Dominic Raab\u2019s attempt to hollow out protections and stifle judges will make state abuse of power unpunishable<\/p>
Today Dominic Raab, the justice secretary, announced plans<\/a> to \u201coverhaul\u201d the Human Rights Act, bring in a new British bill of rights and, as he put it, \u201crestore common sense<\/a>\u201d to our laws. In reality, he is making real his <\/strong>long-held dream<\/a> to weaken vital human rights protections, make justice conditional on good behaviour and insulate the state from accountability.<\/p> Raab\u2019s plans make for grim reading. They include stripping away the right to family and private life. This is being done under the guise of the deportation of \u201cforeign criminals\u201d, a proposal that goes hand in hand with the government\u2019s determination to use the revoking of citizenship<\/a> as a punishment, creating instead a tiered system of rights protection based on your immigration status. But human rights are universal \u2013 take them from one group and you take them from all of us. And of course the right to a private and family life goes a lot wider than immigration. If the government hollows out these protections, we won\u2019t be able to protect our private data, fight evictions, demand LGBT equality or resist mass surveillance.<\/p> Martha Spurrier, a British barrister and human rights campaigner, is the director of Liberty<\/p> Continue reading...<\/a>\n