The Three Pillars of Liberty: Political Rights and Freedoms in the United Kingdom

by Klug,Francesca

• ISBN13: 9780415096416
• ISBN10: 0415096413
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1996-10-22
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

The Three Pillars of Libertyis a landmark study on the state of democracy in the UK. The book identifies 44 violations and 19 near violations of human rights laws. It provides an up-to-date description of law and practice with respect of freedom of information, freedom of expression, freedom of assembly and public protest, freedom of association and trade unionism, state surveillance, the right to life and liberty, and the right to vote and stand in elections. It measures political freedom against the "Human Rights Index," an important tool for monitoring human rights around the world. The first-ever analysis of both the political and legal systems for securing political freedom in the UK as a whole, it is the most rigorous and systematic review of those systems yet published, and it finds them lacking. It strikes at the heart of the historic traditions of government and the rule of law in the UK. It will be essential reading for all those interested in their rights and the rightsof others.

Table of Contents

List of figures, tables and boxes
Foreword
Acknowledgements
List of abbreviations and acronyms
How to use this book
The British Tradition of Constitutional Rights	p. 3
Auditing Political Rights and Freedoms	p. 13
Introduction: The Three Pillars of Liberty	p. 37
Index: Ensuring and Securing Democratic Rights	p. 41
Parliamentary Scrutiny of the Executive	p. 44
The 'Culture of Liberty'	p. 74
The Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994	p. 83
How the Courts Protect Political Rights	p. 90
Equal Access to Political Rights	p. 110
Conclusions: 'The British Way of Doing Things'	p. 133
The Ascendancy of Official Secrecy	p. 141
A Freedom Too Governed by Law	p. 165
The Residual Right of Public Protest	p. 185
The Mixed Record	p. 204
The Chilling Effect of State Surveillance	p. 224
The Use of Force, Arrest and Detention	p. 238
Britain's Missing Voters	p. 266
Findings	p. 293
Conclusions: Political Freedom in the UK	p. 304
The Democratic Audit of the United Kingdom	p. 317
The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Optional Protocol	p. 326
The European Convention on Human Rights; and the First, Fourth, Sixth and Seventh Protocols	p. 336
International Human Rights Instruments Used to Compile the Index	p. 349
Table of cases	p. 353
Bibliography and sources	p. 356
Index	p. 361
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