The draconian Coalition proposals for dealing with 'non-violent extremists' can no longer be described as the Writing on the Wall. This is nascent dictatorship written in Dayglo on a barrage balloon above the Palace of Westminster. The Slog makes a final appeal for concerted and tenacious opposition.
A
few days back, the Daily Telegraph obtained a leaked letter written by
George Osborne, as a follow-up to the unwise and unacceptable
non-violent extremist (NVE) definition put forward by the joint
ignorance of David Cameron and Theresa May. This is a brief extract from the quite astonishing letter: (my emphases)
'the ultimate objective would be to eliminate extremism in all its forms....[including] those who spread hate but do not break laws...the new orders will extend to any activities that justify hatred on the grounds of religion, sexual orientation, gender or disability.."
These
orders are to be called Extremism Disruption Orders or EDOs. They have
already attracted strong criticism from dangerous revolutionaries like
Keith Porteous of the National Secular Society and Colin Hart of the
Christian Institute.
Proving
within hours that he hadn't actually read the draft laws, a spokesman
for the Conservative Party rejected the criticism, saying, "We have
never sought to restrict peaceful protest or free speech, provided it is within the law."
The Osborne letter quite clearly contradicts this. Even before the
process has got beyond the drawing board, Camerlot sloppiness and/or
dissembling is apparent.
I
have two serious, substantive issues with these ideas, and the time has
come for people of all beliefs and political views to remove backside
from sofa to take a stand about them:
