Our human rights have been taken away

[Soph7777]

I know it's for a good cause.

I know it's to save lives.

But our basic human rights have been taken from under us, in the short space of a week.

I find this part most of all the scariest.

I'm really struggling mentally with government control to this extent.

How long can this last before people lose their minds and rebel?

The police not investigating other crimes is a serious concern especially as there aren't enough normally.
I don't know how much resources is used on this issue? I follow my local police force on social media and it sounds like PCSOs are patrolling but they don't even have arrest powers.

The drone thing came across as "look, we have a new toy and we're going to use it for stuff that we enjoy like bullying people rather than stuff the public might enjoy like us catching the occasional criminal".

On another note, the Easter Egg thread is making me want to bang my head on the desk as a less painful alternative to reading it.

@TheProdigalKittensReturn

Doesn't he just. I believe his tweets backfired hugely which is why he deleted it; couldn't understand why people weren't proud of him for arresting a child and punishing the mum also - for doing what exactly?
Sounds as though the child was on his own, there's nothing against that (yet) is there?

Frightening. It really is.

That's the other thing, for a child that age to be approached by a policeman who's making up laws as he goes along has to be frightening. Which it rather sounds like the policeman may have enjoyed. Again, there is a certain kind of very unpleasant personality that's often drawn to that kind of job, and I worry about the opportunities for misbehavior this situation presents for people like that and what if anything is being done to keep them in check.

So far it sounds like the answer is "fuck all".

Apparently Lord Jonathon Sumption (formerly of the UK Supreme Court folks and one of the finest legal brains in the country) has grave concerns about where we are heading - but go on keep on dismissing it since many of you seem to know better than him

hitchensblog.mailonsunday.co.uk/2020/03/lord-sumption-speaks-against-hysteria-driven-government-policy-.html

It pains me that I have to use a Daily Mail link but it was the only written transcript I could find. He was interviewed on Radio 4

His opening statement:

"The real problem is that when human societies lose their freedom, it's not usually because tyrants have taken it away. It's usually because people willingly surrender their freedom in return for protection against some external threat. And the threat is usually a real threat but usually exaggerated. That's what I fear we are seeing now. "

Full text provided in the link

That's the other thing, for a child that age to be approached by a policeman who's making up laws as he goes along has to be frightening. Which it rather sounds like the policeman may have enjoyed. Again, there is a certain kind of very unpleasant personality that's often drawn to that kind of job, and I worry about the opportunities for misbehavior this situation presents for people like that and what if anything is being done to keep them in check.

So far it sounds like the answer is "fuck all".

Yes I think that's about it.

Making it easier for people to be sectioned is genuinely worrying, and that's the kind of thing I can see quietly not being restored to normal after the crisis has passed and therefore the kind of thing that needs to be monitored closely and pressure applied if/when needed

That's actually a very good example. Only too easy to imagine it being insisted in future that "you don't really need two doctors for a section; after all they're experts, and we don't want to waste precious resources do we?"

No disrespect to the vast majority of brilliant doctors, but let's also remember that there's almost no chance of challenging what that one doctor may have done ...

The drone thing came across as "look, we have a new toy

Didn't one police force actually tweet that this whole legislation was like a new toy for them?

Jonathan Sumption interview write-up in the Guardian for those who’d prefer not to click on a Daily Mail link ...
www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/30/covid-19-ex-supreme-court-judge-lambasts-disgraceful-policing?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

I suppose there's the exception to my "this is shit for everyone, nobody is enjoying this" comment.

What I find worrying is that there are several cries and support for "more,more ,more" - full lockdown, more power to the police, army on the streets, weaponry, martial law.

I can only imagine it comes from people that have never actually experienced any of it and are so convinced of their own "innocence" and righteousness that it could never impact of them.

I saw a story of a 13yo lad being arrested for not telling the police where he lived. They found out his address and then arrested his mum for not knowing where he was (in police terms, I'll find the article.)

The police are going to reap what they sow and they won't like it. My husband is a retired police officer, I worked in police admin for 20 years. If they are losing our trust how do they think that boy and his family feel, how are his school friends going to feel? Someone in govt needs to stand up and say publicly that this sort of thing isn't acceptable. The same with easter egggate, how have police officers got time to go round inspecting what people are buying in the corner shop? and having inspected it they seriously think buying an easter egg is a problem.

The spirit of Oliver Cromwell and his miserable puritans lives on.

If you was to die of CV you would loose even more of your human rights. Please just do as the gov are asking. Yes you might get CV and be ok but the person you pass it onto may not.

A quote from a UK judge, Lord Sumption, today:

"Yes, this is serious, and, yes, it's understandable that people cry out to the Government, but the real question is, is this serious enough to warrant putting most of our population into house imprisonment, wrecking our economy for an indefinite period, destroying businesses that honest and hard-working people have taken years to build up, saddling future generations with debt?"

nicknamehelp the govt haven't said 13 year olds can't go for a bike ride, they haven't said you can't buy an easter egg.

Lord Sumption strikes me as being a very wise man, LimitIsUp, though I'll say again it's not so much the current restrictions which worry me as what happens to them in future

For the same reason I'd defend the job the police usually do of weeding out the worst type of applicant - I've personally known a couple of real knuckle draggers who to the police's credit were instantly and rightly rejected. However it's inevitable that a small minority will slip through, so I do agree they need to be watched

At least it's healthy that we're able to talk about this though; try that in any number of regimes and see where it gets you

*The numbers jsut don't add up to me.

17,000 people die of the flu every year in the UK, and they don't impose these strict measures*

This is to save 500k lives.

The numbers add up.

@PeterWeg a predicted 500 k lives.

How could they know for sure. No one could.

I am OK with temporary restrictions, but anyone asking for martial law has clearly never experienced martial law.

It pains me to say it but I think the Daily Mail link is the better link since it gives a full transcript of his comments whereas the Guardian article quotes some of what he said

*How could they know for sure. No one could."
Yes we can, China, Italy, Spain have the number of cases, the number of deaths and the number of cases in ICU.

The maths is pretty simple.

the govt haven't said 13 year olds can't go for a bike ride, they haven't said you can't buy an easter egg

In which case why are the police being allowed to make up their own rules as they go along? I'm a broken record here but I agree that rules and a certain degree of quarantine are needed, but allowing the police to just do whatever the hell they like under the guise of enforcing that quarantine is a terrible, very bad, no good idea.

@PeterWeg They also predicted that many, many, people would die from the Swine flu during that pandemic. It didn't happen.

They use big numbers to worry people

Sumption is right and we all need to keep a close look at what is going on. Always go back to the law - the Coronavirus Act 2020 and the other regulations such as www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2020/350/regulation/6/made.

The Government has said those working in the justice system are essential workers, thankfully so they should be getting school places and nursery places. Judges are trying to ensure the courts continue to operate. People can still instruct solicitors if there are important breaches of the law.

So how long do we wait until we consider fighting to regain our liberties, freedoms and norms? Three weeks? Three months? Six months? One year?