to the UK prison problem is to build more prisons....
And while she is right, 'Change will not happen overnight... We cannot wave a magic wand & return our legal system to its former glory'... lets hope at least the mood music will change quickly!
@ChrisMayLA6 To some extent she's right: the UK's prisons are chronically overcrowded and run-down. We need more prisons BUT we also need to reduce the number of people in prison (whether by increasing use of non-custodial sentences,stopping prosecuting victimless crimes, or improving (reducing) recidivism rates by repairing the probation service).
Of course, guess which element gets the headlines from our rabidly authoritarian and ugly press?
NEW PODCAST: A rare example of happy climate news in this week's episode! We're talking about the victory of 2000 older Swiss women who took their government to the European Court of Human Rights demanding more action on climate change.
Yes!
UK trade union law breaches workers' human rights as it does not protect them from sanctions short of dismissal for taking part in industrial action, the Supreme Court ruled today.
"The right of an employer to impose any sanction at all short of dismissal for participation in lawful industrial action nullifies the right to take lawful strike action," Judge Ingrid Simler said in the court's written ruling. #TradeUnions#Unison#WorkersRights#HumanRights#ECHR#UK
I think what Nige means is "big thanks to the lefty human rights lawyers who went to an elitist court to uphold my right to free association under the ECHR".
Talk among Tories of leaving the ECHR is reaching fever pitch (again), so its as well to be reminded about what the consequences of leaving the European Convention on Human Rights would & wouldn't be.
Whatever the practical issues, as Joelle Grogan (King's College) concludes, not only would it encourage further withdrawals, leaving the ECHR would be one more element in the destruction of the UK's (already floundering) global reputation, with further consequences.
@ChrisMayLA6 I attended a Conservative autumn conference back in 1996 and leaflets were everywhere even back then (before the HRA) arguing to leave the court. Anything with ‘Europe’ in the name sends them into a froth.
@christineburns@ChrisMayLA6 Every Brit I've known is a bit weird about Europe, coming from this American. I discovered I could elicit a disproportionate response from my British ex-pat friends by "mistakenly" referring to the UK as European.
A weird rejection of basic geography for cultural reasons, let alone EU politics. Unless it relates to the US, from our perspective the UK is part of Europe and European history. Tell most Brits that and a look of horror will flash over their face. The American needs to corrected.
Am a bit of an anglophile and always found it odd, just how vehement a reaction it is.
Interesting to learn the political angle. Given the level of emotional response I've seen, not surprising.
Fantastic news yesterday that the #KlimaSeniorinnen have won the first #climate case victory at the European Court of Human Rights. We made an podcast last year about this epic battle, challenging the idea that climate #activism is for young people.
The European Convention on Human Rights "encompasses a right to effective protection by the State authorities from the serious adverse effects of climate change".
The Swiss government "failed to comply with its duties", including its failure "to quantify, through a carbon budget or otherwise, national greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions limitations", and "to meet its past GHG emission reduction targets".
Today’s landmark rulings by the European Court of Human Rights confirm that #climatechange poses existential risks for humankind impacting on #HumanRights and that states are obliged to act to fight it. They give victims clarity on the way forward in protecting their rights. #ECHR