Webchat with Liberty's Shami Chakrabarti, Wednesday 8 October, 1-2pm

[RachelMumsnet]

Shami Chakrabarti has been director of Liberty (The National Council for Civil Liberties) since September 2003. She's been described as 'Probably the most effective public affairs lobbyist of the past 20 years' by David Aaronovitch of The Times and 'The most dangerous woman in Britain' by the Sun, and has recently been in the news commenting on The Conservative Party's proposed changes to The Human Rights Act.

Shami's book 'On Liberty' was published last week. Drawing on her own work in high-profile campaigns, from privacy laws to anti-terror legislation, Shami sets out to show what she perceives to be the threats to our democratic institutions, and explains her stance that our rights are paramount in upholding democracy.

We're delighted that Shami is our guest on Mumsnet from 1-2pm on Wednesday, to answer your questions. If you're unable to join us at that time, do post a question in advance to Shami on this thread.

Shami, you must be so proud to have been declared 'dangerous' by that bastion of reasonableness and intelligent debate, The Sun . They say you are getting somewhere when your peaceful work is compared to actual killers/terrorists/warmongerers.

Anyway my question is, do you experience the harassment & threats (online or otherwise) that so often follow women who stick their neck out and dare to challenge the status quo? If so, how do you handle it?

P.S. Looking forward to reading your book!

What a marvellous person you are Shami and thanks to you and MN for organising the webchat. I'm looking forward to reading the book

I am enormously concerned about Conservative proposals to withdraw from the ECHR and scrap the HRA should they win the next general election

I wonder to what do you attribute public support in the UK (such as there is - I don't know exact stats) for these proposals?

My feeling is that much of it is media- and politician-driven, where we only tend to see widely-publicised uses of these laws (perfectly legitimately) which appear to benefit those felt to be less than perfectly behaved citizens, rather than understanding how they protect far more than that. I also think there is an enormous element of "othering" too

I would be very interested to hear your thoughts

You are a strong and dedicated woman. A wonderful role model for our kids! I'm not always 100% with you but defend your right to speak out and challenge.

Question:
We Ilive in now of terrorism/home grow jihadists, How can we balance this fear and the right of free speech and travel, and monitoring?

Terrosists are nowadays very sophisticated in tech terms and educated to a level that they know the law inside out.

We are scared that men and women will return to the UK on their Briitish passports (so they are Brits, despite themselves). - they may harbour ill will, or may be emotionally/mentally damaged by what they have seen and/or done.

I will be buying your book!

Are you becoming too much of a celebrity and do you think this detracts from your work? The white robed Olympic Ceremony appearance is one such example...

From discussions with friends and family, most people seem to have bought into the "human rights for paedophiles and murderers" myth and don't seem to understand how the human rights act has made a difference to our everyday lives. How can pro-ECHR campaigners convince people detractors that withdrawal would be a bad thing ?
Agree with the "othering" stance mentioned by Petula, a bit like cuts to legal aid "i'm alright Jack" - until you're not

And a cheeky second question ;)

In a superficial culture i think you are an excellent role model for young women. Which women inspired you when growing up ?

Hi Shami,

What do you see as the main consequences of David Cameron's government bringing in a new British Bill of Rights? Is there anything that you would change with regards to the way that the ECHR currently operates, or is it fit for purpose?

Thanks

Hi Shami,

Congratulations on becoming Chancellor of the University of Essex.

What was your reason for accepting this appointment (do you apply or are you approached I wonder?) and what do you think you can offer the staff and students of the University of Essex?

(in my threads i'm on bit, nomoredelay's "congratulations" is cut a bit short, and looks like she;s saying "congratulations on becoming chancellor of the Universe"!)

Well there's something for Shami to aim for!

Shami,

Thank you for being such a strong and vocal advocate for justice. It may seem like a thankless task at times but your efforts are very much appreciated and needed.

The Conservatives have announced attacks on the ECHR in the past. Do you think the threat has more substance this time or is it just bluster to win hearts and headlines during conference period?

Hi Shami, great to have you on! I'm wondering what you think the motivation behind David Cameron's recent comments is - panic about UKIP defectors, or do they belie a rather more worrying undercurrent of such sentiment in the party?

Hello Shami,

People shouldn't judge a book by it's cover, but we all do it.

On the cover of your book, you are wearing a white blindfold with the word 'liberty' written across it. What does this symbolise for you and how did you and the publishers come up with such strong imagery?

Hi Shami,

Thanks for doing this webchat! I was just wondering how you got to where you are today. Were there any particular career decisions which were really pivotal for you? And if I can sneak in a second question, what advice would you give to anyone else thinking of getting in to lobbying/campaigning.

Thanks!

Another ECHR question. Sorry.

Every bone in my body tells me that it is vital to remain part of this. Is there any reason at all, that the suggestion of coming out of it might be a good idea? Why was it not reasonable to expect a huge uproar when it was first floated as an idea?

Hi,

What kind of impact did your start date at Liberty (10th September 2001) have on the rest of your career do you think - both personally and in the wider political climate?

Hello. Related to scallopsrgreat's question a bit: does Liberty take a stance on online threats and harassment? Do you think the CPS is getting it about right in terms of which cases it pursues? In all honesty I'd like to see police forces taking malicious comms a lot more seriously, up to and including using RIPA to get people's personal information where necessary. Do you think these powers are under-used?

Hi Shami –what do you think about the privacy policies and data use policies of online giants like Google and Facebook?

Hi. Liberty, and groups like it, play an important role in our society. But somethings I do think that you have an elevated position in the political debate given that you are not elected. Politicians are, at the end of the day, accountable to the people who vote for them. And when the people who vote for them want things that may come into conflict with the things you fight for, how do we reconcile the fact that no one voted for you? I'm thinking in particular of anti-terror legislation.

Hi Shami, welcome to Mumsnet - I'd like to know which country you think has the best record at the moment on the protection of personal liberty? Congrats on the book

Hi

A bit trivial, but what do you do about going on holiday?

Do you have a black list of countries you won't visit because of their human rights records, or do you visit, thinking the money you spend is a good investment to the local community?

Thanks for coming to MN. Really enjoyed your contribution at Workfest earlier in the year too.

What do you think makes a good lobbyist and campaigner? How much do you need to work within the system to change it?

Hey Shami - thank you v much for doing this webchat.

Was wondering what is your view on Edward Snowden? He's gained something of a hero status - do you think it's deserved, or a just a bit of hype?

Thanks in advance

Shami's here (yay!) and will be getting going very shortly.