Reminder: ‘fatal motion’ to stop undemocratic restriction of right to protest is TOMORROW. Please sign the petition
The Lords will consider a ‘fatal motion’ on a Tory plan to undemocratically restrict your right to protest – TOMORROW (Tuesday, June 13).
There is a petition for Labour Lords to back this motion, rather than a “motion of regret” that will let the Tory change happen – and I urge you to sign it if you haven’t already.
You can sign the petition here demanding @LabourLordsUK back the fatal motion tabled by @GreenJennyJones to stop Sunak’s Government restricting our right to protest using an unprecedented abuse of power https://t.co/yR5WUOPAZD
— Peter Stefanovic (@PeterStefanovi2) June 12, 2023
Here’s the background information:
The Tories aren’t happy with all the power they’ve given the police to stamp on your right to protest.
They reckon the interpretation of ‘serious disruption’ of other people’s day-to-day activities, as described in the Public Order Act, should be changed to mean ‘anything more than minor’.
But instead of seeking a democratic vote on this potentially wide-ranging and serious change, Rishi Sunak’s gang of bandits want to impose it by ‘Ministerial decree’ – basically, by the Home Secretary saying she’s changing it unilaterally – like a dictator.
It’s the first time ever that a government has used what’s known as secondary legislation to overturn the democratic will of Parliament.
Green Party Baroness Jenny Jones isn’t having it. She has tabled a ‘fatal motion’ against it.
The House of Lords Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee has drawn ‘special attention’ to the change. The committee’s report stated: “As well as not justifying the substance of the provisions, the Home Office has not provided any reasons for bringing the measures back in the form of secondary legislation, which is subject to less scrutiny, so soon after they were rejected in primary legislation... We believe this raises possible constitutional issues that the House may wish to consider.”
there is no point in having Parliament if a Minister can just ignore the outcome of debates and votes by imposing draconian laws on the public.
If this motion fails, we might as well give up and accept that the UK has finally become a right-wing dictatorship.