The final act

Okay, I know I am given to relative extremes in the concept of personal freedom.

And I make many comments on the government taking more power to itself.

That said, allow me to present the final act.

Think about a dictatorial, future police state in the UK. What would that mean? For me, it would be the effective neutering of parliament. Sure you could keep the building open as a tourist attraction, (as for example, with captolio in Cuba) but the real power would lie with minsters. In this nightmare future, ministers can pass laws simply by ministerial edict, without reference to parliamant at all. Their word is literally law.

Sounds the stuff of Tom Clancy?

The government is currently sending through the house of commons, the "Legislative and Regulatory reform bill" an empty sounding but desperately dangerous piece of legislation.

This bill is drafted so widely, that ministers can vary almost any legislation, or enact new laws, at will, withot reference to parliament AT ALL

This is our "enabling act"

The only things excluded from this bill are:

- the power to create "new" jail sentences, or extend ones currently over two years,
- create new forcible entry rights
- compel the giving of evidence, or
- alter taxation

EVERYTHING ELSE IS PERMITTED

Indeed the bills own powers, mean even these minor restrictions, could be aboished, by the bill, once it is enacted.

So for example, the government could redefine terrorism as civil protest, or opposing the government, and legally, send you to jail for life (as that is the current sentence for terrorism) by ministerial edict, (ie Charles Clarke says it, and off you go to Strangeways or Holloway for ever. Or they could unilaterally extend parliamantary terms to say 50 years, or 500.

No, this poster is mad I hear you say?

No fewer that six Cambridge law professors, have stated that this gives ministers almost unlimited, unchecked unilateral power.

So really, this is the last piece of the jigsaw, and it is deadly dangerous. The road to Serfdom.