Extending human and civic rights
Denying prisoners the vote creates a barrier to their reintegration into society
Parliament is currently considering how to relax the UK’s restrictions on prisoner voting, which have been deemed in breach of the European Convention on Human Rights. In this post Nicola Lacey argues that our ongoing failure to extend voting rights to prisoners creates a powerful symbol of their exclusion from full membership of society. Similar […]
The Edward Snowden disclosures need further public debate and scrutiny in the UK
The revelations about the scale of GCHQ and NSA activities following disclosures from Edward Snowden have caused outcry across the world. Michael Jacobs suggests here that British reaction has been surprisingly muted, by contrast, and argues that we need a wider public debate about the appropriate balance between security and civil liberties. Similar PostsJustifications for […]
The 1913 death of Emily Wilding Davison was a key moment in the ongoing struggle for gender equality in the UK
2013 marks the centenary of the death of suffragette Emily Wilding Davison, one of the defining moments of the women’s struggle for the right to vote. In the latest post of our Gender and Democracy series, historian Professor June Purvis looks back at the events of 1913 and considers how far women still have to go […]
European Court of Human Rights statement on ‘seriously misleading’ UK news articles
The European Court of Human Rights has long been a target of criticism from parts of the British press. In response to recent coverage of figures on payments made by the British government following Court decisions, the Registrar of the Court has issued a statement highlighting the misleading claims in certain articles, particularly in the […]
The legal regulation of Muslim dress is controversial in the UK, but education could help eradicate prejudice
Segments of British society continue to feel uneasy about the idea of Muslim religious dress, particularly when it concerns the covering of women’s faces. The recent debate triggered by a Birmingham court’s introduction and then reversion of a ban on defendants wearing the veil presents a meaningful opportunity for non-Muslims to learn about the significance of religious dress […]
Provoking Debate: The UN Special Rapporteur and the Right to Housing in the UK
The right to housing seldom captures the public imagination or the media spotlight. Yet the visit of the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Housing to the UK earlier this month, and the government reaction to it, is a timely reminder that housing sits at the centre of big political questions the UK must […]
The Church of England: an anachronistic religious monopoly ripe for reform
The Church of England’s unique constitutional status gives it a monopoly role as the sole official state institution charged with relations between the UK state and with God. Norman Bonney argues that these arrangements are increasingly inappropriate for the current era, noting that long term trends and more recent experiences make the case for disestablishment. In a country […]
Book Review: Shattered, Cracked or Firmly Intact? Women and the Executive Glass Ceiling Worldwide
In 1960, Sirimavo Bandaranaike of Sri Lanka made history when she was appointed the world’s first woman prime minister. In the half-century following her achievement, fewer than eighty women worldwide have attained the office of prime minister or president. In Shattered, Cracked, or Firmly Intact?, Farida Jalalzai aims to explain the mechanisms that push politically active women into […]
Interview: Nicholas McGeehan of Human Rights Watch on links between the UK and undemocratic regimes in the Gulf
Democratic Audit features short audio interviews with leading experts on the state of democracy and human rights. For our first interview, Richard Berry spoke to Nicholas McGeehan, Middle East researcher at Human Rights Watch, on the way rulers of Gulf states have been cracking down on dissent at home while simultaneously deepening their relationships within […]
Business can play a big role in upholding human rights
As they expand into new parts of the global economy, large corporations are taking on an increasingly large role in protecting human rights. Claire Overman argues that there are cases where this should be welcome, with business uniquely well placed to observe human rights abuses by states where human rights protections are weakest. This summer, […]
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