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The Legislative and Regulatory Reform Bill

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    The Legislative and Regulatory Reform Bill

    Not only is that quite a mouthful but it sounds really dull doesn't it? Did images of old men in legal wiggery shuffling about parliament clutching mountains of dusty old parchment cross your mind for a moment? That was my reaction when I first heard about this new piece of legislation but all is not quite as it may seem within the Palace of Westminster these days.

    This bill was first mentioned in the Queen's speech of May 2005 as the Regulatory Reform Bill and was proposed to slash unnecessary red tape, with the aim of cutting the backlog of what the CBI has called "damaging regulation" that is holding business and enterprise back.

    "The malignant spread of red tape and regulation must be addressed as a matter of the utmost urgency," said a spokesman for the Forum of Private Business (FPB).

    That all sounds very good doesn't it? However since the initial proposal the bill has been somewhat transformed into something a little more sinister because it now grants new powers to individual ministers enabling them to modify or pass legislation by simply issuing an "Order" without the full examination and parliamentary process. The only limiting factors are :
    1. They cannot impose new taxes.
    2. They cannot create new criminal offences with a sentence exceeding two years.
    3. They cannot authorise forced entry, seizure or compel the disclosure of evidence.


    No law is exempted.

    Here is the full details of The Legislative and Regulatory Reform Bill.

    Here is a good summary of the ramifications and legal details.

    Here is the Wikipedia Entry for the Bill.

    Here is a Campaign Website : Save Parliament.

    A lot of bloggers have got quite excited about this, some have compared it to Hitler's Enabling Act of 1933 and dubbed it the Abolition of Parliament Bill, but I think they are exaggerating the issue somewhat (Nazi analogies are horribly overused these days). I would say this is more comparable with Henry VIII's control of Parliament as it gives them considerable expedient empowerment but falls somewhat short of dictatorship, but it is nevertheless quite worrying particularly in the light of the flurry of new, restrictive and ill-conceived legislation which has been making its way through Parliament since the last election and I have been worrying about what this is all supposed to achieve exactly. It almost seems that the government is quietly preparing and posturing for extreme civil unrest, dissent or even war.

    Regards
    Wolfie.
    Last edited by TwoWolves; 17 March 2006, 16:32.

    #2
    Dooooooooooooooooommmmmmmmmmmmmmeeeeeeeeeedddddddd d!!!!!!!!!!

    Comment


      #3
      Originally posted by TwoWolves
      Not only is that quite a mouthful but it sounds really dull doesn't it? Did images of old men in legal wiggery shuffling about parliament clutching mountains of dusty old parchment cross your mind for a moment? That was my reaction when I first heard about this new piece of legislation but all is not quite as it may seem within the Palace of Westminster these days.

      This bill was first mentioned in the Queen's speech of May 2005 as the Regulatory Reform Bill and was proposed to slash unnecessary red tape, with the aim of cutting the backlog of what the CBI has called "damaging regulation" that is holding business and enterprise back.

      "The malignant spread of red tape and regulation must be addressed as a matter of the utmost urgency," said a spokesman for the Forum of Private Business (FPB).

      That all sounds very good doesn't it? However since the initial proposal the bill has been somewhat transformed into something a little more sinister because it now grants new powers to individual ministers enabling them to modify or pass legislation by simply issuing an "Order" without the full examination and parliamentary process. The only limiting factors are :
      1. They cannot impose new taxes.
      2. They cannot create new criminal offences with a sentence exceeding two years.
      3. They cannot authorise forced entry, seizure or compel the disclosure of evidence.


      No law is exempted.

      Here is the full details of The Legislative and Regulatory Reform Bill.

      Here is a good summary of the ramifications and legal details.

      Here is the Wikipedia Entry for the Bill.

      Here is a Campaign Website : Save Parliament.

