ACTION ON THE COMPENSATION CULTURE

Michael Howard has announced that a Conservative Government will review the Human Rights Act.
Why Labour are all talk
Mr Blair promised to ‘pass a Human Rights Act that incorporates the rules of the …[European Convention of Human Rights] directly into British law, and gives citizens the right to enforce those rules in court' (City Hall, Cardiff, 15 July 1994).
Mr Blair introduced the Human Rights Act in 1998 but instead of protecting British citizens’ rights and ensuring the
Government plays fair, it has fuelled a compensation culture based on political correctness.
• A convicted rapist won four thousand pounds worth of compensation because his second appeal was delayed (European Court of Human Rights, 17 July 2003).
• A boy expelled after lighting a fire at school had the decision overturned after judges ruled that he had been denied his ‘right to education’ (Court of Appeal, 29 March 2004).
• Edinburgh Council banned the filming of nativity plays because it feared that the Act meant every parent had to give written consent (December 2002).
• The Act gave the burglar who broke into Norfolk farmer Tony Martin’s house legal aid to sue Mr Martin for compensation (Nottingham County Court, 13 June 2003).
• The Act has allowed failed asylum seekers to remain in Britain even though they are not genuine refugees (Sunday Express, 7 April 2002).
• When Mr Blair tried to erode trial by jury it was the House of Lords, not the Human Rights Act, which saved it.
• When Mr Blair recently tried to abolish habeas corpus and give the Home Secretary the right to imprison people without trial, the Human Rights Act could not be invoked to stop him.
Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats want to give more power to unaccountable European judges. They support the European Constitution and the European Charter of Fundamental Rights which will only make the problems of the Human Rights Act worse.
What will Conservatives do?
The most basic human rights are individual freedom and an absolute assurance that the Government will play fair.
Fairness is the heart of good government. We should all have to play by the same rules – whatever the colour of our skin, whatever our sex, whatever our religion.
We will review the Human Rights Act to see if it can be improved so it protects these rights.
If it cannot be improved we will scrap it.