In the lead-up to the recent Canadian election, Liberal leader Justin Trudeau said that if he won it would be the last first-past-the-post election. Let’s hope he keeps his promise now he is Prime Minister.
I oppose a ban on Chris Brown on civil liberties grounds, in which we all have a stake. Three of our freedoms come into play: the freedom to travel, freedom of speech, and the freedom to hear.
An investigation by the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has recommended a “hybrid special court” of international and local judges to bring to justice those guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Sri Lanka.
The reality is that Corbyn’s policy platform is more popular than Ed Miliband’s was, with many policies also striking a chord with conservative voters. Polls quoted by the Independent newspaper show this
Having a balanced discussion of child sex offender legislation has always been difficult. People tend to shy away from questioning such legislation for fear of being branded as soft on those who sexually violate children, the most vulnerable members of our society.
It's difficult to have an adequate discussion of sex offender legislation because anyone taking a critical stance risks being labeled as soft on sex crimes. The Child Protection (Child Sex Offender Register) Bill is a case in point. There has been little public debate even though Attorney-General Chris Finlayson says it offends our Bill of Rights.
Why now, was the question many people asked when the Police announced that every front-line officer would soon have a taser. After all, our violent crime rate has been dropping.
The extra attention our Courts are now giving to Bill of Rights matters can help slow the erosion of our civil liberties which occurs when MPs play excessive attention to the “law and order” lobby.
As presently organised, our prisons are violent places, but it doesn’t have to be that way. One country with an enlightened prison policy is Norway, which has much less prison violence and a lower reoffending or recidivism rate.