The Great Repeal Bill

The Lib Dems have set up a website where they list the laws they would scrap as we don’t need them and where people can nominate any others they want scrapped.

The one’s they’ve nominated are (all of which I agree with):

1. Restrictions on protests in Parliament Square

Sections 132 to 138; Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005

The police can now impose any restrictions they think fit on demonstrations in the vicinity of Parliament Square. Citizens of this country should not have to ask for the right to protest outside the Parliament that they elect.

2. Identity Cards

Identity Cards Act 2006

Identity cards are unworkable, expensive and illiberal. Labour is already spending £95,000 a day on developing the project but it will not stop terrorism, crime, illegal immigration or benefit fraud.

3. Extradition to the US

Part 2, Extradition Act 2003

This act makes it much easier for the US extradite people from the UK than it is for the UK to extradite people from the US. Not only is the treaty unbalanced, but it means that British citizens can extradited without any evidence being provided.

4. Conditions on public assemblies

Section 57, Clause 123, Anti-Social Behaviour Act 2003

Until 2003, public assemblies were defined as a gathering of 20 people or more - when that many people were gathered, a senior police officer could impose conditions on the assembly. Labour lowered the number to just two, so that even the tiniest protest can be subject to police restrictions.

5. Criminalising trespass

Sections 128 to 131; Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005

Thanks to this law, a Home Secretary can make trespass a criminal offence on any land where they say it is in the interests of national security. This is defined very broadly however - and there is no need for them to justify their decision.

6. Control orders

Section 1, Prevention of Terrorism Act 2005

These allow restrictions, potentially going as far as house arrest, to be imposed on the mere basis of ‘reasonable suspicion’. They can be made for up to 12 months and renewed indefinitely. The Home Secretary can also decide to opt-out from the European Convention on Human Rights and issue control orders that amount to detention without trial. Liberal Democrats would repeal the legislation that enables Labour to decide that human rights standard don't need apply and we would also stop the Home Secretary being able to impose control orders simply on their own say-so.

7. DNA retention

Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001 & Criminal Justice Act 2003

The UK allows for the taking of DNA by police from a person who is never charged, let alone convicted, which is then stored indefinitely. There are now around three million people on the national DNA database – by far the highest proportion in the world. Furthermore, very few safeguards have been put in place. The effects from a community relations point of view may well be serious – as it is, ethnic minorities make up 8% of the UK population but 24% of the database. We understand the case for keeping DNA of the convicted, but innocent people’s DNA should not be kept indefinitely.

8. Public interest defence for whistleblowing

Official Secrets Act 1989

It is important that national security is protected, but sometimes it will be the case that it is in the public interest that malpractice or illegal activity is exposed. The Official Secrets Act includes no public interest defence, however – so whistleblowers remain unprotected, even if their action is very much in the public interest. Part of the reason for this was a series of high-profile embarrassments for the Conservative government of the time; ministers’ embarrassment should not be allowed to overrule the public good.

9. Right to silence

Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act 1989 – Northern Ireland & Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 – England and Wales

It was a long-established principle of a fair trial that defendants had the right not to be forced to incriminate themselves. In 1994, however, the Conservatives allowed juries to draw adverse inferences from a defendant’s silence. This represented a major attack on the idea of "innocent until proven guilty." We would repeal it.

10. Hearsay evidence

Criminal Justice Act 2003

Protections against the use of hearsay evidence were in place to ensure that a trial was decided on the facts of the case. Hearsay evidence cannot in practice be cross-examined in court, which removes a vital safeguard for the accused. Labour, in 2003, widened the circumstances in which it could be used. We would repeal these changes and return to focussing on securing fair trials and reliable convictions.

I also nominated:

1. Serious Organised Crime & Police Act 2005, Part 4
   
2. Anti-Social Behaviour Acts 1998 - 2003 in full
   
3. Crown copyright
   
4. Drugs Act 2005
   
5. Misuse of Drugs Acts (all)
   
6. Prevention of Terrorism Acts 1973 to present
   
7. Anti-Terror, Crime & Security Act 2001
   
8. Racial & Religious Hatred Act 2006
   
9. Freedom of Information Act 2000, s. 36
   
10. Protection from Harassment Act 1998
    
11. Sexual Offences Act 2003
    

Anyone else have any good suggestions?

EDIT: See Obsolete and Spy Blog for more.