I was surveying the wreckage from yesterday’s demonstration when I noticed something that says a lot about British democracy and the rule of law. The long running protest by Brian Haw (now joined by others) has been an unsightly part of Parliament Square for some years and various attempts have been made to end it.…
Select committees spend most of their time taking evidence, mostly oral evidence in public session, though a good deal of time is taken up reading written submissions. When a committee decides on an inquiry, it puts out a call for evidence and anyone wishing to submit evidence is free to do so. This may produce…
The Joint Committee on the draft Constitutional Renewal Bill took evidence this afternoon on the provisions of the Bill dealing with demonstrations in the vicinity of Parliament. We heard from Milan Rai, who was arrested in 2006 when he was reading out the names of people killed in Iraq. (He was subsequently convicted, fined and,…
The right to demonstrate is fundamental in a free society. People variously demonstrate in front of Parliament. However, the continued presence of one vocal demonstrator, Brian Haw, has caused particular controversy. His essentially permanent anti-war encampment on Parliament Square has aroused considerable opposition from parliamentarians and their staff. Some have objected because of the noise from…
