Law and Rights
The agreement between the parties forming the coalition government has been published - see here or here (A final coalition agreement is to be published later)
Paragraph 10 is important since it seeks to "reverse the substantial erosion of civil liberties under the Labour government."
There will be a Freedom or Great Repeal Bill - (no specific detail of its contents as yet)
ID cards, the national ID register will be scrapped as will the next generation of biometric passports and the Contact Point Database
It will become unlawful to fingerprint children at school without parental consent
The scope of the Freedom of Information Act will be extended
The DNA database will have similar protections to the Scottish model - [the difference between Scotland and the rest of the UK was a point made by the European Court of Human Rights in the Marper case]
Defend trial by jury
Restore rights to NON-violent protest
Review libel laws to protect freedom of speech
Prevent misuse of anti-terrorism legislation
Further regulation of CCTV
End storage of internet and e-mail without good reason
A new mechanism to prevent proliferation of unnecessary new criminal offences
Other sections of the document are also important. There will be legislation to have fixed term parliaments of 5 years - (thereby removing the Prime Minister's traditional nuclear option of controlling the election date); legislation to bring about the Alternative Vote system of elections for the Commons; recall of MPs guilty of serious wrongdoing; a committee to consider House of Lords reform and to bring forward proposals by December 2010; a committee to consider the "West Lothian Question"; a referendum lock to prevent further transfer of powers to the EU. The agreement contains these and many other ideas.
Whilst many of the details are yet to emerge, the agreement appears to offer a major legislative programme for a full parliament.
Addendum 17th May: Work is beginning on reversing the ban on "intercept evidence" in criminal proceedings - see The Guardian 17th May.
- Queen's Speech 27th May 2015 ~ Quick Notes
The State Opening of Parliament has taken place and the Queen's Speech was delivered - see the full text of the speech (New Statesman 27th May). The Speech outlines the principal features of the government's legislative programme. ...
- Parliament Dissolved ~ The Fight For Power At Westminster Commences
Today (30th March), Parliament was dissolved. The coalition government remains in place pending the outcome of the General Election on 7th May and it may remain in place for some time beyond the election (see later). At present, the opinion...
- The West Lothian Question ~ A Few Thoughts !
The so-called West Lothian question is a political and not legal question. It was asked as long ago as 1977 by Tam Dalyell MP who represented West Lothian from 1962 to 1983 and Linlithgow from 1983 to 2005. The question asks whether MPs from Northern...
- Coalition In Crisis
According to an article in the Daily Mail 25th July, the coalition government is now in crisis over the latest Gross Domestic Product (GDP) announcement. It is said that the coalition is turning to "in fighting." In previous Parliaments, the...
- House Of Lords - Reform
An unelected House of Parliament stands in contradiction to the democratic idea of a parliament elected by the people. Whilst most modern politicians appear to accept that position, reform of the House of Lords is proving to be a difficult issue....
Law and Rights
The Coalition Government: the agreement: Next election 7th May 2015
Paragraph 10 is important since it seeks to "reverse the substantial erosion of civil liberties under the Labour government."
There will be a Freedom or Great Repeal Bill - (no specific detail of its contents as yet)
ID cards, the national ID register will be scrapped as will the next generation of biometric passports and the Contact Point Database
It will become unlawful to fingerprint children at school without parental consent
The scope of the Freedom of Information Act will be extended
The DNA database will have similar protections to the Scottish model - [the difference between Scotland and the rest of the UK was a point made by the European Court of Human Rights in the Marper case]
Defend trial by jury
Restore rights to NON-violent protest
Review libel laws to protect freedom of speech
Prevent misuse of anti-terrorism legislation
Further regulation of CCTV
End storage of internet and e-mail without good reason
A new mechanism to prevent proliferation of unnecessary new criminal offences
Other sections of the document are also important. There will be legislation to have fixed term parliaments of 5 years - (thereby removing the Prime Minister's traditional nuclear option of controlling the election date); legislation to bring about the Alternative Vote system of elections for the Commons; recall of MPs guilty of serious wrongdoing; a committee to consider House of Lords reform and to bring forward proposals by December 2010; a committee to consider the "West Lothian Question"; a referendum lock to prevent further transfer of powers to the EU. The agreement contains these and many other ideas.
Whilst many of the details are yet to emerge, the agreement appears to offer a major legislative programme for a full parliament.
Addendum 17th May: Work is beginning on reversing the ban on "intercept evidence" in criminal proceedings - see The Guardian 17th May.
- Queen's Speech 27th May 2015 ~ Quick Notes
The State Opening of Parliament has taken place and the Queen's Speech was delivered - see the full text of the speech (New Statesman 27th May). The Speech outlines the principal features of the government's legislative programme. ...
- Parliament Dissolved ~ The Fight For Power At Westminster Commences
Today (30th March), Parliament was dissolved. The coalition government remains in place pending the outcome of the General Election on 7th May and it may remain in place for some time beyond the election (see later). At present, the opinion...
- The West Lothian Question ~ A Few Thoughts !
The so-called West Lothian question is a political and not legal question. It was asked as long ago as 1977 by Tam Dalyell MP who represented West Lothian from 1962 to 1983 and Linlithgow from 1983 to 2005. The question asks whether MPs from Northern...
- Coalition In Crisis
According to an article in the Daily Mail 25th July, the coalition government is now in crisis over the latest Gross Domestic Product (GDP) announcement. It is said that the coalition is turning to "in fighting." In previous Parliaments, the...
- House Of Lords - Reform
An unelected House of Parliament stands in contradiction to the democratic idea of a parliament elected by the people. Whilst most modern politicians appear to accept that position, reform of the House of Lords is proving to be a difficult issue....