In the name of Public Order.

Rarely do I agree with George Monbiot, who writes “Why isn't this all over the media? Why are so few people aware of this massive step towards dictatorship? We could lose our fundamental liberties before 1% of the population even knows it's happening.”

If you have attended a protest in the previous 5 years you could be served with a banning order which prevents you from attending any such protest again. In short, you lose your right to even peacefully protest something you believe to be wrong.

You could be made to attend “a particular place” with “a particular person” at a time that suits the state, to ensure you are nowhere near a planned protest. Disobey their orders and face up to a year in prison.

In short, they are trying to remove the need for a crime to even have been committed. That’s a whole new level beyond even the future crimes of Minority Report or thought crimes of Orwell’s 1984.

This is all done in the name of stopping the environmental protesters who are causing havoc with transport infrastructure and spraying paint over car showrooms. But there are already laws to deal with this behaviour – no more are needed. Criminal damage, and Public Order offences are perfectly sufficient if the police use them – instead choosing to provide protestors glued to the tarmac with refreshments.

This authoritarian government are putting the UK in the same bracket as basket-case regimes such as Iran and North Korea.

Never let the Conservatives tell you they are the party of liberty. Never be fooled by those on the right of that party who tell you they are the “libertarian wing”. They will all vote for this legislation, some because they believe it is right, others because they know opposing it could see them deselected.

The Libertarian Party totally opposes this new clampdown. It has little to do with law and order and everything to do with restricting the few personal freedoms we retain still further. Join us and help us fight for freedom.

Martin Day – Party Secretary