If I were Prime Minister...
If I were Prime Minister....
In a move that the general public are unfamiliar with, Nick Clegg, the Deputy Prime Minister has asked the public to recommend laws and regulations that they would like to see abolished.
Clegg has launched the ‘Your Freedom’ website, where the general public can go and make suggestions as to what regulations and legislation they would like to see repealed.
These suggestions will be taken into consideration when the Freedom Bill is drafted this autumn.
But could Nick Clegg have bitten off more than he can chew when he asked the public for their opinion?
Not everyone will be happy, after all, one man’s civil liberty will be another man’s burden.
The more ironic aspect of this is that by wanting to curb the current laws in place ( such as the use of CCTV’s) he will have to create more laws to achieve this – something Clegg wished to avoid.
Yet another danger is that the public may ‘trash’ those policies that are close to the Liberal Democrat heart such as policies on Europe.
It does appear that initial response are centred around Health and Safety Legislation, old laws from the statute books and the smoking ban.
There has been some outbursts of anger though, claiming that Nick Clegg is ‘coping’ out and passing the buck. ‘It is after all what we elected the government to do’ is the popular outcry.
But is it so terrible that we have a government requesting our input and trying to truly follow the democrat model? Only time will truly tell.
In London, giving his speech, Nick Clegg said “real democracy is unspun – it is the raucous, unscripted debates that always throw up the best ideas”
“So be demanding about your liberty, be insistent about your rights. This is about your freedom and this is your chance to have your say.”
“The key thing about this is that, whilst ministers might be able to disagree with the suggestions, the suggestions will be out there. We won’t be able to control it, we won’t be able to control what the most popular ideas are, what the most numerous suggestions are.”
“This could release...maybe even a sense of fun as people think of silly rules that need to be scrapped.”
“I’ve discovered for instance, would you believe it, that there’s still an old law in the statute book that says it’s an offence if you don’t report a grey squirrel in your own back garden.”
“There is lots and lots of old stuff on the statue books that we should get rid of for starters”
Until that Freedom Bill becomes reality though, you will have to put up with those laws that most vex. Don’t forget to report those grey squirrels.
About the Author
Antonia Torr is a graduate from the University of Leicester, with a degree in Law with European Union Law. Having enjoyed writing from a young age, Antonia has received numerous awards that act as a testament to her quality of writing. Let us put you in touch with the best Solicitors in London from our branches Nationwide. Or visit http://www.qualitysolicitors.com
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