How we move ever closer to becoming a totalitarian state (Labours assault on UK liberty continues)

The Observer ^ | sunday, march 5, 2006 | Henry Porter

[Palpatine]

The Prime Minister claims to be defending liberty but a barely noticed Bill will rip the heart out of parliamentary democracy.

The Legislative and Regulatory Reform Bill is hardly an aerodynamic title; it doesn't fly from the lips. People have difficulty remembering the order of the words and what exactly will be the effect of this apparently dull piece of lawmaking.

But in the dusty cradle of Committee A, a monster has been stirring and will, in due course, take flight to join the other measures in the government's attack on parliamentary democracy and the rights of the people. The 'reform' in the title allows ministers to make laws without the scrutiny of parliament and, in some cases, to delegate that power to unelected officials. In every word, dot and comma, it bears the imprint of New Labour's authoritarian paternity.

Like all Labour's anti-libertarian bills, it appears in relatively innocuous guise. The bill was presented last year as a way of improving a previous Labour act and is purportedly designed to remove some of the burden of regulation that weighs on British business and costs billions of pounds every year. Labour says it will enable ministers to cut regulation without needing to refer to parliament and so simplify and speed things up.

The reality is that the beneficiaries of this bill will not be industry and business, but ministers and the executive, who will enjoy a huge increase in their unscrutinised power. As with the Civil Contingencies Act 2004, which was presented as modernising local and national emergency measures but which went much further to give ministers arbitrary powers, this bill takes another chunk out of our centuries- old democracy.

[Palpatine]

Just about the only good thing about prime minister Blair has been his continuous support during the continuing war against terror. But aside that, Labours reign has been nothing but a continuous assault on liberty and nothing but stealth tax increases. In this Blair makes even Kerry and Kennedy conservative, quite a feat in itself.

[Cheapskate]

yup, And the brits will be reminded of it every time they get a bill stating how many miles and where they have driven.

Bet you Brits wish you had a bill of rights eh?

[Anglo]

We do, its called the Bill of Rights. :)

http://dspace.dial.pipex.com/town/terrace/adw03/c-eight/constitu/b-rights.htm

[Lurker]

It'd be nice if your Government actually paid attention to it.

But then it would be nice if our Government actually paid attention to it, too.

L

[Anglo]

Very true! :)