Contributors

Monday, 3 March 2014

Human Rights

While doing some research and preparation, I came across a great documentary about the controversial Human Rights Act on YouTube. Originally a BBC show I will try to get a copy onto the College system. It's focus is the problem of the Human Rights Act and public perceptions that it is doing a bad job.

David Cameron has signalled several times that he doesn't like it, try here for August 2013 in the Guardian and here for October 2011 in the Mail.

The HRA has been cited as being the reason Britain can't deport foreign criminals; see also here for a longer list (both courtesy of the Telegraph).

Back in 2011, the Home Secretary Theresa May claimed that a cat had prevented a foreign criminal from being deported and fundamentally the HRA had played its part. As noted in that article and this from the Guardian, the truth is more complex; fundamentally the Home Office had not followed correct procedures. Nothing actually to do with the HRA.

To counter all this is a post from LabourList, and a page from the EHRC which has further links to documents defending the HRA. In addition, here is a page from the British Academy which hosts a report into the HRA. The executive summary is a very good place to start for anyone contemplating an argument into the importance of the HRA.

On the one hand there is the outrage associated with what appears to be unfair application of rules and on the other, there is the problem that we are supposed to trust politicians to look after our rights if we were to scrap the HRA and leave the convention.

In the meanwhile, here is the documentary:


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