Omission from Consultation
Dear Sir or Madam
The fact that a prominent Human Rights barrister, indeed a member of Cherie Booth's Matrix Chambers, declared that there were serious concerns about the proposals (contradicting the cursory mention of compatibility in the original consultation document) clearly warranted a distinct mention in the consultation response. It is legally illiterate to claim that because he does not state outright that the proposals would breach the convention, that his conclusion is ambiguous. Obviously as a legal opinion, rather than a court ruling, he can make no such outright declaration - however, as the Home Office will be aware, 'serious concerns' is as close as a legal opinion can possibly come to making an outright declaration.
Moreover, there are virtually no mentions of contraventions of the ECHR in the response. The fundamental intrusion into the private life of individual, the de facto criminalisation of certain types of ''sexual thoughts', and the inherent impossibility of any private individual having certain knowledge that they are committing a crime under these proposals, makes ECHR issues paramount in the legislative process.
Your responses so far have done nothing to disabuse me of the notion that the Home Office has deliberately suppressed the opinion of a leading Q.C. in the humans rights field that the proposals are unlawful under the ECHR. In common with other individuals and groups, I will therefore be campaigning on the premise that the Home Office is in breach of its obligations with regard to conducting consultations in an honest and transparent manner, and is also misrepresenting the ECHR concerns that may eventually be litigated all the way to Strasbourg.
Regards
Arron Fitzgerald
----- Original Message -----
: CLPU consultations, 02 Sep 2006 00:34:55
To: 'Arron Fitzgerald'
Sent: Thursday, August 31, 2006 9:32 AM
Subject: RE: Omission from Consultation
Dear Mr Fitzgerald,
Thank you for your further email.
I note your referral to Mr Singh's conclusions - but we do not believe that they were as straightforward as you suggest.
In paragraph 37 of his response, which was received c/o The Spanner Trust, Mr Singh states " ......I consider that the legislation as proposed gives rise to real concerns as to its compatibility with an individual's rights under Articles 8 and 10 of the Convention." He does appear not say outright that they would breach the convention - which ultimately would be a matter for the courts.
With regard to this conclusion being in the response, this is simply due to the fact that nearly 400 responses were received and a summary can only hope to include material from a range of them, bearing in mind that many of them said similar things. The Summary is quite open about the fact that a large number of responses were against the proposal.
regards
CLPU
2nd Floor
Fry Building
2MS
-----Original Message-----
: Arron Fitzgerald [mailto:arron_fitzgerald@hotmail.co.uk], 02 Sep 2006 00:34:55
Sent: 30 August 2006 2:59 PM
To: CLPU consultations
Subject: Re: Omission from Consultation
Dear Sir or Madam
Mr Singh's conclusion, that the proposals would contravene the ECHR, is missing from the document. The comments in paragraph 59 are incidental to this conclusion.
Please therefore explain why you have omitted this conclusion, which clearly and convincingly demonstates why the goverment should not proceed with the legislation, which will of course be fought all the way to the European Court of Human Rights.
Arron Fitzgerald
----- Original Message -----
om: CLPU consultations, 02 Sep 2006 00:34:55
To: 'Arron Fitzgerald'
Sent: Wednesday, August 30, 2006 2:47 PM
Subject: RE: Omission from Consultation
Dear Mr Fitzgerald,
Thank you for your recent email.
You refer to a response from Mr Rabinder Singh QC.
Mr Singh's comments are referred to in paragraph 59 of the response document.
With regard to his response it was sent in as part of the Spanner Trust response, not as an individual response.
regards
CLPU
2nd Floor
Fry Building
2MS
-----Original Message-----
om: Arron Fitzgerald [mailto:arron_fitzgerald@hotmail.co.uk], 02 Sep 2006 00:34:55
Sent: 30 August 2006 1:47 PM
To: CLPUconsultations@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk
Subject: Omission from Consultation
Dear Sir or Madam
Violent Images Consultation Response
Please explain why the advice from Rabinder Singh Q.C.,detailing the reasons why the proposed legislation would contravene the ECHR, has been omitted from the consulation response.
Arron Fitzgerald
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