Ten reasons to hate the Tories (3)

Point 3 from Cameron's Blueprint for Britain was this:

"We will replace the Human Rights Act with a new British Bill of Rights to strengthen Britain's traditional liberties."

Agreed that the HRA should be scrapped, but there's no need to dream up something new, which is a crackpot idea that Labour have already touted. For a start they should dust down and re-read the Bill Of Rights 1688 aka Bill Of Rights 1689, which:

a) Is still in force - it's called a "Bill" rather than an "Act" because it did not require Royal Assent. The corresponding Bill in Scotland is slightly different, but they can sort that out for themselves.

b) Is not so much an exhaustive list of individuals' rights (i.e. if it's not on the list, you can't do it), but a list of restrictions on what "The Crown" (which in those days meant the King, but nowadays means "The Government") can and cannot do. Individual "rights" in the modern parlance are thus neither guaranteed nor restricted in any way.

c) Reminds you that many of the things that modern governments do are quite clearly "unconstitutional", for example

i) "That levying Money for or to the Use of the Crowne by pretence of Prerogative without Grant of Parlyament for longer time or in other manner then the same is or shall be granted is Illegall." Which would render all Statutory Instruments relating to taxation that are sneaked through without being approved by Parliament void.

ii) "That Election of Members of Parlyament ought to be free". Postal votes, need I say more?

iii) "That excessive Baile ought not to be required nor excessive Fines imposed..". Now, about those people who've had their vehicles confiscated for bringing over fags and booze from France...

iv) "That Jurors ought to be duely impannelled and returned..." OK, that bit appears to have been repealed, but ought to be reinstated forthwith, rather than further eroded.

And so on.

d) Needs to be updated a bit (the language is very old-fashioned; the sideswipes at Papists are probably otiose; and whether it should be the right of all Protestants to bear arms is something on which we'll have to have a public debate).

There. Job done.