Revealed: Blair attack on human rights law

The most right wing Prime Minister ever to lead the Labour party has now started an attack on Human Rights legislation which was introduced by his OWN government.

Tony Blair has now written to his Home Secretary, the equally right wing John Reid, demanding that the government have the power to overrule court decisions that it disagrees with.

In a move which brought immediate criticism from human rights' experts, the Prime Minister wants the government to have the power to override court rulings. The move comes only days after Blair criticised a senior judge for preventing the deportation of nine Afghan refugees who hijacked a plane to Britain. Downing Street said he was determined to find a way around such 'barmy' court rulings.

Blair unveiled his plans in a letter to the new Home Secretary, John Reid, in which he set out his 'most urgent policy tasks'. Legal experts and civil liberties groups accused Blair of playing politics with fundamental rights.

The Observer has obtained a copy of the letter, which says it is essential to 'ensure the law-abiding majority can live without fear'. It adds: 'We will need to look again at whether primary legislation is needed to address the issue of court rulings which overrule the government in a way that is inconsistent with other EU countries' interpretation of the European Convention on Human Rights.'

A Downing Street source said a range of existing laws could be reviewed and new legislation was also possible. One option under consideration was to amend the 1998 Human Rights Act, which wrote the European Convention into British law, to require a 'balance between the rights of the individual and the rights of the community to basic security.'

He said that 'although British judges should already take that balance into consideration, it's clear that sometimes they don't'.

It used to be only the repulsive David Blunkett who routinely attacked the "unelected" judiciary for decisions that he disagreed with; now Blair is taking up the charge himself.

Blair has learnt well, that when he lurches to the far right, we expend all our energy oppossing his latest move, and - in the heat of battle - forget that we were actually talking of removing him from office.

We should not be distracted by this sideshow.

The fact that Blair is now attacking his own flagship legislation is simply another reason to add to the myriad of others that justify his removal from office.

Blair claims that he is doing so "to protect our way of life from those who seek to destroy it."

He seems to be forgetting that "our way of life" includes an adherence to the rules of law that he now wants to rip up.

We, as a nation, oppose torture. And we , rightly, oppose the transfer of prisoners to any country where they may be subjected to such treatment. That is, "our way of life." The Prime Minister now finds himself dangerously out of touch with the people he claims to represent.

He has to go - NOW.

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Tags: Blair, Human. Rights, Act, John, Reid, Blunkett, Afghans,