Local elections are over, revealing clear and damaging lines of division, but at least Prince Phillip has gone, and who knows if there really was a God up there by June we might see the end of May, either way as the general election campaigning gets under way, the next four weeks we’ll be bombarded with slogans, leaflets and canvassers at every turn. But when someone turns up on your doorstep, what are you going to ask them? You might not actually feel inclined to open the door, let alone be that welcoming.
We could ignore, as those who seek to represent us come with their deaf years, their strong handshakes and smiles, choreographed for years, enough to test anyone's patience. But if we choose to engage, we need to know our stuff – and make sure who ever is running our country they are committed to protecting our rights.Do not let them insult your intelligence with vague and non committal type answers.Don't let them fob you off. The way currently things seem to be going, I'm giving up hope, but it's out there, just needs to be awakened and spread.
Here are six things to ask every canvasser (as they seek to become your paid representative) who comes to your door:
Here are six things to ask every canvasser (as they seek to become your paid representative) who comes to your door:
1. Will you protect the Human Rights Act?
The Human Rights Act is our law. It’s helped our troops, victims of crime, disabled people and minority groups including BAME and LGBT communities.
You can also ask party leaders to protect the Act by signing Mark Neary’s petition on Change.org.
2. Will you make sure we stay signed up to the European Convention on Human Rights?
The Convention is a beacon of hope across Europe and beyond.
It outlaws torture and slavery, upholds free speech and religion, protects life and liberty and promotes other basic rights. The Human Rights Act makes the Convention UK law – letting us defend those rights in our own courts.
3. What will you do to combat division and discrimination?
Successive governments have demonised migrants, enforcing policies which spread hate and build borders in our classrooms, hospitals and even our homes.A growing wave of hatred is directed against immigrants, fed by reporting in newspapers like the Daily Mail. Demonising immigrants has a real impact on people’s lives and feeds a small-minded politics which sees people from elsewhere as a threat.
With hate crime on the rise, now is the time to build bridges, not sow division.
4. Will you fight to protect our human rights as we leave the EU?
The next government must promise to safeguard our workers’ rights and equality protections – and not to use EU nationals as bargaining chips.
5. Will you commit to a targeted state surveillance system which protects our rights?
The Investigatory Powers Act is now law, letting the Government record and monitor everything we do online.
We need a surveillance system that targets suspects instead of swamping spies with too much data, putting our personal information at huge risk and disregarding our rights.
6.How can we trust you to ensure the NHS is legally protected in any trade deals we do with Trump’s USA?
We’ve been told that Brexit gives us the opportunity to negotiate dozens of new trade deals – including with Donald Trump’s US. But this could threaten our NHS, and access to healthcare around the world because trade deals often favour privatisation over public solutions to healthcare.
https://www.liberty-human-rights.org.uk/
6.How can we trust you to ensure the NHS is legally protected in any trade deals we do with Trump’s USA?
We’ve been told that Brexit gives us the opportunity to negotiate dozens of new trade deals – including with Donald Trump’s US. But this could threaten our NHS, and access to healthcare around the world because trade deals often favour privatisation over public solutions to healthcare.
https://www.liberty-human-rights.org.uk/
