Is the Government threatening our democracy - Part 2

sorry I swore

GagaJo

Apologies if this link has been posted before.

The London Economic also feels that we are letting our position as a democracy slip away, little by little.

www.thelondoneconomic.com/opinion/britains-slide-into-authoritarianism-how-the-tories-are-building-a-one-party-state-259854/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&utm_campaign=ukineu&fbclid=IwAR1LnW9bNfrjKW_Klpor-jCL66j5Hf7vUGusvv7n_mKd_PJ-WbdM8cKWEmQ

They say “it can’t happen here,” but over the years the Conservatives have been undermining democracy.

*Britons now need ID to vote. Police can arrest demonstrators they deem “annoying.” Boundary changes will give the Tories more Parliamentary seats. The state broadcaster and regulator are falling under right-wing control. Combined, these elements set an anti-democratic precedent.*

We don't need ID to vote, nor can police arrest protestors for being 'annoying'...yet. So far, these are just proposals.

Otherwise I agree with the London Economic. A few of us on here have been saying this for a while (hence these threads). But very few people seem to care. They even think it's hilarious that anyone should think we're becoming a dictatorship...

A few of us on here have been saying this for a while (hence these threads). But very few people seem to care. They even think it's hilarious that anyone should think we're becoming a dictatorship.

Yes, MaizieD. I said it after the election and the hail-Tories scoffed in ridicule.

Boris Johnson’s government failing to protect UK from Russia’s 'active threat'

The government’s defence review is a reminder of its shocking inaction to protect UK democracy from Putin's Russia

www.opendemocracy.net/en/opendemocracyuk/boris-johnsons-government-failing-to-protect-uk-from-russias-active-threat/

The various videos from Bristol and reports of the police violence is grim.

WWM2 I heard on the news last night that some of the reports of injuries to the police earlier in the week weren't true and the Chief Constable (if that was his title) has admitted as such.

Protest is an amazing thing - just think of Emmeline Pankhurst leading the Suffragette movement, or Martin Luther King leading the Civil Rights movement. Big, lasting, societal change was triggered by those movements and the protests they led.

The right to free speech and right to assemble are basic human rights - put together they make the right to protest. They are essential in a democracy.

The Government's new Police and Crime bill strikes at the heart of these rights.

Protests could be banned because they might cause annoyance, or unease, or just be too noisy. People that take part in protests could be fined or sent to prison for up to 10 years.

It’s a draconian bill that wouldn’t look out of place in Russia or China.

We can’t let this happen. Unlock Democracy has joined a broad coalition of civil society organisations to launch a joint campaign and petition against these changes.You can add your name by clicking below.

secure.unlockdemocracy.org.uk/page/79519/petition/1?ea.tracking.id=email&ea.url.id=5235405

Signed.

This is appalling.

Appropriation of religion is simply not acceptable

This is an appalling new low.

I remember once being told by a clergyman "you cannot possibly be a Christian and a Conservative"

It used to be said that the C of E was the Tory party at prayer but that was in the 20th century.

That is a terrible insult to an awful lot of people varian.

GrannyRose15

That is a terrible insult to an awful lot of people varian.

And what do you think of the Conservative branding of Good Friday. Isn’t that the most important day in the Christian calendar? Isn’t the Tweet an insult to a lot of people? Or can the Tories literally do no wrong? Did he do the same last week for Passover?

Every new MP receives briefing on how Tory social security reforms have harmed us – so they can’t say they don’t know.

After the 2019 general election, she became concerned that the huge new influx of Conservative MPs – along with those from other political parties – were ignorant of the harm that government policies had caused.

So she wrote a briefing paper specifically addressing the issue and sent it to all of them

This is a copy of the document so we all have a record of what these MPs should know – and so they won’t be able to plead ignorance.

Mo Atewart spent 10 years researching and writing a book on this subject: Cash Not Care – The Planned Demolition of the UK Welfare State.

