Greens slam the government's assault on civil liberties
Keith Taylor, Principal Speaker of the Green Party, from Brighton, on government proposals to increase police powers.
Fundamental freedoms are under threat.
12th Aug 2004
"These proposals are the latest in a series of attacks on civil liberties by a Government that already monitors its citizens more closely than any in Britain's history."
"New powers to arrest for even the most minor offences will not aid the prevention and detection of crime. Indeed, at a time when crime figures show consistently falling levels of minor crimes, it's difficult to see why the police need greater powers to deal with minor criminals."
"The power to arrest on the suspicion of for even the most minor offences undermines the fundamental right to go about one's day to day business without interference from the state. As with current stop and search procedures, there is also the risk that these new powers could be disproportionately used against members of certain communities."
LIBDEM MAYOR JOINS GREENS The LibDem Mayor of Hythe, in Michael Howard's Folkestone and Hythe constituency, crosses the floor to join the Green Party. -11th Aug 2004
The LibDems had been building up capacity to challenge Michael Howard's seats - they had a clear majority on the local council (Shepway District Council) - but the party has split as an Independent LibDem group of twelve councillors has formed to rival the official LibDem group of fourteen.
Wendy Harris, the Mayor of Hythe and a Shepway Councillor, has been accepted with a most warm welcome to the Green Party.
Cllr Harris, who was first elected as a LibDem in 1991, said today: "I have felt very unhappy with recent events within the local LibDem organisation. After re-evaluating my priorities I have joined the Green Party and will continue as a councillor with that political affiliation."
Steve Dawe, a local Green Party spokesperson, commented:
"The local LibDems are in disarray. Despite the unifying factor of a potentially winnable seat in the Folkestone and Hythe constituency, the LibDems in Shepway have gone into spectacular collapse - a Tory group of seventeen is running a minority administration after the LibDems split into two groups."
The councillor - who becomes the third English Green to hold the post of City Mayor (the others being in Stroud, Gloucestershire & Bideford, Devon) once sat as the only LibDem on Hythe town council. Over the years the LibDems increased their share of the vote, but divisions within the LibDem group have led to a split within the party so that a relatively weak Tory group runs a minority administration while the LibDems seem unable to form an administration with the Independent LibDems .
Cllr Harris concludes: "I have always held strong views and feel very comfortable to have 'gone Green'."
ASSAULT ON CIVIL LIBERTIES
Keith Taylor, who took up the post of The Green Party's principle speaker earlier this month, went on:
"We also deplore the Court of Appeal's decision to permit evidence obtained through torture to be used in court. The use of torture is a crime and should not be even tacitly encouraged. The most effective method of preventing terrorist threats is careful and well targeted use of high-quality intelligence. Evidence obtained through torture is of questionable reliability and is morally repugnant. I call on the High Court to overturn this unjust decision
"This Government's devastating assault on civil liberties must not continue
Keith Taylor - Principal speaker from Brighton on civil liberties
