Labour forces secret inquests Bill through the Commons
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Independent Minds
Secret inquests which will bar bereaved families and the public from attending hearings into controversial deaths were forced through Parliament last night.
The Government narrowly defeated opposition to the new powers by a majority of eight MPs in a highly charged vote in the House of Commons. Under the measures ministers will be able to order that an inquest is replaced with a secret inquiry whenever they deem it necessary.
But last night MPs and civil rights groups accused the Government of eroding the ancient right to a public inquest. Shami Chakrabarti, director of Liberty, which had strongly opposed the powers, said: "The British public has no taste for secret justice, particularly when the rights of grieving families are at stake. We will continue to fight for open jury inquests until the Government thinks again."
At last night's debate Labour's Bob Marshall-Andrews (Medway) described the inquiries as a "disproportionate remedy" to tackle the problem of sensitive information being made public in inquests. "In order to rectify what is an evidential problem, the Government is proposing to hand a massive new power to the executive," he said.
Ministers want to use the Inquiries Act to hold investigations into deaths which require the use of sensitive information such as intercept intelligence, which could not be placed before an inquest jury. The measure, buried in the Coroners and Justice Bill, gives the Lord Chancellor, Jack Straw, absolute discretion to order a secret inquiry in place of a public inquest.
It could mean that inquests that might expose the negligence of Government or a public body, or embarrass ministers or foreign allies, could be censored. It comes only six months after Mr Straw dropped similar proposals to hold sensitive inquests in private without juries.
Mr Straw said the move would only affect a "tiny number" of cases. "Every effort is made by this Government ... to push the standard coronial system, with a jury, in this kind of case to ensure that if humanly possible it is a normal coroner's inquest with a jury which holds the investigation."
He added: "There is no intention whatsoever by the agencies, by the police, by the Government, by the law officers, that any provisions in this Bill should ever be used as an alternative to a normal inquest where such a normal inquest, stretching the envelope as far as possible, can be used."
There was only one case currently where the central evidence was obtained from an intercept and there was "grave anxiety" that it would have to be made available to people who had not been security cleared. The case of Azelle Rodney, who was shot dead by police as he sat in the back of a car in north London in 2005, has not been the subject of an inquest.
Mr Straw said: "Unless we find a way through this problem there will be no satisfactory investigation into the cause of death in an equivalent case." But in the Lords, Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer, for the Liberal Democrats, said that although the Government had "very sensibly" withdrawn the secret inquests plan, using the Inquiries Act as an alternative was "an even worse solution".
Civil rights campaigners and MPs have attacked the Government for trying to sneak through an "abuse of power".
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Comments
Read it.
"Animal Farm" would be more apt, four legs good, two legs bad. Two legs good, four legs bad.
When Orwell wrote the book it was aimed at Communist Russia, late 40s, at the height of Stalin's rule, ring any bells ?
All Governments drafting legislation which affects British freedom and liberty should consider the possibility of future misuse and take steps to prevent that accordingly. Relying on future administrations and MPs to be honest and honourable is now a wholly discredited concept.
Conservatives will see this as another get-out-of-jail-free card just as much as this Government. All prospective MP's should be openly quizzed on this before the election, just as they should on expenses.
WE ARE NOW IN A FACIST POLICE STATE AD THE MORE PEOPLE EXPERINCE IT THE BETTER SO THAT THEY WAKE UP.
THE INTENTION IS NOW TO DO THIS ON A GLOBAL SCALE. LOOK AT THE US TODAY. TOTAL PARANIOD.
The lights are not just going out all over Europe but they going out all over the UK - Goodbye Democracy, Good Bye Justice, Goodbye Truth
If anyone who can think, needs anymore proof that the Labour MPs will pass any legislation put up by this gov, then here it is. Some MPs must have rebelled as the margin was only 8, however enough stayed loyal to this Stalinist section about suppression of exposure. To me it shows that these MPs have been complicit in all the rubbish legislation passed by this central controlling gov, this is the reason they need to be swept away at the next GE.
Another step towards New Labour's stasi state.
Jack Straw's 'promises' are to be treated with the contempt that the odious little man fully warrants.
How can we trust anything the say when one minute they say "we wont ...", then a few moments later we find they have just secretly spewt it through anyway ?
*Silence from the Independent*
No, seriously, why?
Frank Zappa 1977
In secret of course.
Beneath all the flowery words, you're just a cheap, nasty little toad.
Please don't compare toads with Straw, toads are blameless, innocent creatures, who are good for the envionment, and do no harm.
This creature Straw, does not have an ounce of shame or a shred of common decency- well, it used to be common- is not bothered one iota, over-bloated as he is, with his self-importance, has no redeeming features whatsoever.
Is he innocent, blameless, good for the envirnoment, and does no harm, make up your own minds, shouldn't take long.
I'm eternally grateful he is not my MP.
I could not agree more. Labour seem to hanging on to office, presumably , Micawber like, in the hope that something may turn up, a massive economic recovery, or failing that, we, the electorate, will suffer en emass, on polling day, from amnesia, and forget what this utterly despicable, hideous regime has done to the UK in so short a time, both of course are pretty unlikely, especially the memory bit !
So why do they keep doing all they can to further alienate the voters, virtually every day, they shoot themselves in the foot, a few days ago, the sacking of Professor Knutt, yesterday, this gagging bill on relatives and the general public ? Is it madness, or hubris, or both ?
Either way , these creatures should not be in positions of power. I too think that that Straw should be replaced immediately, and only the party hacks would disagree with that, and the 28%.
Once Straw has been replaced: at the beginning of each session in the house, not unlike how the Pythons did after Graham Chapman died, whenever they did live shows, they put Chapman's urn on the stage, there should be placed a bucket of steaming turds where he normally would have been seated as a reminder. Sorry, very crude I know, but that's how angry this treacherous regime has made me and have every right to be. Damn them all to Hell !!!!!!!!!
As a party founded by the unions to represent the interests of working class people, Labour's link with the unions has always been a defining characteristic of the party. In recent years this link has come under increasing strain, with the RMT being expelled from the party in 2004 for allowing its branches in Scotland to affiliate with groups more responsive to working people. Today Labour is totally out of control, has no interest in the needs or plight of Labour, and is becoming Jacobin in character and posturing, prostituting itself for capital and greedy self-advancement.
Electorate opinion very rarely accords with fact, experience or selflessness. Just as people buy lottery tickets irrespective of the real odds, people would rather believe things they are told which hits an emotional response.
We had TWO official recessions under Thatcher (amongst a whole unbelievable catalogue of corruption and deceit) yet most people in the street believe Gordon Brown took us to Afghansistan and caused the global recession.
Elections are won and lost in the propaganda war now.
We desperately need a new socially-minded Government. Certainly not hapless Cameron who is a poor copy of a poor copy.
But, I digress....
Maybe the House of Lords will throw this bill where it belongs. And if they don't where do the next government stand on this issue. Do you, or does anyone else know. Cameron spends so much time sitting on the fence, on so many issues , I'm surprised he can even walk unassisted ?