open Democracy News Analysis - Loss of Liberty and Rights since 1997, - Comments

David Roth on "Loss of Liberty and Rights since 1997"

David Roth — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 21:23:03 +0000

I urge anybody reading this to research the activitys of group such as the Bilderberg group, the council of foreign relations and the trilateral commission.

Although people who talk of these groups are labled as conspirecy theorists, the unarguable fact is that these non governmental groups are manipulating media and world affairs. Many of the attendies of these secret societys become leaders of the world and other high ranking positions within governments.

So please please please look into this, the more people that wake up to the fact that we are being manipulated the better chance we have have of keeping our freedom.

jack crauser on "Loss of Liberty and Rights since 1997"

jack crauser — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 00:27:40 +0000

very helpful.
Good luck and best wishes.

wildness on "Loss of Liberty and Rights since 1997"

wildness — Wed, 27 May 2009 11:26:25 +0000

The irony, if a Brit approaches any other EU country they get a free visa upon receipt of a marriage cer

Harriet Harman on Data Security: Do as I say. | The on "Loss of Liberty and Rights since 1997"

Harriet Harman on Data Security: Do as I say. | The — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 16:13:36 +0000

[...] of security obsession and curtailment of Civil Liberties in which we now live - Our Kingdom have a little list that goes back to [...]

Adrian Peirson on "Loss of Liberty and Rights since 1997"

Adrian Peirson — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 21:17:56 +0000

Would we be in this trouble of we still had the right to bear arms.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gk9sABtJxM&eurl=http://www.wearechange.org.uk/

We British need to Unite.

Ivor Cornish on "Loss of Liberty and Rights since 1997"

Ivor Cornish — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 10:55:19 +0000

No not noise control but control by noise.

What next?

'Mosquito to bite back against yobs

Police in the Staffordshire Moorlands have been using their lates weapon in the fight against anti-social behaviour.

The Mosquito device - which emits a high-ptched whistle has been installed outside business premises at Werrington following successful deployment of the device in Brown Edge and Endon.

The use of the Mosquito has resulted in a reduction in nuisance behaviour in the Moorlands and after buying one of the devices the police have bought three more.

The location at Werrington which is being kept secret has been chosen as a result of complaints from residents and businesses.

Inspector Mark Rigby, head of Cheadle Police, which includes Werrington, said: "It has had some success, but not 100%.'

http://www.compoundsecurity.co.uk/deterrent_news_27.html

Hannah Cornish on "Loss of Liberty and Rights since 1997"

Hannah Cornish — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 12:27:50 +0000

as adults we've lost alot of rights, but what about children and young people who can't vote?...under ASB legislation, they've....

lost the right to be outsite in groups of more than 2 people,

can be dispersed by the police

will have comitted a crime if they break conditions of their ASBO, that, as mentioned above, can be completely based on hearsay.

and if they're over 12, can have their photo published in a newspaper, along with conditions of their ASBO, encouraging the public to report breaches of the conditions...

M Anderson on "Loss of Liberty and Rights since 1997"

M Anderson — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 06:58:49 +0000

What about the right to vote for true democratic political representation? As far as the English go, they've been politically disenfranchised for a decade!

What about the right to drink in our own English pubs?

What about the right to bring your kids up as you see fit?

Mike on "Loss of Liberty and Rights since 1997"

Mike — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 15:49:47 +0000

I believe Nu labour has repealed all laws on treason because it was an offence to sign away the monarch's legitmate powers to another government or authorty.

If any member of the government had signed away these powers to Brussells whilst these laws were in force the signatories would have been guilty of treason

Little Man in a Toque » British Nationalism]] on "Loss of Liberty and Rights since 1997"

Little Man in a Toque » British Nationalism]] — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 10:53:45 +0000

[...] a list of liberties lost since 1997 see Our Kingdom (this is a work in progress so do feel free to add to the list). Share [...]

Mike Calder on "Loss of Liberty and Rights since 1997"

Mike Calder — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 18:08:02 +0000

I don't see any reference here to the 2003 UK/US Extradition treaty, which effectively makes UK citizens liable to US law and extradition to the USA without the need for prima facie evidence being placed before a UK court (but not, of course, vice versa).

