Rights in the UK Flashcards
How are they protected by pressure groups?
Insider groups to develop protective legislation: Stonewall use of insider contacts to influence policy eg. equalising age of consent in the Sexual Offences Act 2000.
Care4Calais stated that the Rwanda Bill violated the HRA; successful in undermining bill since human rights challenges acknowledged in the European Court of Human Rights.
Outsider groups impactful in campaigning and bringing attention, eg. 2020 BLM protests.
Trade Unions impactful in protecting workers’ rights eg. 2024 Rail strikes; strong union results in high wages for those working in the rail network.
How are pressure groups’ impacts over rights limited?
Government have the ultimate power over what legislation is passed.
The Policing, Crime and Sentencing Act, which limited rights to protest, passed in 2022 despite massive popular protest against it: #killthebill and criticisms from human rights groups like Liberty.
Howard League for penal reform was a failure, despite popular demand for its cause.
How does government protect rights?
-Passing of legislation eg. Gordon Brown’s equality Act 2010; coalition legalised same sex marriage in 2013
-Protection of collective rights through covid-19 lockdowns (though individual freedom of movement restricted.)
-Can prevent laws which hinder rights- eg. HoL and HoC voted down Blair’s proposal to allow police to hold terrorist suspects for 90 days without charge; compromise at 28 days.
Evidence of government hindering rights.
-Tories restricted individual rights eg. Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act restricts protest deemed as ‘unacceptable’ by the Home Secretary.
-PCSC Act furthered by Public Order Act 2023.
-Led to 60 activists arrested during a Just Stop Oil Protest 2023.
-Proposed leaving the ECHR and replacing the Human Rights Act.
-New Labour detainment of terror suspects without trial.