      A lot of bloggers have got quite excited about this, some have compared it to Hitler's Enabling Act of 1933 and dubbed it the Abolition of Parliament Bill, but I think they are exaggerating the issue somewhat (Nazi analogies are horribly overused these days). I would say this is more comparable with Henry VIII's control of Parliament as it gives them considerable expedient empowerment but falls somewhat short of dictatorship, but it is nevertheless quite worrying particularly in the light of the flurry of new, restrictive and ill-conceived legislation which has been making its way through Parliament since the last election and I have been worrying about what this is all supposed to achieve exactly. It almost seems that the government is quietly preparing and posturing for extreme civil unrest, descent or even war.

      Regards
      Wolfie.
      I think you are being too soft on the government. Once passed this evil little bill will allow changes to secondary legislation to the point it bears little resemblence to the original intention. such changes could even go so far as postponing elections.

      It does not seem to have entered whatever small tiny thing passes for a brain in the government not to create the regulation in the first place.

      Comment


        #4
        So now we know what all the anti-terrorist legislation was leading up to.

        I for one, am not surprised at all. If anything I'm a little surprised at not being surprised by this.

        Enjoy.
        Insanity: repeating the same actions, but expecting different results.
        threadeds website, and here's my blog.

        Comment


          #5
          Originally posted by TwoWolves
          I would say this is more comparable with Henry VIII's control of Parliament as it gives them considerable expedient empowerment but falls somewhat short of dictatorship, but it is nevertheless quite worrying particularly in the light of the flurry of new, restrictive and ill-conceived legislation which has been making its way through Parliament since the last election and I have been worrying about what this is all supposed to achieve exactly. It almost seems that the government is quietly preparing and posturing for extreme civil unrest, descent or even war.

          Regards
          Wolfie.
          Hurrah! Thanks for clarifying the situation. I didn't know about the descent either. Perhaps we should all stock up on scuba gear.
          Hard Brexit now!
          #prayfornodeal

          Comment


            #6
            Originally posted by zathras
            I think you are being too soft on the government. Once passed this evil little bill will allow changes to secondary legislation to the point it bears little resemblence to the original intention. such changes could even go so far as postponing elections.

            It does not seem to have entered whatever small tiny thing passes for a brain in the government not to create the regulation in the first place.

            From the person who brought you the Dangerous Organised Criminal Act to target a lone protestor who had the temerity to embarrass the Great Leader Blair with a peaceful protest near Parliament, now this.

            The finale is thus set by the most Dangerously Organised Criminals of all ,the NL regieme itself.

            You may as well turn yourself in now and save the Thought Police the trouble during the clampdown night.

            You are either with them or against them.

            Its you who decides.

            Look Out ...Look Out ...
            When they put you in the prison I did warn you
            But its too late now I did warn you
            Look Out ...Look Out ...
            Last edited by AlfredJPruffock; 17 March 2006, 16:29.

            Comment


              #7
              Be Scared, be very scared

              http://www.libertycentral.org.uk/content/view/395/34/

              One of the more startling things to have taken place during the early stages of the Legislative and Regulatory Reform Bill’s passage through Parliament came during the committee stages of the bill, when opposition members attempted to put forward amendments which make a further forty-four Acts of Parliament exempt from the provisions of part one of the bill; the part which enables ministers to make, amend and repeal legislation without going through the full process of Parliamentary scrutiny.

              Habeas Corpus Acts 1679 to 1862
              Human Rights Act 1998
              Magna Carta 1215
              Parliamentary Constituencies Act 1986
              Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000
              Representation of the People Acts 1981 to 2002
              Union with England Act 1707
              Union with Scotland Act 1706

              Amongst the various matters that the government are currently unwilling to exempt from this bill are:

              Every single protection against the arbitrary and unlawful detention of citizens by the state (Habeas Corpus Acts, Bail Act, Human Rights Act);

              The independence of the Scottish judiciary and legal system (Act of Union);

              The Monarchy (Act of Settlement, Succession to the Crown Act, Claim of Right);

              Parliamentary democracy (Representation of the People Acts, House of Lords Act. Parliamentary Constituencies Act, Ministers of the Crown Act, Parliament Acts);

              Devolved government in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland (Scotland Act, Government of Wales Acts, Government of Ireland Act);

              The independence of Canada, Australia and New Zealand – no seriously, this is in the Statute of Westminster – plus about a dozen other ‘Commonwealth Realms’, including Jamaica, the Bahamas and Papua New Guinea.

