18 June 2015 — Manifesto Club
BRIEFING DOCUMENT – DISPERSAL POWERS USED AGAINST PROTESTERS AND HOMELESS
See the briefing document here, which was covered in papers including the Times, Telegraph, Express, and local news.
We are calling for more controls on the use of these powers.
PSPOS: Bans on swimming in Salford, and swearing in Bassetlaw
We have been taking on public spaces protection orders across the country, including bans on rough sleeping and ‘non-compliant’ busking in Oxford, and on rough sleeping and ‘loitering’ in Hackney.
Oxford and Hackney councils have both backed down, after substantial local opposition to these measures.
However, there are now plans for bans on microphones in Birmingham, swimming in Salford, and swearing in Bassetlaw. See our list of latest PSPOs – including many that are out for public consultation (our commentaries are on the Freedom Hotline blog).
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CHECKING THE CHECKS
Our Campaign Against Vetting is our longest-running campaign.
The last coalition government promised to reduce criminal records checks to ‘common-sense’ levels. Unfortunately, this has not happened – the number of checks has barely changed. Parents are still being asked to undergo DBS checks to listen to reading in schools, or to go on school trips.
Please get in touch! We want to know recent cases of people being asked to undergo criminal checks for volunteering and other roles, especially in schools. We would also like to know about the problems over-cautious checking is creating for community organisations.
Finally, we would like to hear from anybody who has queried the eligibility of a check, or who would like our help to do so.
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CAMPAIGN AGAINST OUTDOOR SMOKING BANS
OTHER CAMPAIGN NEWS
Against ‘state parents’ in Scotland – The Scottish government’s plan to appoint a ‘named person’ for every child is one of the worst interventions into private life in recent times. We are part of a coalition, ‘No2NP‘, opposing this legislation. There is a petition against the scheme: if you are resident in Scotland, please do sign, and promote as widely as possible.
Notes on Freedom: More posts reflecting on the past, present and future of freedom in this Magna Carta anniversary year. Recent posts on: Why Magna Carta should still be our constitution; Extremism disruption orders – state officials become outlaws; From rights to privileges – the refeudalisation of the public sphere, and more…
