Further mischief at the Tory conference was on show on Monday as those entering the “ring of steel” were pelted with plastic balls as the police looked bemusedly on.
It follows a day of ugliness on Sunday in which journalists were spat on and one young Conservative was even hit in the forehead with an egg.
Image Credit – Ball Pit, October 2008 by Jeremy Keith
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Labour’s conference in Brighton has spurred on another debate about the role of nuclear weapons in Britain, which Jimmy and John help to unclarify in the opening segment of this episode of the Right Dishonourable.
Turning next to Warwick University, where John is actually studying, we discuss the interesting case of Maryam Namazie, who was temporarily banned from speaking on campus over fears she might incite hatred.
And finally we cover what will be known to future generations as the Great Cereal Riot, or that time some protestors went and threw paint at a hipster cafe in Shoreditch.
Image Credits – Jeremy Corbyn by DonkeyHotey; Maryam Namazie by Anders Henrikson; and Cereal Killer Cafe via official site. Edited by the Right Dishonourable.
In the wake of the general election one of the most contentious proposals from the newly potent Tory-majority government was the repeal of the Human Rights Act, a piece of legislation that came into force in October 2000 under New Labour.
At the time the Right Dishonourable unanimously thought this a stupid idea, though the specifics of its stupidity were narrower than some campaigners to save the act have intimated.
In short repealing the act, whilst looking like a bold bid for independence from Europe, would not reduce judicial activism (which would probably afflict a British Bill of Rights), would not stop British courts from considering the views of the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, and would not free us from international treaty obligations.
Initially the Conservatives wanted to achieve this bold plan within 100 days of taking power, but the government quickly abandoned this by not mentioning the matter in the Queen’s Speech, dodging the issue for a short time.
Since then, little was said on the matter until last month when justice minister Dominic Raab told Parliament that “proposals” would be brought forward and that “preparation is going well.” But concrete details were thin.
The legislative hurdles that face the Tories should they decide to go ahead with scrapping the Human Rights Act are still legion, and include the Good Friday Agreement in Northern Ireland, Scottish devolution and rebellion within the Conservatives.
What is more a fight over the European Court of Human Rights would further anger the very European politicians that prime minister David Cameron needs to woo in order to secure concessions for his campaign to remain within the European Union (even if the court is not itself part of the EU).
As such the British Bill of Rights might remain to be seen for a good while to come…
Image Credit – European Court of Human Rights, June 2010 by James Russell
Peter Capaldi, the actor behind The Thick of It’s spin doctor-in-chief Malcolm Tucker, warned last week that the BBC is “seriously under threat from the [British] government.”
Speaking to the American chat show host Larry King, the current Doctor Who was asked how things were in Britain, and proceeded to outline his views on how the Tory government was behaving.
Capaldi: “I think with the new government, the organisation that makes our show, the BBC – which is one of the great organisations of the world, one of the most special organisations – is under threat. I think it’s seriously under threat.”
King: “From?”
Capaldi: “From the government.”
King: “Funding?”
Capaldi: “Yeah. And for its very existence.”
King: “Why?”
Capaldi: “Because the government doesn’t think the BBC supports it.”
King: “You mean because it does programmes that attack the government?”
Capaldi: “Yeah.”
King: “So like [US broadcaster] PBS has been accused of in America?”
Capaldi: “I think because it’s not answerable to shareholders and it entertains ideas, all kinds of ideas about Britain and about history and about history and about art that I think the government would rather not – they don’t want to pay for it.
“And I think it’s so important. I’m glad you asked me that question, because I think it’s one of the most important things that is happening in the country, and the BBC represents the spirit of our country.”
Pressed further by King, Capaldi went on the warn that the BBC could “vanish.”
Currently the Beeb is undergoing a Charter Review in which the government could reduce the funding given to the broadcaster by abolishing the licence fee, diminishing its ability to make programmes.
It is also facing competition from streaming services such as Netflix, as more people consume television online, which has led its director general Tony Hall to outline plans to adapt the broadcaster to the digital age.
Image Credit – Peter Capaldi, San Diego Comic Con, July 2015 by Gage Skidmore
