Insidious Disappearance of Human Rights in the UK
Current situations in the US and the UK promise a return to authoritarian, dictatorial governments. From the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade to the Conservative Party’s overriding of the Human Rights Act 1998 (arguably one of the best pieces of legislation ever produced in the UK).
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Secretary of State for Justice, Dominic Raab is planning to replace the Human Rights Act with a new Bill of Rights.
The HRA protects several of our fundamental rights including free speech and peaceful protest, the right to life, and the right to liberty.
In 2019, the Conservative manifesto stated that the party will ‘update the HRA and administrative law to ensure a proper balance between the rights of individuals, our vital national security and effective government’.
However, the ‘update’ that has recently been outlined shocked the public. Rather than slightly changing one of the greatest pieces of legislation, the Conservative Party decided to completely revise the fundamental rights of UK citizens.
Many critics have pointed out that instead of ‘updating’ human rights, the new Bill of Rights would actually reduce them.
Freedom of speech
Some say that the Bill will undermine the freedom of speech. It is believed that the Conservative Party is spreading a false narrative about the Bill boosting free speech in order to pass it.
In reality, it is said that the government is trying to make it harder for the public to criticize its actions and decisions.
This is also supported by the fact that the right to a peaceful protest has been recently restricted by the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill.
Who deserves human rights?
The government is also trying to pick and choose who deserves fundamental human rights and who doesn’t. The Conservative Party suggests lessening the compensation for people whose rights have been breached depending on their past behavior.
