Today marks the birthday of Ghandi born in 1869.
Without a doubt he is one of the most inspirational people the human race has ever produced.
It is ironic that today the Home Secretary has given an interview, with which the Sunday Telegraph leads, denouncing the Human Rights Act.
The HRA is not perfect, what piece of legislation is, however to just abandon it is ridiculous unless there is proposed better legislation that enshrines the principles of the rights of every human being within the United Kingdom.
Now I'm not going to be a hypocrite. I hate the fact that prisoners can litigate against the state because of some petty squabble and how the HRA protects the rights of predatory peadophiles and dangerous terrorists who would do harm to the most vulnerable in our soceity. Yet I cannot bring myself to abandon legislation, withut proper and adequate replacement, that was designed to protect ordinary people like me.
What it seems to me is the problem is that ultimately we are a Constitutional Monarchy and much as I like the Queen I have great concerns that this is what prevents us from having a true Bill of Rights as you would find in a Republican system.
But here is the crux. Britain prides itself upon the democratic heritage that it has developed over centuries since the signing of Magna Carta in 1215. After all in which country could a German spout insurrection from the workers without being hung drawn and quartered. (For those who don't understand that the reference is to Karl Marx, who lived and preached in London and is buried in Highgate Cemetary) And if we remove the HRA from existance then we run the danger of heading toward a 1984 scenario (Orwellian, for those who still need the reference)
I wonder if Ghandi would be shocked on his 142nd Birthday? I wonder if he would take up the cause of democracy and freedom once again?
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