Author Archives: Alan Smith

Opinion: Human Rights Act – when rights clash

 

As one of the many who have recently joined the Liberal Democrats, my attention has been drawn to the fight to make sure that the Human Rights Act is not scrapped by the Conservatives. In a recent email from Tom Brake MP, we were reminded of the following rights afforded to us by the Human Rights Act:

  • the right to life;
  • the prohibition of torture and inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment;
  • the prohibition of slavery and forced labour;
  • the right to liberty and security of the person;
  • the right to a fair trial;
  • prohibition of punishment without law;
  • the right to respect for private and family life;
  • the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion;
  • the right to freedom of expression;
  • the right to freedom of assembly and association;
  • the right for men and women to marry and found a family;
  • the right to peaceful enjoyment of personal property;
  • the right to education;
  • the right to free elections;
  • and the prohibition of discrimination.

But what happens when there is friction between two or more of these rights?

Posted in Op-eds | Tagged and | 51 Comments
Advert

Recent Comments

  • kanteilog
    Pointing out the long-term impact of frozen tax thresholds is a stronger fiscal critique than focusing on short-term relief measures, but any alternative should...
  • shiboudouki
    A phased ban backed by robust evidence, transparent policy evaluation, and a credible plan for the welfare and rehoming of existing racing greyhounds would be a...
  • Richard
    An interesting idea from Peter Martin which sounds similar to some [most/all] local authorities who impose "affordable" home percentages on new developments as ...
  • Jenny Barnes
    Thanks Peter....
  • Peter Davies
    @Jenny It's a TLA for Tax Free Allowance...