This treaty was put in place via an Order in Council without Parliamentary oversight or debate.

ourkingdom on "Loss of Liberty and Rights since 1997"

ourkingdom — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 11:15:36 +0000

Thanks gmonk, very helpful. It is imp to be alert to what indeed might be a softening up. Anthony

gmonk on "Loss of Liberty and Rights since 1997"

gmonk — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 10:05:48 +0000

Anthony: Sorry, there is no link on this comment as far as I am aware. The only thing I can say is that this actually happened, I was one of the excercise jurors in the jury suite where this occurred. I have e-mailed Jon Bright giving him the pertinanent details. I also e-mailed Tony Benn who gave me advice on the subject. Further to this I wrote a note to the Professor in the hope that she might give a response. This she has, to date, failed to do. It is, of course, quite possible that the comment was simply a musing of the good lady to sound out the representatives of justice and learn their feelings on the matter. However, and this is what worries me, she is close to those in the Ministry and must have a pretty clear idea of their mindset and if it was a feeler it must have had the approval of these people. Noting the very nature and objectives of this website it seemed to me to be appropriate to write in and also to highlight, once again, just how untrustworthy this particular bunch of politicians are turning out to be. Many of our freedoms have been subverted and all in the name of New Labour's obsession with globalisation and "modernity", in effect Blair's war cry.

ourkingdom on "Loss of Liberty and Rights since 1997"

ourkingdom — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 10:09:35 +0000

gmonk: can you give us a link or reference to this. Many thanks

Anthony

Gareth Young on "Loss of Liberty and Rights since 1997"

Gareth Young — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 09:50:53 +0000

The right to free tertiary education?

See tuition / top-up fees timeline.

Introduced by people who all benefited from free university education and grants.

Loss of Liberty and Rights since 1997,

OurKingdom — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 09:00:39 +0000

This is the list of losses of liberty and rights since 1997 which Henry Porter submitted to the JCHR on Monday and we wrote about here. The list is a work in progress - is there anything you think should be added? If so, please let us know in the comments below.

Feel free to post the list on your own blog, and link back here.

Protest and assembly

- Protests are banned within one kilometre of Parliament Square without police permission (penalty: 51 weeks in jail and/or a £2,500 fine).

- Groups may be dispersed under antisocial-behaviour laws.

- Groups may be dispersed within designated areas under the terror laws.

- The new offence under SOCPA of trespass within a designated site (no justification for designation is required).

Communications

- Under the Regulation of Investigative Powers Act, government agencies may intercept email, internet connections and standard mail without seeking a court's permission (the latest figure is 500,000 secret interceptions a year).

- Since summer 2007, the government and some 700 agencies have had access to all landline and mobile-phone records. There was no primary legislation and no debate in parliament.

Databases

- Without primary legislation, police introduced a national network of all ANPR cameras. The travel data may be stored for two years.

- The National Identity Register will store details of every verification made by an ID-card holder and give access to government agencies without the knowledge or consent of the private citizen.

- ID-card enrolment requires every citizen to offer up 49 piece of personal information to the national database, with heavy and repeated fines for non-compliance.

- All children details are to be stored on a central database, with access granted to a wide range of public bodies.

- The Children's Common Assessment Framework database stores all details of children with problems, indefinitely.

- The Home Office has announced that it wishes to take 19 pieces of information, including mobile-phone and credit-card numbers, from everyone travelling abroad.

Free Expression

- Public-order laws have been used to curtail free expression. A man wearing the slogan "Bollocks to Blair" on his T-shirt was told to remove it by police.

- The Race and Religious Hatred Act (2006) bans incitement of hatred on religious grounds.

- Justice Minister Jack Straw proposes new laws which would ban the incitement of hatred towards the disabled and on the grounds of a person's sexual orientation

- Terror laws are used to ban freedom of expression in designated areas. Walter Wolfgang was removed from the Labour party conference for heckling Jack Straw. People have been searched simply for wearing slogans on their T-shirts or for carrying banners. A man was detained while collecting signatures against the ID card

- The Protection from Harassment Act (1997) bans the repetition of an act. People prosecuted for repeated protest by email.

- Terror laws ban the glorification of terrorism, which has resulted in the prosecution of a young woman for writing poetry.

The Courts

- ASBO legislation introduces hearsay evidence, which may result in a person being sent to jail.

- The Criminal Justice Act (2003) allows the prosecution to make an application to be heard without a jury where there is a danger of jury tampering. This will include fraud trials.

- The admissibility of evidence concerning a person's bad character, previous convictions and acquittals.

- The Proceeds of Crime Act (2002) gives the state powers to confiscate assets in circumstances where it does not have enough evidence for prosecution.

-Special Immigration Appeals Court hearings are held in secret. Those terror suspects whose cases come before the court are not allowed to know the evidence against them or to be represented by a lawyer of their own choice.

- The Courts and Tribunals Enforcement Act abandons the tradition of an Englishman's home being his castle, which since 1604 has made breaking into a home by bailiffs illegal.

Terror Laws

- Terror laws have been used to stop and search ordinary citizens. The current rate is 50,000 per annum.

- A maximum of 28 days without charge is allowed under terror legislation. The government has announced plans to increase this to 42 days.

- Control orders, effectively indefinite house arrest, were introduced after the Belmarsh decision.