6 Policy Briefing Civil Liberties

Liberal Democrats Policy Briefing 6 CIVIL LIBERTIES The Labour Government treats us all like children, who need to be checked up on and monitored at every turn. They’ve given up on ordinary people’s rights – like freedom of speech and privacy. This Government’s introduced more than 3,600 new crimes. They stop people from speaking their mind. You can even get fined for wearing an anti-government T-shirt. Laws designed to fight terrorists are used against ordinary people for trivial reasons. The Government has over a million innocent people’s DNA on file. Thousands of schools monitor children’s fingerprints, and parents aren’t allowed to stop them. The Government’s planning an Identity Card scheme more complex and intrusive than anything in the world. And worst of all they keep losing all the information they hold instead of keeping it safe. This way of doing things just isn’t right. Previous generations died to protect our freedom, and politicians shouldn’t try to take it from us. That doesn’t just mean warm words about British tradition: it means action. The Conservatives aren’t serious about freedom – they want to scrap the laws that protect our human rights and personal privacy. Liberal Democrats have the protection of civil liberties at the heart of our purpose and philosophy. The body of rights and freedoms which make up our conception of civil liberties are, we believe, fundamental to building the free, fair and open society to which our constitution commits the Party. We want to see a society which gives individual men and women opportunities to pursue their aims, develop their talents and fulfil their potential. We believe that one of the key roles of the state and the community is to enhance the liberty of the individual and create opportunities for diversity of life and expression.

A Written Constitution for Britain Britain has no written constitution. We have no binding Bill of Rights that protects our people from the actions of an irrational government. The Liberal Democrats will seek the public’s approval to introduce a written constitution for Britain that defines and limits the power of government, with a Bill of Rights at its heart to protect individual rights – including, for the first time, the right to a clean environment. The Bill of Rights will strengthen and entrench the rights guaranteed in the Human Rights Act, which we have consistently supported. The constitution should also set out the powers of Parliament, Ministers, Judges, the Head of State and the national assemblies.

Freedom Bill The Labour Government is addicted to legislating – causing curtailment of freedoms, confusion in business and crisis in our public services. This hyperactive, headline-driven law making must stop. One of the first acts of a Liberal Democrat government will be to table a Freedom Bill to scrap the most intrusive and illiberal laws introduced by Labour. We will: End the government’s expensive, unnecessary, and intrusive ID card scheme. By getting rid of Labour’s expensive, illiberal and authoritarian ID card scheme, we will pay for more police instead. Labour is already spending about £100,000 a day: Liberal Democrats will stop this reckless spending immediately. Stop government from permanently storing the DNA of innocent people without their consent. Restore the right of peaceful protest, in particular the right to protest in Parliament Square. Give parents the power to stop their children being fingerprinted at school. Renegotiate the unfair extradition treaty with the United States so British people are not extradited without proper evidence. This briefing contains Federal Liberal Democrat policies. The policies of the Scottish and Welsh Liberal Democrats and the Northern Ireland local party apply on issues which are their responsibility within our Federal policy-making structure. Published by Liberal Democrats, 4 Cowley Street, London, SW1P 3NB

Liberal Democrats Policy Briefing 6 End the Surveillance Society More and more personal information is being held on individuals by public bodies, businesses and third sector organisations, and technology is making data-mining and data-sharing ever more prevalent. We oppose the idea of a ‘surveillance state’; technology such as CCTV can be used to help keep people safe but it should protect privacy as well. Liberal Democrats will: End the permanent retention of innocent people’s DNA. DNA should be taken on arrest but destroyed if a person is not charged, or if they are acquitted. Introduce full regulation of CCTV. Give everyone the right to see what data is held on you by government, and who has looked at it, except where this would compromise criminal investigations or national security. Require companies whose data has been compromised to notify customers and the Information Commissioner. The Information Commissioner should have the power to fine companies with regular breaches of database security. Introduce a new parliamentary Privacy Committee, to scrutinise bills for their impact on privacy. Refuse to allow data-sharing with other countries without guarantee that data will be held in accordance with UK law. Require explicit parental consent before biometrics – like fingerprints – can be taken from children outside the immigration and criminal justice systems.

Freedom of Information Britain’s government is still too secretive – it is too easy for bad decisions to be covered up and too hard for people to find out the truth. We will expand citizens’ rights under the UK Freedom of Information Act and ensure that all public bodies, including Parliament and its members, are subject to freedom of information, as they are in Scotland. Privacy and personal information will be safeguarded through a modernised Data Protection Act. We will give all citizens access to all data held about them, and give them the right to see a complete log of access to that data by public servants, except where this would compromise national security or criminal investigations.

Fighting Discrimination Liberal Democrats believe that diversity is a source of strength. Society thrives when everyone is free to live their lives as they see fit, without discrimination, and have the opportunity to make the best of their talents. Liberal Democrats insist that all individuals are treated equally regardless of gender, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, faith or race. We will therefore take action to: Close the pay gap between men and women, including introducing compulsory equal pay audits. Support community cohesion, addressing the legitimate concerns of minority communities and strengthening the voices of moderation against those of extremism. Outlaw the incitement of hatred against people on the basis of their sexuality, and take stronger action on homophobic bullying. Extend rights for young people, including equal protection under minimum wage legislation. Outlaw age discrimination, including in the provision of goods and services. Give the Commission for Equality and Human Rights greater powers to reduce discrimination.

This briefing contains Federal Liberal Democrat policies. The policies of the Scottish and Welsh Liberal Democrats and the Northern Ireland local party apply on issues which are their responsibility within our Federal policy-making structure. Published by Liberal Democrats, 4 Cowley Street, London, SW1P 3NB