This week: Don't Give Up Your Rights! Edited by: Kit  
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What are the rights that every human being should be entitled to?
Human rights are important. Let's not take them for granted.
This week's Spiritual Newsletter is about rights, and why they matter.
Kit |
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I don’t know what it’s like where you live, but in my country there are some worrying political developments. The right to protest has been watered down, the government’s seeking to lessen the power of the courts, and they are considering a withdrawal from the European Convention on Human Rights.
I like my human rights. I mean, what’s not to like about having the right to a fair trial, the prohibition of slavery and forced labour, the prohibition of torture, having freedom of expression, freedom of thought, conscience and religion, freedom of assembly and association, the right to liberty and security… I don’t see anything in there that I’d willingly give up. Yet, there is support for the withdrawal. Mainly because these rights don’t just apply to ‘us’; they also apply to ‘them’. And we don’t like them.
Reasons for the potential withdrawal from the European Convention on Human Rights include concerns about its use in cases where migrants found guilty of criminal acts attempt to prevent deportation to their country of birth. We live in a time when migration’s a hot topic, stirring strong feelings on both sides of the debate, and the ability to 'send foreign criminals back home' is likely to win the government votes. It does not really matter that such cases are rare. Nor that by surrendering certain rights in order to stop a small amount of people using them, everyone loses.
The thing with human rights is that all that you need to qualify for them is to be human. Whether you’re young or old, female, male or non-binary, whatever your nationality, your romantic preferences, your political views, whether you’re nice or not nice, law-abiding or law-breaking, these rights are there to prevent governments from subjecting you to some rather horrible things like, as said, torture, or slavery, or persecution due to your religious views. Now, sure, I have met some terrible people during my years on this planet and I am not above wishing the ground would open and swallow them up but then, when I pull myself together, I realise that there are some things that governments shouldn’t be allowed to do, not even to those who have committed bad deeds. It’s not just a moral issue, it’s about the relationship between state and citizen, and the kind of society that we want to be.
The idea, here in the UK, is to replace the above-mentioned rights with a national Bill of Rights. That may sound, to some people, like a decent idea – every society’s different, therefore a national bill might better suit its people’s needs. Consider, however, which established human rights you’d like to scrap. I personally wouldn’t want to get rid of any of them. Additional and/or strengthened rights would be welcome, of course, but that’s not what the UK government has in mind. In combination with other bills the right to protest is curbed, the power of the courts is weakened, the police are given extra powers and so is the government itself. Considering that this government is already known to be rather corrupt, it doesn’t look good. And who knows what future governments will be like?
It is sometimes forgotten that human rights weren’t just handed to us. They were fought for. Once they are weakened, or scrapped, it is very difficult to get them back. It is important, then, to protect what rights we have. Even if we may not always think well of everyone who these rights apply to. If they didn’t apply to everyone they wouldn’t be human rights. They’d be privileges, and privileges can be granted and withdrawn at any time.
I said before that I don’t know what it’s like in your nation, but I’ve seen some worrying signs globally. We’re heading into difficult times, and those are the times when we need our rights the most. If there are signs of weakening rights, or the withdrawal of rights, in your country, I encourage you to let your representatives know that you disagree with such a move. Write them, email them, vote in polls and make your views known in government consultations. It’s what I will be doing. Together, hopefully, we can secure our rights for the future.
Kit
PS - for a fun and informative sketch on the issue, featuring Sir Patrick Stewart, please click here . Warning, however - the reason that I have not embedded the video is due to a swearword at the end of the sketch.
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Spiritual: July 06, 2022 Issue [#11448]
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