              To be slightly critical of the opposition amendment, it does seem to be missing a couple of other Act of Parliament that should be included in the list of exemptions.

              The ‘Prosecution of Offenders Act’, which sets out the powers of the Director of Public Prosecutions, Crown Prosecution Service, etc.

              The Inquiries Act - abysmal though it is – which sets the regulations for public and judicial inquiries into government and the State.

              The Magistrates’ Courts Act, and a couple of other related acts governing proceedings in magistrates’ courts.

              The Mental Health Act and Mental Capacity Act.
              .
              .
              .
              In fact, the more you look at what’s actually on the statue books, the more Acts you’ll find that really don’t want Minister’s to have the power to alter near enough arbitrarily
              .
              .
              .
              this is how the purpose of the bill was described by Cabinet Officer Minister, Jim Murphy, at the start of its committee stage:

              “The Bill builds on the Regulatory Reform Act 2001. It aims to deliver on the Government’s agenda of better regulation. As part of that, however, we need to ensure through our deliberations in these eight sittings that there is a correct level of effective parliamentary scrutiny. Ultimately, however, the Bill is intended to maintain the UK’s competitiveness, free up public sector workers and others from bureaucracy, and remove unnecessary regulation.”

              So why does a bill that is supposedly designed to “maintain the UK’s competitiveness, free up public sector workers and others from bureaucracy, and remove unnecessary regulation” need to include the power to amend core constitutional legislation?
              .
              .
              .
              So why does a bill that is supposedly designed to “maintain the UK’s competitiveness, free up public sector workers and others from bureaucracy, and remove unnecessary regulation” need to include the power to amend core constitutional legislation?

              Does the government think that Scotland’s constitutional right to its own independent judiciary is ‘uncompetitive’?

              Is Habeas Corpus an ‘unnecessary regulation’?

              And as for freeing up public sector workers and others from bureaucracy, lets no forget that this from a government that’s having to write off £130 million in overpayments on its pension credits scheme arising out of its own staff being unable to handle their own forms correctly.
              .
              .
              .
              Instead what we have is the ultimate piece of ‘Swiss Army Knife’ legislation; an enabling bill of such all-encompassing power that not even the national government of 1939 to 1945, a government which faced the very real threat of invasion by a foreign power, had such sweeping powers to legislate without effective Parliamentary scrutiny. There is only one valid response to the bill, and that is to vote it down at every single turn, in its entirety, and send the clearest possible message to government, telling it to go away and come back with something specific to the purpose for which it claims the bill is intended, and not an all-purpose enabling bill.

              Comment


                #8
                Originally posted by AlfredJPruffock
                From the person who brought you to the Dangerous Organised Criminal Act to target a lone protestor who had the temerity to embarrass the Great Leader Blair with a peaceful protest near Parliament, now this.

                The finale is set by the most Dangerously Organised Criminals of all ,the NL regieme itself.

                You may as well turn yourself in now and save the Thought Police the trouble during the clampdown night.

                You are either with them or against them.

                Its you who decides.

                Look Out ...Look Out ...
                When they put you in the prison I did warn you
                But its too late now I did warn you
                Look Out ...Look Out ...
                Alf is a legend. Makes telling observations, describes them intelligently and yet manages to insert some tragic romanticism in there too.
                Rule #76: No excuses. Play like a champion.

                Comment


                  #9
                  Is Habeas Corpus an ‘unnecessary regulation’?

                  Damn these criminals , how on earth can Habeus Corpus be an unnecessary regulation ?

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Originally posted by Xenophon
                    Alf is a legend. Makes telling observations, describes them intelligently and yet manages to insert some tragic romanticism in there too.
                    Aye X

                    Well kind of you to say, but surely Im only saying what everybody is thinking,if they do take me alive then maybe I will be in the same dorm as you in the NL detention camp.

                    There you go man, keep as cool as you can.
                    Face piles
                    And piles
                    Of trials
                    With smiles.
                    It riles them to believe
                    That you perceive
                    The web they weave
                    And keep on thinking free.

                    Comment

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