- New Bill of Rights outlining our basic freedoms:
- Right to Offend the centrepiece .
- Based around the Four Freedoms used in the existing Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
- Freedom of Speech (incorporating The Right to Offend)
- Freedom of Worship
- Freedom from Want
- Freedom from Fear
- This Bill of Rights will become an updated Magna Carta: it will describe the fundamental rights and freedoms of the citizen.
- No citizen, government, head of state, business, or religious body is above the law.
- This legislation will be Entrenched Law and Supreme Law protected and interpreted by an independent Supreme Court, and enshrined in the constitution.
- Human Rights Legislation:
- The European Convention on Human Rights to be enshrined in UK law and incorporated into the new Bill of Rights.
- We will work with the Council of Europe to modify the convention to be much clearer and more specific about an individuals responsibilities not just his or her rights.
- Religious Belief (protected by the Freedom of Worship):
- Abolition of ALL Blasphemy laws: blasphemy to be a legal right.
- All religion to be treated as a belief system that can be challenged, criticised or mocked without special protection by the law.
- However, any writing, speaking or preaching that encourage violence towards any religious or secular group will be outlawed.
- The Human Rights of an individual and the new Bill of Rights will always take primacy over religious doctrine or tradition in a court of law when there is a conflict between the two. Bigotry disguised as religious belief will fall under this category.
- All religious courts (eg. sharia, Jewish etc) to be abolished.
- Disestablishment of the Church of England
- The Queen to no longer be the head of the Church of England.
- The UK to adopt a secular constitution.
- Freedom of Information:
- Extended to private organisations and businesses.
- Banks and the financial sector to be legally more accountable to the general public.
- Public sector Whistle blowers will be protected by modified Public Interest legislation.
- Abolition of the House of Lords
- Replaced with a fully elected second chamber.
- Will act as a counter-weight to the elected-dictatorship often seen in a one-chamber system.
- Will have a legislative power on an equal footing to House of Commons.
- Voting System
- First-past-the-post voting system outdated and dangerous for democracy.
- When groups go unrepresented, resentment and discontent builds.
- A system that allows minority views to rule as majorities is unacceptable.
- The 2-Party system is leading to an elected-dictatorship where one party forces through unpopular policies that do not represent the electorate.
- Proportional Representation is key to restraining political power, enfranchising the people, and enabling all groups to feel represented. Also, protect the integrity of the United Kingdom.