Social Policy Abused:
The Creation Of Preventable Harm

Executive Summary

The Preventable Harm Project (the Project) ran for ten years and closed in November 2019, with the evidence identified within the Project findings widely promoted during 2019/20. The Project identified the bipartisan political ambition to eventually remove the UK welfare state, to be replaced by private income replacement health insurance. In order to remove the welfare state, it was first necessary to remove the psychological security provided by the welfare state. This was achieved by the adoption of a flawed disability assessment model, and the manipulation of the general public aided by the tabloid press, that successfully demonised claimants of disability benefit(s). Large numbers of suicides linked to the adoption of the Work Capability Assessment are overlooked by the Department for Work and Pensions, and successive Rule 43 ‘prevention of future deaths’ Coroners’ reports, highlighting the link between the Work Capability Assessment and suicides, have also been disregarded. The Work Capability Assessment was fatally flawed by design and should be abolished, and the departmental intimidation of disability benefit claimants should be outlawed.

Introduction: The Creation of Preventable Harm

You can read the rest here

voxpoliticalonline.com/2021/04/03/every-new-mp-receives-briefing-on-how-tory-social-security-reforms-have-harmed-us-so-they-cant-say-they-dont-know/

And like dodgy Dave the conservative said as an 2010 election promise. There will be no top down reorganisation of the NHS. Don't make me laugh They then did just that with the 2012 Health and Social Care Act.

Yes this Tory government is threatening our democracy from every quarter.

Whitewavemark2

This is appalling.

Appropriation of religion is simply not acceptable

There are many many posters to be found on Twitter, from The Labour Party, Greens and Lib Dem’s appropriating various religious festivals.

Are you as outraged by them also?

ID must be shown when opening a Bank or Building Society account, when attending the Job Centre to apply for Universal Credit, when attending an interview for a job, when applying for or renewing a passport, when collecting a parcel from the sorting office and often when items are delivered by courier to name but a few so why would anyone protest at showing ID when voting? Surely it is imperative to ensure elections are run correctly.
At the moment you can go to the polling station and vote even if you have forgotten the polling card - I have done so - and they took my word that I was who I said I was.

Totally agree Nanof3

Nanof3

ID must be shown when opening a Bank or Building Society account, when attending the Job Centre to apply for Universal Credit, when attending an interview for a job, when applying for or renewing a passport, when collecting a parcel from the sorting office and often when items are delivered by courier to name but a few so why would anyone protest at showing ID when voting? Surely it is imperative to ensure elections are run correctly.
At the moment you can go to the polling station and vote even if you have forgotten the polling card - I have done so - and they took my word that I was who I said I was.

There is no evidence that the system is not functioning properly. But even if there were, how would you deal with the substantial minorities who have neither passport nor driving licence? The groups without either are not a random representative group of UK society but poorer and more ethnically diverse for example. I’d be interested to see how a voter ID card would be implemented in a way that didn’t amount to the voter suppression tactics in the States. The devil is always in the detail with policies like this so I’d really like the supporters of the policy to explain how it would be operationalised in a way that did not compromise democracy. ( unless of course compromising democracy is what it’s all about .....surely not?)

When this country is sending money to the Chinese to help stop them from eating too much salt, then yes, a reduction in aid is needed.

I note also that both India and China can send rockets to the moon because of an increase in aid from Britain.
What we send in foreign aid has tripled over the years and we're not that far behind the USA which is the biggest provider.

Since the pandemic struck here, we'll need all the finance we can get to build up people's businesses and jobs and generally get the country back on track never mind about losing sleep over lack of foreign aid !

Democracy is one-sided I don't know about anything else.

suziewoozie how do the Groups you are describing pick up their parcels from the Post Office, open bank accounts or give proof of their identity which is needed more and more as time goes by?

How can not being " Woke " be democratic ?

Society itself is threatening democracy.Why blame the Gov ?ernment