1.2.UK Rights Flashcards
Pressure groups campaigning for voting rights
The Votes at 16 Colaition
Established 20003 and brought together groups like the NUS and the British Youth Council to campaign for a lowering of the voting age.
2015 the Scottish Parliament legislated the right for 16-17-year-olds to vote in Scottish local and parliamentary elections
The Coalition hopes these developments will create an unstoppable momentum for change
Successful tactics - To generate mass enthusiasm it is important to win over the public with positive publicity which is successfully achieved through social media because of the target demographic. Use Twitter, Facebook and #vote16 resulting in a major presence. Also, encourages school and college debates and its memorable slogan ‘Engage, empower, inspire’ provides the movement with a clear message.
Failed tactics - Support of MPs is vital in winning Parliamentary support for change. In 2017 and 2018 a Private Member’s Bill to reduce the voting age to 16 failed in the Hoc so success depends on creating cross-party support. Their website names MPs and Lords who support the campaign in order to maintain high-profile momentum
Pressure groups campainging over human rights
Liberty pressure group
-They claim to be at the heart of the movement for fundamental rights and freedoms in the UK.
-They claim to enhance pluralist democracy through their campaigns but also through its record of litigation on behalf of disadvantaged individuals fighting for their rights against powerful governmental or corporate interests.
-e.g. Its long-running ‘Charge or Release’ fought successfully against the Blair and Brown governments attempts to extend the length of time for which police could hold suspects without charging them, arguing that the need for anti-terrorist legislation should not endanger fundamental rights, and Parliament agreed
Celebrities campaigning over rights
The Black Lives Matters campaign was endorsed by celebrities such as Lewis Hamilton and despite the protests receiving widespread acknowledgement and support amongst the public and media, there was no police reform as a result of this.
A popular celebrity will generate press interest and raise the profile of a cause, and may help to draw members to the group - In 2009, Joanna Lumley and the Gurkha Justice Campaign secured equal rights for British and Commonwealth soldiers.
Human Rights Act
1998
Incorporated the European Convention fully into British Law which became vital in the Supreme Court as it allowed them a document to directly quote.
Brits can still appeal to the ECHR when they feel their rights have been violated – if the court rules in their favour, the gov will normally respond (although not legally required to) e.g. since 1997 327/563 found at least one violation of ECHR by the UK.
Attempt in 2022 to scrap HRA and introduce their own version - not yet successful
Freedom of Information Act
2000
Allows the public the opportunity to know more about the way in public bodies such as the NHS operate, as well as being able to access information held about them.
The MP’s expense scandal in 2009 was exposed by journalists after they could demand this information through the act
Equality Act
2010
First-time equality before the law was established. Consolidated existing legislation states that in public life discrimination is illegal in 9 recognised categories: age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity
The debate over furthering voting rights
At 16 proven - 2015 the Scottish Parliament legilsated the right for 16-17 year olds to vote in Scottish local and parliamentary elections . This was following the Scottish independence referendum where more than 100,000 of the total 3.6 million were 16 to 17-year-olds who had registered to vote.
Prisoner voting - John Hirst claimed, although in prison he had the right to vote, it was dismissed by the courts in 2001. In 2004 the European Court of Human Rights declared the blanket ban on prisoner voting went against the ECHR where elections should be performed by secret ballot, are free and occur at regular intervals. The British gov was in defiance.
Online voting - Facilitating voting and encouraging electronic political discussion will encourage greater political engagement and higher turnout
The debate voting rights have gone far enough
Votes at 16 - voter turnout among 18-24-year-olds is lower than other age groups, so allowing 16-17-year-olds to vote could compound the problem of youth voter apathy.
The Isle of Man enfranchised the group but turnout has declined from 55% in 2006 to 46% in 2016
Prisoner - When the issue was debated in the HoC in 2011 it gained cross-party condemnation, with only 22 in favour. In 2017, the gov offered to allow small numbers of prisoners’ day release to vote to resolve the problem with the ECHR. This concession generated little public interest, which suggests that prisoner voting is unlikely to produce the public enthusiasm necessary for change
Online voting - Just introduced the law as of 2023 where photo ID is required to vote to prevent corruption and others voting on your behalf. If people can then vote online the chance of voting no longer being secret and being manipulated will increase. The UK also has postal voting already so if people cannot attend or don’t want to attend in person there are already other alternatives. Allegations of cyber-interference in Western elections by Russia indicate that electronic voting is more open to fraud than traditional means
The debate over LGBTQ/transgender rights
Lee v Ashers Baking Company Ltd and others 2018 showing disagreement between religious rights or LGBT rights
Gay marriage was legalised in 2013 with the
first same-sex wedding to be held in the summer of 2014. The act did allow those religious organisations and their representatives who don’t wish to conduct marriages of same-sex couples from successful legal challenge
Pressure groups on gay rights
e.g. Groups such as the Coalition for Marriage campaigned against the legal recognition of gay marriage but because most public opinion was in favour of it
Identity cards
2006 - created identity cards and a national identity register which would store information about citizens. Brown’s home secretary demonstrated support for the scheme by allowing his photograph to appear on an official specimen identity card to publicise the initiative
But, in 2010 the coalition government announced the act would be repealed ‘to reverse the substantial erosion of civil liberties under the Labour government and roll back state intrusion’
Internment
The 70s after the IRA bombing
Post 9/11 parliament allowed the government to hold suspected terrorists for long periods without trial in the suspension of habeas corpus
Anti-Terrorism Crime and Security Act
2001
Gave the government the legal power to imprison foreign terrorist suspects indefinitely without trial.
The Serious Organised Crime and Police Act
2005
Limited the right to protest outside Parliament and created a new offence of inciting religious hatred
The Terrorism Act
2006
Extended the time terrorist suspects can be held without charge to 28 days and made ‘glorifying terrorism’ a crime
