Huhne clashes with Tories on ‘rights’
This extract from Chris Huhne’s speech at the CoML was excellent:
It is also essential in my view that we don’t abolish the Human Rights Act. Both Labour and Conservative politicians are now talking about how we need a British Bill of Rights and Responsibilities and the Conservatives actually said they want to repeal the Human Rights Act.
Now we must remember why the Human Rights Act is so important as opposed to British rights. Because Eleanor Roosevelt was not foolish when she championed human rights in the 1948 universal declaration and the British lawyers involved in the drafting of the process were making a fundamental point. Any society at some point in the future can decide who its citizens are and who they are not. That is what happened in Nazi Germany – they defined the Jews as non-citizens outside the pale, no longer at the serving of human rights no longer deserving of German citizens rights. If we define [rights] as British that is the risk that we run again and we must not allow that to happen.
And let me make one final point, which is that if we want to achieve that consensus that I very much want to see, we have certainly to build a popular campaign that is absolutely crucial, but the end of that popular campaign to my mind should be an entrenchment of our civil liberties in a way that cannot be challenged in the way that it has been challenged in the last ten years in particular. I am thinking here of a written constitution. … That is the sort of entrenchment of civil liberties which we’ll never have in this country unless we too have a written constitution to guarantee that judges can oversee laws and can make sure that they do not contravene fundamental civil liberties.
Completely agree with all of that. [Update: text has been cleaned up]
Top Stories and Blog Reviews – 3rd March 2009
Nationwide
Glamorous socialites were spied on by MI5
Science Museum accused on links to Israel
Poll: Tories most trusted with economy
Scientists warn of drug-resistant ‘super-flu’
International
CIA destroyed 92 interview tapes
Obama ready to drop shield for Russia
Donors pledge $4.48 bln to rebuild Gaza
Brazil struggles with human drug train
DAILY BLOG REVIEW / Sarah Ismail
Angela Saini Soldier Free Wars. Yes, really.
Blairwatch Charlie Brooker has woken up and smelt the coffee.
Daily Mail Watch Wounded troops will not be granted their own hospital.
Dr Strangelove On the problems Bangladeshi civilians are currently facing.
Feministing On the gender wage gap.
F Word Million Women Rise March takes place this Saturday.
A new feature from this week onwards: Tuesday Tolerance. Something that promotes tolerance of any minority group. (Thanks Jennie)
Same Difference Emmerdale is soon to include a blind cast member, playing a blind character. I’m very pleased.
The real scandal
“Each year, around 1 in 10 women in Britain experience rape or other violence. One in four local authorities leave female victims of violence without the specialised support they need.”
continue reading… »
Our failed war on drugs
For a politician, I’m not sure there’s anything more humiliating than defending your own failures. A few days ago the President of Mexico was forced to deny that he was presiding over a failed state. As his country prepared to send two thousand more troops into the troubled city of Ciudad Juarez, Felipe Calderon insisted that he wasn’t losing control of his country and that victory was just around the corner – contrary to growing fears in the United States that their neighbour is close to becoming a narco-state.
In a technical sense, Mr Calderon is correct that Mexico isn’t yet a failed state, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t failing. Since assuming office in December 2006 and immediately escalating the doomed ‘war on drugs’, there have been over 8,000 drug-related executions.
continue reading… »
Why Labour shouldn’t run Alan Sugar for London mayor
If New Labour really does see celebrity status as the only requisite qualification for running the greatest city in the world, it might as well just cut to the chase and check out whether or not any or all of Girls Aloud would be up for the job.
Better that than a man whose background and value system are antithetical to every last damn thing for which the labour movement used to stand.
The same Alan Sugar who – in explaining his decision to back Tony Blair in 1997 – admitted:
I did very well out of the Tory years. I was proud to be considered one of Margaret Thatcher’s favourite businessmen
Top Stories – 2nd March
In a change from the usual netcast, we thought you’d like to know a little bit more about how the ‘cast gets compiled.
The Top Stories
The top stories usually get done by the strange and mysterious entity known only as Newswire at some point in the early hours of the morning, and then scheduled to post at 9am. If Newswire has malfunctioned, one of the blog reviewers will do the top stories.
This generally involves trawling through the websites of the various mainstream news sources – not just papers and TV, but stuff like Reuters, and respected foriegn sources like the New York Times – and picking out things that look interesting. They might not always be the biggest headlines, but they’ll always be stuff we think will be of interest to LC’s readers.
The Blog Review
continue reading… »
Why did The Times remove Philip Pullman’s article?
The writer wishes to remain anonymous
On the eve of the CoML, writer Philip Pullman wrote an article for The Times newspaper. It was abruptly it was pulled from their website soon after and you can see this discussion on the CoML website asking why.
Then, I was passed an email sent by Mr Pullman himself worrying about what happened and wondering why it had been pulled.
continue reading… »
Osborne: prosecute financial crimes
Today George Osborne called for reform of the way in which financial crime is tackled in the UK and a new commitment to prosecuting City criminals, as part of a wider review in to the regulation of the City.
continue reading… »
Girls need real role models
Last year I read a piece by Polly Toynbee about ‘girlification’ and its part in the backlash against feminism. By ‘girlification’ she means the relentless way young girls are targeted from the minute they’re born with pink toys, pink clothes, pink accessories, princesses, Barbies, Bratz, makeup and heels. The way they’re encouraged to judge each other on the way their look and how much they weigh and pick at ‘flaws’ in their own appearances from a progressively younger age.
As I don’t have children of my own I don’t get year-round exposure to this sort of thing but you can’t fail to miss it at Christmas, when the television is filled with adverts for the year’s ‘must-have’ toys and gadgets. Boys get to be superheroes, pirates and soldiers, work with their hands and go on adventures. Girls get to be princesses and learn to be ‘just like mum’ by playing with toy kitchens and home appliances.
continue reading… »
How we do the daily Netcast
In a change from the usual netcast this Sunday, we thought you’d like to know a little bit more about how the ‘cast gets compiled. Click read more
to find out everything you ever wanted to know (and probably a fair bit you didn’t) about the Liberal Conspiracy netcast, including how to get your post included.
The Top Stories
The top stories usually get done by the strange and mysterious entity known only as Newswire at some point in the early hours of the morning, and then scheduled to post at 9am. If Newswire has malfunctioned, one of the blog reviewers will do the top stories.
This generally involves trawling through the websites of the various mainstream news sources – not just papers and TV, but stuff like Reuters, and respected foriegn sources like the New York Times – and picking out things that look interesting. They might not always be the biggest headlines, but they’ll always be stuff we think will be of interest to LC’s readers.
The Blog Review
continue reading… »
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» Revealed: govt to restrict abortion counselling despite Nadine Dorries vote
» Would raising the tax threshold actually help the poorest?
» To win London, Ken Livingstone has to step outside his comfort zone
» This trade agreement with India will destroy thousands of lives
» UK debt hasn’t hit £1 trillion – mostly because of QE
» The benefits of being a “burden” on society
» Today’s economic figures will simply confirm UK’s “lost decade”
» Have Labour realised the election is more than three years away?
» Violence in the office
» Want a more responsible capitalism? Reform how pensions work
» The world is entering the third phase of the crisis, warns ILO
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