Human Rights
Vladimir Putin meets the Munchkins
Late on Friday my editor at the Observer called and asked me to dash off a few words on what was wrong with the Mail and some Conservative MPs demanding… Continue reading
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North Korea nukes — China has a hell of a lot to answer for
Let us be clear — Beijing bankrolled this monster. As Kim Jong-un continues his bellicose bluster, now having moved a second missile to North Korea’s east coast, we cannot forget:… Continue reading
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Reform human rights to save human rights
The European Convention of Human Rights is developed and interpreted as times change; but is there a democratic imbalance when only lawyers and judges can do this? Particularly where the… Continue reading
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Ministerial aides demand to support backbench vote on foreign criminals
All eyes are on what’s happening with the cross-party amendments to two bits of legislation on Leveson, but this afternoon in the Commons there could well be another row on… Continue reading
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Tory campaign on foreign criminals attracts huge support
Dominic Raab’s proposal to stop jailed foreign criminals avoiding deportation on the grounds of a right to family life turns out to be very popular indeed among MPs. It’s got… Continue reading
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Stop blaming judges, Ms May, and repeal the Human Rights Act
The latest session in May versus Judges over foreign criminals’ right to family life (Article 8 of the European Convention) is running as prescribed. Theresa May used the Sunday papers to demand that judges follow… Continue reading
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Lone voices against Terror
I went to the Toynbee Hall, the meeting place for the radical East End, this week to listen to a debate many radicals would rather not hear. British Asian feminists… Continue reading
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Two sides to the story in Mali
It is lovely to have Timbuktu back in the news, a welcome whiff of backwards exoticism and savagery. I am still not sure yet about Mali, and what we’re doing… Continue reading
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Dreaming of the Cold War
I’m thoroughly enjoying the playground spat between the USA and Russia. The Americans have banned Russians with dodgy human rights records from visiting the country, but have no such objection… Continue reading
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Abu Qatada’s victory proves how low we have been laid
For years a collection of politicians and commentators said that the ECHR and ECtHR would have no impact on British justice. Then they said that they would have no negative… Continue reading
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What can Theresa May do to deport Abu Qatada?
Theresa May gave a defiant statement to the house on the Special Immigration Appeals Committee’s (SIAC) decision to uphold Abu Qatada’s appeal against deportation to Jordan on grounds that he… Continue reading
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Another Hateful Decision by the European Court of So-Called Human Rights - Spectator Blogs
How much longer must we put up with this kind of thing? A bus driver who was fired for being a member of the BNP has won a long legal… Continue reading
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The government kicks the Sharia debate into the long grass
Because our Parliament discusses little of significance anymore, most of the public tend to ignore it. The perception that the weekly silliness of Prime Minister’s Questions constitutes Parliamentary business is… Continue reading
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Interview: Mary Robinson
In 1990 Mary Robinson became Ireland’s first female president. As a progressive liberal, Robinson seemed a very unlikely candidate for the job, in what was then, a deeply conservative country. … Continue reading
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Grayling shows his mettle as Justice Secretary
Chris Grayling’s appointment as Justice Secretary in the reshuffle was the move that pleased Conservative MPs almost above anything else. Today he showed the House of Commons why his is… Continue reading
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South Africa: Mired in corruption?
On the 5th of August Mary Robinson delivered the annual Nelson Mandela lecture in Cape Town. It should have been an occasion when the former Irish President and UN Human… Continue reading
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The racism of the respectable
To be a racist in Britain, you do not need to cover yourself in tattoos and join a neo-Nazi party. You can wear well-made shirts, open at the neck, appreciate… Continue reading
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What can the West do about the turmoil in Egypt?
The situation in Egypt remains perilous, as protests mount against the military government which has delayed announcing the result of last weekend’s vote. Preliminary estimates, overseen by a panel of… Continue reading
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Another reason to part ways with Strasbourg
Even for people on the same side of an argument, opinion is often wildly divided. Among those of us who believe government should support civil marriage equality, this morning’s papers… Continue reading
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Theresa May and the right to family life
Theresa May has been in the news recently, as she introduces plans to stop spouses coming to Britain unless they have savings of £18,000 and an additional £2,400 for each… Continue reading
23 Comments