Andrew Dismore

What   is ridiculous about the Human Rights Act is the way that ill-informed right wing politicians attempt to undermine our fundamental freedoms guaranteed by the Act with silly stories about their dogs. Most of the tabloid stories they love to quote are either not true or inaccurate. When people have attempted to use the Act for frivolous reasons, whilst the start of a case may be reported, its failure very rarely is. Conservative  politicians like to go on about the rights of criminals, but they fail to say that those rights are severely  curtailed under the Human Rights Act- for example to the right to a fair trial, which I hope we would all agree is appropriate. The European Convention, which means the Act can be enforced in our domestic courts instead of forcing people to go to Strasbourg, was actually drafted by a Conservative lawyer at the request of Winston Churchill when he was Prime Minister, to set out a system of rights for Europe based on our British traditions – and not the other way round- in the aftermath of the Holocaust and appalling abuse of rights in WW2, to try to prevent the same ever happening again. The Hendon MP seem to think that his rights under Article 8, which guarantees  the right to family life, gives him the right to take his dog to work. Utter nonsense. To suggest  this even flippantly is to belittle the correct use of Article 8 as upheld in the courts, for example to ensure an elderly couple were not separated when they both needed residential care, which was what their council was planning for them, with  the court allowing them to be housed together in the same care home; or the use of the Human Rights Act to challenge Barnet Council over its planned removal of residential care wardens; or to ensure the rights of trafficking victims in the cases we see reported in our local newspapers, rights the Conservative led coalition are trying to water down; or the rights to public services and fair treatment of those with learning disabilities, or the treatment of the elderly in hospitals with correct dignity and respect.

Finally I should say I have every sympathy with the MP’s dog but not with him. Just before I was elected to Parliament, my dog died of old age. I did not get another one as I knew an MPs lifestyle and time commitment, if doing the job correctly, would not allow me to look after one properly. It is a pity the Hendon MP did not think about that, when he bought his dog after he became MP.

Yours

Andrew Dismore

Chair, Joint Select Committee on Human Rights 2005 to 2010

Labour London Assembly candidate for Barnet and Camden