Playing Hide and Seek with the Freedom of Speech

Back in December I heard an interview with Lord Falconer on the radio. Actually it was the first time I had been introduced to something which should be close to all our hearts - The Freedom of Speech.

Did you know that you can no longer protest outside of Parliament without first getting permission from the police? Apparently extra security is needed!

'Maya Evans, 25, recited the 97 names by the Cenotaph memorial to Britain's war dead in Whitehall, near Downing Street.

She was found guilty of breaking a new law stopping unauthorised protests within half a mile of Parliament.

The lord chancellor sai d the law was a "sensible" precaution to stop disorder rather than an attack on free speech.'

Source:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4523838.stm

Is it just me or does anyone else feel that the media and the government are playing the old 'Terrorism' card a bit too much?

As a child of the 80s I remember the Irish Republican Army (IRA) barraging cities like London with nail bombs. Trust me the situation now seems a lot better than it did then. This ‘new’ threat has opened the gates to prejudice and fear. Did the government introduce laws a gainst protesting then?

Actually no! I don’t think they did.

The Home Secretary, Charles Clarke argued that he had to ask permission when he was young so why shouldn't we now?

'When I was a young student activist we used to organise much larger demonstrations than this outside Westminster, but always agreed with the police and that's the way things always have been in this country'

Source:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/low/uk_politics/4527274.stm

Mr Clarke was born on September 21st, 1950. It seems a little unusual to start applying rules from his childhood to these modern times, when we should really be looking to the future don't you think? Rules for modern times! Not times gone by.

For many people protesting outside parliament, it's a way of making their voice heard to the people that can really make change – the politicians.

Not everyone knows they have to co ntact the police before protesting. The government has introduced a law which the general population don't know about. If people try to make their voice heard they will find themselves quickly arrested.

Don't get me wrong. It's not the fault of the Police. I think the police do a great job, I even used to work for them. The Police can only follow the law – they don’t make it.

Anyway the whole thing ticked me off and I wrote to my local MP Mr Robert Syms sharing my opinions and asking what the view of his party was (Conservative).

You can fax your MP, just like I did at the following address:

http://www.writetothem.com

Give it a go! After all isn't that what democracy is all about?

Here is my response: